This Buffalo Chicken Pasta is a family favorite made and loved by millions! It combines the bold flavors of buffalo chicken dip with cheesy pasta, all baked in just 30 minutes. One bite, and you’ll see why it’s so popular!
Our buffalo chicken calzone is another quick and easy recipe everyone enjoys.
The recipe for buffalo chicken pasta bake was first shared in October 2016. The post was updated with new photos and tips and republished in February 2025.
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Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
We're big buffalo chicken fans over here. Our kids request this easy buffalo chicken dip for every movie and game night. So, one day, I thought, "Why not turn it into dinner?" And boom—this cheesy, spicy casserole was born!
I always keep pasta, chicken, and cheese on hand to make this quick dinner in minutes. This pasta bake is perfect for busy nights; you can even prep it ahead of time and bake it when you're ready.
Whether you're a buffalo chicken fanatic or love an easy, cheesy dinner, this dish has something for everyone.
Why I Love This Recipe
- With simple pantry staples, you can quickly prepare this dish. Using rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked shredded chicken makes it even easier!
- This is a delicious kid-approved meal! While hot sauce has a kick, you can adjust the spice level to suit everyone's taste. The creamy texture balances the heat, so even those who don't like spicy food will love it.
- It is perfect for a crowd! Bring it to game nights, potlucks, or Super Bowl parties, and watch it disappear in minutes!
- It's also great for meal prepping. Leftovers reheat beautifully so that you can enjoy them for lunch the next day.
Jenny says, " This is one of my family's FAVORITE, most requested dishes! I cook a bunch of chicken in the instant pot first and use it for recipes throughout the week. It is cheesy, creamy, and delicious, with a great kick."
Ingredient Notes
Experience all the delicious flavors of buffalo chicken wings in a creamy, cheesy pasta casserole. This simple recipe requires just a few easy ingredients.
- Chicken - You can use rotisserie, boneless, skinless chicken breasts, grilled, or canned chicken. We have used every kind of chicken in this recipe, and it tastes amazing no matter what you use.
- Cream Cheese - Full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature, will quickly be combined into the dip.
- Shredded Cheese - I enjoy mixing shredded mozzarella cheese with sharp cheddar cheese. For best results, shred or grate fresh cheese blocks. This ensures a smoother melt and creamier pasta.
- Hot Sauce - We love Frank's Red Hot sauce, which gives the buffalo pasta a hot and spicy flavor. You can reduce the amount or use wing sauce 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 wings. Our family prefers ranch dressing, so that's what we use.
- Pasta - Go with your favorite noodles! We like penne pasta since it holds the sauce, but bow-tie noodles would also work great. Just cook and drain the noodles before tossing them into the spicy mix.
- Optional Toppings - Green onions and blue cheese crumbles are great toppings for buffalo pasta.
BruCrew Pro Tip: Use leftover chicken to make a buffalo chicken salad or buffalo chicken wrap.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta
This spicy pasta recipe is simple, making it a perfect dinner option when you're short on time. FYI: This casserole is smothered in a thick layer of ooey-gooey cheese, so get ready for a scramble for that first scoop!
Cook the Noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the noodles, and cook until al dente.
Make the Sauce: Stir the cream cheese, ranch dressing, and hot sauce in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.
Add Chicken and Pasta: Add the shredded cooked chicken, cooked pasta, and some of the mozzarella cheese, then stir gently.
Assemble the Casserole: Spoon the creamy pasta mixture into a greased casserole dish, then top with the rest of the shredded cheese.
Bake until Bubbly: Pop it into a preheated oven and bake it until it’s hot. The cheese on top will melt and get a bit brown.
BruCrew Pro Tip: Drizzle hot casserole with ranch dressing and hot sauce. Then, add green onions and blue cheese crumbles just before serving.
Storage Recommendations
Once the dish cools to room temperature, put leftovers in an airtight container. Store it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Individual portions can be reheated in the microwave.
Tips and Tricks
- Cook the pasta until it's al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven later. After draining, drizzle the noodles with olive oil to prevent them from drying out and sticking together.
- Use buffalo wing sauce instead of Frank's hot sauce for a milder buttery flavor.
