Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese is a satisfying family friendly pasta bake that features shredded chicken, crisp celery, and a cheesy sauce with just the right amount of spice!
Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese is a pasta bake that my family loves! It is a great use for leftover shredded chicken and can be made ahead of time, two great things for a busy family.
This baked dish brings the flavor of buffalo chicken in every bite. With the crunch of celery, cheesy sauce and tender pasta, it is a very hearty and satisfying dinner. It makes enough to feed a crowd and leftovers taste even better the second day!
VIDEO : Making Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
There are so many things that I love about this dinner. Filling, delicious and flavorful, this can be made the day of or as a make ahead meal, this can be put together whenever and then refrigerated or frozen for another time. Just as good as if you made it the same day!
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions, usually between 7-11 minutes. Any short pasta will work for this dish!
Drain and set aside for now.
While the pasta is cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes.
Add 1/4 cup hot wing sauce and stir until well combined.
Remove from heat and set aside.
In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add flour and dry mustard powder.
Stir in the flour and dry mustard powder to make a paste.
Slowly whisk in the half and half, keeping the mixture smooth.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce stirring until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
Stir in the shredded cheese until melted.
Whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Remove from heat.
Assemble the pasta bake by spreading half of the pasta in a 9×13 baking dish. Top with the chicken mixture and then cover with the remaining pasta. Pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top.
Sprinkle with Panko and parsley and place into preheated oven.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
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Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese
Ingredients
- 2 cups uncooked macaroni or any style short pasta
- 5 tbsp butter divided
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- 2-3 ribs celery about 1 cup, chopped
- 3 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce divided
- 2 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 tsp dry mustard powder
- 2 cups half and half
- 2 cups shredded cheese cheddar, mozzarella or cheddar jack
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 1 cup Panko or regular breadcrumbs
- 2 tbsp fresh chopped parsley or 1/2 tbsp dried
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil, add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package directions, usually between 7-11 minutes. Drain.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a deep skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and celery and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the chicken and garlic and cook 2 minutes. Add 1/4 cup hot wing sauce and stir until well combined. Remove from heat and set aside.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and dry mustard powder to make a paste.
- Slowly whisk in the half and half then add the remaining 1/4 cup hot sauce stirring until thickened, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the shredded cheese and stir in until melted then whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Remove from heat.
- Spread half of the pasta in a 9×13 baking dish. Top with the chicken mixture and then cover with the remaining pasta. Pour the cheese sauce evenly over the top.
- Sprinkle with Panko and parsley and place into preheated oven. Bake 30 to 40 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition *
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
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