Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Penne pasta, cheese sauce, roasted chicken, hot sauce and creamy blue cheese dressing come together to make this dish burst with flavor. You can easily adjust the level of heat by varying the amount of hot sauce. The creamy, cheesy sauce is out of this world. Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta for your next game day gathering or weeknight family meal.
Using a rotisserie chicken is a shortcut to making this recipe quick and easy. Pick up a roasted chicken at the grocery store and it will save you a significant amount of time in the kitchen. l can often get two meals from one rotisserie chicken. Easy and affordable.
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Recipe
What’s needed:
- 3 cups Penne pasta, cooked and drained
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 heaping tablespoons flour
- 3 cups milk
- 1 -8 ounce cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
- 1/3 cup hot sauce
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 rotisserie chicken breasts, chopped
- 1 cup blue cheese dressing
- 1/4 cup hot sauce for topping
- 1 cup shredded mild cheddar
How to make Buffalo Chicken Pasta?
- Boil the pasta until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, the chopped celery and onion to a large skillet or a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until the veggies are soft.
- Add the flour to the veggie mixture and continue to sauté for 2 minutes until flour is absorbed.
- Add the milk and the cream cheese to the pan. Whisk the mixture gently until the cream cheese has melted.
- Add the shredded cheese and continue to stir until all is thick and melted and bubbly. Smells so good!
- Add the chopped chicken breast and the pasta to the pot and stir until combined.
- This recipe makes 8 servings, so the skillet or pot will be full. Add 1/3 cup hot sauce to the pasta mixture and stir.
- Pour the pasta into a deep 13 x 9 inch baking dish. Add the blue cheese dressing to the top of the pasta mixture. Spread it around evenly.
- Drizzle a bit more hot sauce and sprinkle one cup of shredded cheddar cheese on the top before baking.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until the dish is bubbly and golden on top.
Serve the pasta with celery sticks, chopped salad and crusty bread. Buffalo Chicken Pasta is hearty and satisfying…truly one of our go-to meals when the weather requires something comforting and warm.
This recipe makes 8 servings, so you can easily cut the measurements in half to make 4 servings. You can also try real blue cheese, instead of blue cheese dressing. Just crumble it and sprinkle evenly on top of the pasta before baking.
Give it a try and remember to leave me a comment. I look forward to hearing from YOU!
Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 3 cups pasta , cooked and drained
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- 1/2 cup onion, diced
- 6 tablespoons butter, divided
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 3 cups milk
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 3 cups Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- 1/3 cup hot sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups chicken breast, chopped
- 1 cup blue cheese dressing
- 1/4 cup hot sauce , for topping
- 1 cup mild cheddar, shredded
Instructions
- Boil the pasta until tender, about 8-10 minutes. Drain and rinse in cool water. Set aside. Add 3 tablespoons of butter, the chopped celery and onion to a large skillet or a Dutch oven. Cook over medium heat until the veggies are soft.
- Add the flour to the veggie mixture and continue to sauté for 2 minutes until flour is absorbed.
- Add the milk and the cream cheese to the pan. Whisk the mixture gently until the cream cheese has melted.
- Add the shredded cheese and continue to stir until all is thick and melted and bubbly. Smells so good!
- Add the chopped chicken breast and the pasta to the pot and stir until combined. This recipe makes 8 servings, so the skillet or pot will be full. Add 1/3 cup hot sauce to the pasta mixture and stir.
- Pour the pasta into a deep 13×9-inch baking dish. Add the blue cheese dressing to the top of the pasta mixture. Spread it around evenly. Drizzle with remaining hot sauce and sprinkle one cup of shredded cheddar cheese on the top before baking.
- Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes until the dish is bubbly and golden on top. Recipes makes 8 servings.
Equipment
- 1 large skillet or Dutch oven