- Customize the flavor with different cheeses. Mix and match Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Colby Jack, or gouda for a creamy texture. You can also add pepper jack for some spice and blue cheese for a buffalo flavor!
- Keep the blue cheese dressing and crumbles on the side since not everyone enjoys that strong flavor.
- Complete the meal by adding a side salad and garlic herb bread.
Variations
- Make it extra creamy. Stir ½ cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt into the sauce before baking. This adds a little tang and makes the pasta even smoother.
- Use a different cooked protein. Not in the mood for chicken? No problem! Try shredded turkey, ground beef, or shrimp.
- Add veggies. Boost the nutrition by sneaking in chopped bell peppers, spinach, carrots, or celery.
- Serve it low carb. Skip the pasta noodles and use cooked cauliflower florets.
- Add a crunchy topping. Before baking, top the casserole with crushed Ritz crackers, panko crumbs, or crushed Doritos chips for extra texture.
FAQs
Yes! Mix everything in a large skillet, heat until the cheese is melted, then serve it straight from the pan.
You can prepare the pasta dish up to two days in advance. Mix all the ingredients, then cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate it.
Before baking, remove the casserole from the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Bake the casserole until it is hot and bubbly.
Yes, assemble everything in a foil pan, then cover and freeze for 2-3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then bake until hot and bubbly.
More Buffalo Chicken Recipes
- Buffalo Chicken Tots
- Buffalo Pizza Rolls
- Buffalo Wing Chips
- Buffalo Chicken Slider
- Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Pizza
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Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
This Buffalo Chicken Pasta is a family favorite made and loved by millions! It combines the bold flavors of buffalo chicken dip with cheesy pasta, all baked in just 30 minutes. One bite, and you’ll see why it’s so popular!
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked, penne pasta
- 1 - 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup ranch dressing
- ⅓ cup hot sauce
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- blue cheese crumbles and chopped green onions, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F. Spray an 8-inch casserole dish with nonstick spray.
- Cook the noodles according to the package directions. Drain them and drizzle them with olive oil to prevent them from sticking.
- Stir the softened cream cheese, ranch dressing, 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 baking dish.
- Combine the remaining two cheeses and sprinkle over the pasta. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and slightly browned.
- Remove and serve immediately with green onions, hot sauce, ranch drizzles, and/or blue cheese crumbles.
Notes
- Cook the pasta until it's al dente, as it will continue cooking in the oven later. After draining, drizzle the noodles with olive oil to prevent them from drying out and sticking together.
- Use buffalo wing sauce instead of Frank's hot sauce for a milder buttery flavor.
- Customize the flavor with different cheeses. Mix and match varieties like Monterey Jack, mozzarella, Colby Jack, or gouda for a melty texture, or add pepper jack for spice and blue cheese for a buffalo kick!
- Keep the blue cheese dressing and crumbles on the side since not everyone enjoys that strong flavor.
- Complete the meal by adding a side salad and garlic herb bread.
- See more tips and variations in the blog post.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 408Total Fat: 31gSaturated Fat: 12gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 16gCholesterol: 86mgSodium: 516mgCarbohydrates: 14gFiber: 1gSugar: 3gProtein: 18g
Nutrition facts are an estimate and are not guaranteed to be accurate. If you need special diet advice, please see a registered dietician.
Edie Camplin
A question I really do not like ranch dressing is there something else I can use in place of it
Jocelyn
Quite a few people have mentioned that they like blue cheese dressing instead of the ranch in this. I haven't tried it that way because I don't care for the blue cheese taste.
Ellen
We loved this. I used gluten free pasta. I parboiled some cauliflower heads and ground up and added for a secret vegetable!
We served with fresh celery sticks! A big hit!
Anja Michaelis
Made it tonight and absolutely loved it! Used gruyere and Italian cheese as well as blue cheese instead of ranch since we had the stuff in our fridge already!
Absolutely love it and can’t get enough
Nia
I tried this last night and it turned out perfectly! The girls loved it. Thanks! I used canned chicken- quick and easy.
Tracy K
Love this! It has become a regular dish in our home, thank you for the recipe! I do wonder, has anyone ever tried freezing this? If so, how long does it keep and how long and at what temp do you bake it at?
