Buffalo Chicken Pasta (Printable Version)

Tender shredded chicken tossed with spicy buffalo sauce, creamy cheese, and blue cheese crumbs in a bold, comforting pasta dish.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or rotini pasta

→ Chicken

02 - 2 cups cooked shredded chicken breast

→ Sauce

03 - ½ cup buffalo wing sauce
04 - ¼ cup unsalted butter
05 - ½ cup heavy cream
06 - 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
07 - ½ cup cream cheese, softened
08 - 1 teaspoon garlic powder
09 - ½ teaspoon onion powder
10 - ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
11 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

→ Topping

12 - ½ cup crumbled blue cheese
13 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or green onions, optional

# Method:

01 - Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
02 - While the pasta cooks, melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the buffalo sauce and stir to combine.
03 - Lower the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until smooth. Pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly until the sauce is creamy.
04 - Stir in mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Cook until the cheese is fully melted.
05 - Add the shredded chicken to the sauce and stir until well coated and heated through.
06 - Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss to combine, ensuring the pasta is evenly coated with the sauce.
07 - Transfer to serving bowls. Sprinkle with crumbled blue cheese and chopped chives or green onions if desired.
08 - Serve immediately while hot.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like buffalo wings but without the mess or the deep fryer.
  • You can have dinner on the table in half an hour with ingredients you probably already have.
  • The creamy sauce cools down the heat just enough to keep you coming back for more.
  • Leftovers actually get better overnight once the flavors soak into the pasta.
02 -
  • Let the cream cheese sit at room temperature before you start, or it will clump up in the sauce and take forever to smooth out.
  • Do not skip draining the pasta well, because excess water will make your sauce watery and bland.
  • Taste the sauce before adding salt, because buffalo sauce and blue cheese are already salty and you can easily overdo it.
  • If you reheat leftovers, add a splash of milk or cream to bring the sauce back to life.
03 -
  • Use rotisserie chicken to save time and add a deeper, roasted flavor that plain boiled chicken cannot give you.
  • Reserve a cup of pasta water before draining, because a splash of that starchy liquid is magic for loosening up a thick sauce.
  • Add the blue cheese only at the end so it stays crumbly and funky instead of melting into the sauce and disappearing.
  • If you are not a blue cheese person, a drizzle of ranch dressing on top works surprisingly well and keeps that classic buffalo wing vibe.
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