This Buffalo Chicken Pasta bake is a delicious and easy casserole recipe that can be on your table in 30 minutes. Combining buffalo chicken dip and cheesy pasta in one pan creates a meal that everyone will devour in minutes.
This buffalo chicken calzone is another easy and quick buffalo chicken recipe that everyone enjoys too.
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Do you struggle with making quick and easy dinners? I tend to put off thinking about dinner until the very last second. Then I'm scrambling to have a hot meal ready when everyone is hungry.
Keeping pasta, chicken, and cheese on hand makes it easy to put together a quick 30 minute meal. We usually have extra chicken in the freezer for meals like chicken Alfredo gnocchi, cheesy chicken pasta, and this buffalo chicken pasta.
Our family loves anything that has buffalo chicken in it. This easy buffalo chicken dip is the number one snack request for our movie nights. So, for this easy dinner recipe I decided to combine our favorite dip with a cheesy pasta bake.
Why You Will Love This Chicken Pasta Bake
Adding pasta noodles to cream cheese, hot sauce, and melted cheese makes this the best buffalo chicken casserole ever! It tastes just like the buffalo chicken dip, only much heartier!
It is so easy to put this casserole together on busy nights. You can also prep it the night before and pop it in the oven when you get home from work.
The top layer of melted cheese will have everyone wanting to dive in as soon as the timer goes off. Give it a few minutes, add some toppings, and then go to town on the spicy chicken goodness!
Ingredients Needed
Enjoy all the flavors you love about buffalo chicken wings in a creamy cheesy buffalo chicken casserole. This easy pasta bake comes together with just a few simple ingredients.
- Chicken - You can use a rotisserie chicken, leftover chicken breasts, chopped grilled chicken, or even canned chicken. We have used every kind of chicken in this buffalo chicken recipe. It tastes amazing no matter what kind of chicken you use.
- Cream Cheese - Makes the pasta creamy and delicious.
- Shredded Cheese - A mixture of shredded mozzarella cheese and cheddar cheese bakes up nice and gooey.
- Hot Sauce - We love using Frank's Red Hot sauce to give a hot and spicy flavor to the buffalo pasta. Feel free to reduce the amount or use a wing sauce instead to make it milder.
- Ranch Dressing or Blue Cheese Dressing - Either one will taste great. It all depends on which dressing you prefer with your buffalo chicken wings. Our family prefers ranch dressing, so we make buffalo ranch chicken.
- Pasta - Use your favorite pasta noodles for this easy casserole. We prefer penne noodles because they hold sauce better. Bow tie noodles would be awesome in this buffalo chicken pasta too. Cook and drain the noodles before stirring them into the buffalo chicken dip mixture.
- Optional Toppings - Green onions and blue cheese crumbles are great toppings for this buffalo pasta.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta
This easy buffalo chicken pasta recipe can be made in minutes. It is a great meal to have on the dinner table in under 30 minutes.
Be careful! This easy buffalo chicken casserole has a thick layer of gooey cheese on top. Everyone will be fighting for the first cheesy scoop!
Cook the Pasta
- Cook the pasta noodles according to the box directions.
- Drain noodles. Drizzle with olive oil to keep them from sticking.
BRUCREW TIP: Make this a low carb buffalo chicken recipe by substituting cooked CAULIFLOWER for the noodles. Healthy chicken recipe just like that.
Assemble and Bake the Casserole
- Stir the cream cheese, ranch, and hot sauce in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Add the shredded cooked chicken, drained noodles, and some of the mozzarella cheese and stir gently.
- Spoon the buffalo chicken mixture into a greased baking dish and top with the rest of the shredded cheese.
- Bake for 20 minutes or until heated through and the cheese on top is melted and starting to brown.
Garnish and Eat
- Drizzle the hot buffalo chicken casserole with ranch dressing and hot sauce.
- Serve with green onions and blue cheese crumbles.
Tips and Tricks
- To keep the cooked pasta noodles from drying out and sticking together, drizzle them with olive oil.
- Looking for a buffalo chicken pasta that has a milder, buttery flavor? Use buffalo sauce instead of the Frank's hot sauce.
- Shred block cheese instead of buying bags of pre-shredded cheese. Bagged cheese has a powder added to it to keep it from sticking and clumping together. Freshly shredded cheese tastes better and melts creamier.
- Blue cheese has a stronger flavor that some people do not enjoy. Serve blue cheese dressing and blue cheese crumbles on the side as an option for anyone that loves that flavor.
Make it a Meal
This buffalo chicken casserole is a complete meal on its own. Although, having extra sides and desserts always makes a dinner better. Here are a few ideas for recipes that we love.
FAQs
The pasta casserole can be made up to one day ahead of time. Mix everything together, then cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
Remove the casserole dish from the fridge 30 minutes before baking. Bake until hot and bubbly.
Buffalo chicken pasta leftovers will keep for 3-4 days if stored in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. Reheat in the microwave.
You sure can. Substitute cooked cauliflower for the pasta noodles and enjoy.
It can. I would use a crock pot if you are cooking raw chicken breasts instead of using already cooked chicken.
Add the chicken breasts and hot sauce to the hot sauce. Cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours. Shredded the chicken in the juices.
Stir in the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and cheese and let cook for 15 minutes.
Add the cooked pasta and top with more cheese right before serving.
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Nachos
- Buffalo Chicken Totchos
- Buffalo Chicken Rolls
- Buffalo Chicken Wrap
- Buffalo Wing Chips
- Buffalo Chicken Slider
- Buffalo Chicken Salad Sandwich
- Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Pizza
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Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Combining buffalo chicken, cheese, and pasta in one casserole creates a meal that everyone will love. This Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake is delicious and can be on the table in 30 minutes.
Ingredients
- 2 cups (8 ounces) uncooked, penne pasta (or substitute cooked cauliflower)
- 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup ranch dressing
- ⅓ cup hot sauce
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken (or 1 - 12.5 ounce can chunk chicken breast)
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray an 8-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook the pasta noodles, according to the package directions. Drain and drizzle with a little bit of olive oil to keep them from sticking.
- Stir together the cream cheese, ranch, and hot sauce until creamy.
- Add the chicken, ½ cup mozzarella cheese, and cooked pasta noodles to the cream cheese mixture and stir to combine. Spoon into the prepared dish.
- Combine the remaining two cheeses and sprinkle over the top of the pasta. Bake for 20 minutes, or until cheese on top is melted.
- Remove and serve immediately with green onions, hot sauce, and ranch drizzles. Serves 6.
Notes
- If you are using canned chicken, drain and break it apart with a fork before using.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 416Total Fat: 29gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 78mgSodium: 858mgCarbohydrates: 17gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 21g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
*This post was first published on October 2016. The post has been updated and republished July 2021.
Ashley Manahan
I put parmesan cheese for my topping and broiled it... yummy
Jocelyn
Great idea. I am so glad you liked it!!
Jaime
What is considered a serving size?
Jocelyn
We generally get 6 servings out of the 8x8 pan. I really do not know how much that is because I haven't measured it. We just scoop and dip in. I hope you enjoy it!
Maria
Could you freeze this?
Jocelyn
Yes, this pasta freezes well. Spoon the cooled dinner into a freezer safe container or bag and freeze for 1-2 months. Thaw and reheat before enjoying!
Lindsay
I was looking for a buffalo chicken pasta recipe and this one did not disappoint! This recipe is so good, will be making again!
BreS
Thank you much for sharing this wonderful recipe! It is absolutely awesome!! Hubby loves it too.