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 You'll Love This Recipe
- You can have this dish on your table quickly with simple pantry staples. Using rotisserie chicken or pre-cooked shredded chicken makes it even easier!
- 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.
- This dish 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.
Kat
This looks super creamy and full of flavor ?
denise prosek
This recipe is a go-to now in my house. My husband and son love it--it's the most requested dinner of all-time! Thank you so much for sharing! P.S. Just because they love the spiciness, we do 3/4 cup ranch and 3/4 hot sauce.
Lori
My kids LOVE this easy pasta dish! Great for weeknight dinner, too.
Susan Dubose
My kids LOVE this easy pasta dish! Great for weeknight dinner, too.
Nicole
Made this last night with cauliflower instead of pasta. So good!! This will definitely be something I make again and again!
Carrie Galvin
This recipe sounds wonderful. My only problem is no one in my house like hot sauce. Is there any other sauce I can substitute for the hot sauce, maybe some type of BBQ sauce or something?
Jocelyn
Well, to be honest I have never made this with any other sauce, so I don't know how it would taste or be. I think BBQ sounds good, so if you try it that way, let me know how it turns out.
Laura
Wow! I am putting this on the list for cold night comfort food. It's a Southern thing y'all. ^-^ Yummy!
Callie
This was such an easy recipe and it turned out perfectly! Thank you!
Raquel
What is your favorite hot sauce to use? I’m making this tonight for my boyfriend 🙂
Jocelyn
We love Frank's red hot sauce in this particular recipe. I hope you both enjoy the pasta.
Amarie
I made this last night and it was perfect. I think I just have to go with the actual recipe...I'll be making this again! Oh and I used Light House ranch and Melindas ghost pepper buffalo sauce! I put bleu cheese crumbles on and a drizzle of sauce afterwards its was yummy!
Jena
Hello!! I have a request and some praise: I love the creative content of your site, but navigating it from my phone is making me crazy. The advertisements and the endless scrolling to find the actual recipe is endless. I hope to be on here in the future, so please take this as constructive. My son's favorite thing in the world right now is this Buffalo Chicken pasta. I make it like a lasagna, using gluten free lasagna noodles. I boil a whole chicken and use the broth to make the consistency more ooey-gooey lasagna-ish. But he LOVES it. So thank you!
Leslie
This recipe is easy and delicious!
Susan Dubose
Thank you so much for giving me a dinner that my whole family loved! It has such a burst of flavor and perfect for changing up our normal pasta routine.
Pearl
My daughter and I discovered pasta and Frank's Red Hot Sauce mixed with melted butter in the 1990's as a side when I made buffalo wings (also with Frank's) and it's been such a favorite- then recently looked for Buffalo chicken casserole thinking that would be awesome- and this is a great recipe! I use a little less cheese so the Frank's shines through more- this is a tasty tasty recipe!
Jocelyn
I am so glad you found this recipe and are enjoying it. It's one of our favorites!!!
Nancy Stout
This sounds like a great addition to our July 4th cookout! I always like to put out some casseroles to round things out.
Jamie
LOWER CARB VERSION
Instead of pasta, I used two 12oz bags of frozen riced cauliflower, in a 9x13 pan. One bag would probably be enough for a smaller pan, but hubby and I are rather 'hearty' eaters (so I'm learning to sub for pasta, rice, etc). Mine came out a bit over an inch thick, and we'll have six servings. Don't forget to heat up the cauliflower first to cook off some moisture, or your dish may end up soupy.
I also added two eggs to help bind the cauliflower; this worked well.
I did use a little more cheese -- 2c of mozzarella in the casserole, and about a cup of
cheddar on top. My two chicken breasts came out closer to 3c, which was a good quantity for the larger pan.
I didn't increase the 'sauce' ingredients, and it's sufficiently moist. We aren't fans of super spicy, and the 1/3 c of hot sauce (Aldi brand) was enough for good flavor without mouth-burning heat.
Served tonight with roasted fresh baby asparagus 🙂
Jocelyn
Woo hoo! It sounds like you hit it out of the park! Awesome job with the healthier substitutions!
Carla
Love this recipe, I added chopped up broccoli to the mix, as well as added some to the top and then sprinkled the cheese over it. Deliciousness <3
Kristy
Do you have to use hot sauce?
Jocelyn
If you don't use it, it isn't going to be a buffalo chicken dish...
Maria
Sounds good! Can I use blue cheese instead of tanch dressing both in and on casserole?
Thank you.
Jocelyn
You sure can! We prefer ranch, so that's what I always use, but lots of others have used blue cheese instead. I hope you enjoy the pasta dish!
Becca
Any idea of the nutrition facts for this recipe? Specifically calorie count?
Jocelyn
I'm so sorry about that. I just went into the recipe card and activated the nutrition facts. Although, for what it's worth, I don't recommend looking at the calories of any cheesy gooey pasta. LOL!
Becca
That’s not too bad!!! It’s actually less than I was expecting! Lol thanks!!! Ps. We absolutely LOVE this meal.