Erin
Can I use something other than hot sauce? Or just leave it out? I'm trying new things for my sister and she can't eat any spicy like hot sauce
Jocelyn
The only thing I can think of to substitute would be barbecue sauce, but that is going to change this completely.
Lizzie
Would adding red/green peppers or onions work inside of the pasta? My family isn’t the type to like plain old chicken, cheese, and noodles in a pan so I’m hoping to add something else. Spinach and broccoli are out due to allergies in the family
Jocelyn
Hi, Lizzie. I usually serve a salad along with this pasta when I make it for dinner. But yes, adding onions and colored peppers would be a great addition as well. I hope your family enjoys it as much as we do.
Nicole
I make this for just two people and I double it because it is so delicious. We will eat on it for days without a complaint! It is definitely a go to in my house! Thanks for sharing!
Amanda
I have made this recipe many times its a family favorite. I also use it for pot lucks and its always a favorite. I use baby rays buffalo sauce and canned chicken and I also found that it mixes better if you use a blender for the cream cheese, buffalo sauce, and ranch.
Destiny
Is the 8in pan the only one we can use?
Jocelyn
For these measurements, yes. If you double the ingredients, you can use a 9x13 pan. I hope that helps!
susan
Buffalo wing sauce works really well as it is not as hot (you can also by mild)
This is a great recipe!
I used boneless/skinless chicken thighs...seasoned and roasted them for 20 min...then shredded...easy peasy!
I also did not have cream cheese 🙁 so I used sour cream and cream of chicken soup...with 1/3 cup of wing sauce. It was still creamy and delish. I also topped the whole thing with panko breadcrumbs mixed w/melted butter. Added a nice crisp texture.
Paula
Okay...let's talk "hot sauce"....the kind of hot sauce used will make a difference in the recipe and since I like to try a new recipe with the original ingredients first before I determine what touches I want to make to the recipe, would you kindly let me know what kind of hot sauce you used? I have everything from Torture Hot Sauce to a simple sauce like Franks. I'm looking forward to trying this recipe and putting my own twist on it.
Jocelyn
We usually use Frank's Red Hot when we make this pasta dinner, but I have also used Sweet Baby Ray's buffalo wing sauce and that was really good. I hope you enjoy the dinner! It's a family favorite here!
Chelsea
Has anyone ever prepared this the night before and put in the the fridge and baked it the next night? Will it still be as good?
Jocelyn
I haven't made it the night before, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. You would probably have to bake it a little longer since it will be cold to start with.
Kim
Has anyone tried making the entire dish in a crock pot instead of baking? Making it for a potluck tomorrow.
Jocelyn
I haven't tried this in a crock pot, but I don't see why it wouldn't work. You just won't get any browning on your cheese, but it should be all cheesy and delicious!
Noelle
Just want to make sure, do I add the cream cheese hot sauce ranch mix to the noodles before I place them in the oven?
Thanks!
Jocelyn
Yes, you are going to stir the chicken, cheese, and noodles in the cream cheese mixture, then put it in the pan to bake. I hope you enjoy it!
Bridget Harrison
If you use canned chicken what brand do you recommend and also how many cans are needed?
Jocelyn
We have used canned chicken before and it tastes great. I usually buy the big 6 pack of canned chicken at Sam's Club and keep them in the cupboard. One can has about 1 1/2 cups of chicken in it.
Blakely Wood
Does anyone know the nutritional information on this dish?
Heather Nason
I'm actually making this for dinner tonight!!
Trish
Making this at the moment. I diced up some bacon first and bought a package of fresh stir fry chicken (boneless, skinless chicken cut in thin strips) and i cubed it off before trying with a bunch of seasonings (I like different spices ☺). I've also increased the buffalo wing sauce to 1/2 cup and the ranch to 1 cup and added some diced jalapenos. Pasta was one 450g bag of fusilli to ensure leftovers for the other half. I can't wait until this comes out of the oven! Thanks for the awesome idea!! ????
cathy Haning
where are thestep by step directions?
Jocelyn
Scroll past the pictures, and there is a recipe card with all the ingredients and instructions.