Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

This Creamy Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe has savory pasta smothered in a flavorful cheese sauce with juicy bites of chicken and hints of blue cheese.

Prep Time10

Cook Time35

Total Time45

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Servings: people

Calories: 669kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

1 boneless/skinless chicken breast see notes
1/3 cup blue cheese dressing
8 oz. cavatappi pasta or macaroni
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 Tablespoon tomato paste
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup milk
¼ cup buffalo sauce
½ teaspoon hot sauce
½ teaspoon mustard powder
¼ teaspoon onion powder
¼ teaspoon each: salt/pepper
1 ¼ cups cheddar cheese shredded
2 ounces cream cheese softened

Instructions

Pro Tip: Measure out ingredients while the chicken cooks. Place the heavy cream, milk, cheddar cheese, and cream cheese near the stove to bring them down closer to room temperature.

Gently Boil/Shred the Chicken:

Submerge the chicken in a pot of water and gradually bring it to a gentle boil. Cook for 15-20 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. (A gentle boil ensures the chicken stays juicy and doesn't get tough.)
Remove the chicken and use 2 forks to shred it. Toss with blue cheese dressing and set aside.
Pro Tip: Add 1-2 chicken bouillon cubes to the water to add more flavor to the chicken.

Cook the Pasta and Make the Sauce

Begin boiling salted water in a large pot while you start the sauce. Once a boil is reached, add the pasta and cook until al dente according to package instructions. (Don’t overcook.) Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a pot over medium heat. Add the flour and stir continuously for 1 minute. Add the tomato paste and stir to incorporate, you’ll be left with a thick paste.
Add the heavy cream and milk in small splashes, stirring continuously. Doing this slowly ensures that the sauce stays thick.
Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low.
Add the buffalo sauce, hot sauce, mustard powder, onion powder, and salt/pepper.
Gradually sprinkle in the cheddar cheese and cream cheese, stirring continuously.
Stir in the shredded chicken, then add the drained pasta. Use a silicone spatula to gently stir to combine. Serve!

Notes

For the Chicken: 1 boneless skinless chicken breast is about ½ lb. 1 cup leftover or rotisserie chicken may also be used, no need to boil it if it’s already cooked.

Pro Tips:

Shred the cheese from a block for this recipe, it will melt and taste much better than packaged shredded cheese. I use Cracker Barrel Sharp Yellow cheese for this recipe.
Other Brands used include: Prince Cavatappi, Frank's Buffalo Sauce and Hot Sauce, Philadelphia Cream Cheese, and Marie's Blue Cheese Dressing.
Ranch dressing can be used instead of blue cheese in this recipe if preferred.
The mustard powder and tomato paste are great flavor enhancers in this recipe and I highly recommend them.

Nutrition

Recipe Source: TheCozyCook.com - For pro tips, step-by-step photos, storage information, and to save it to your account, visit https://framework-keystone.live/buffalo-chicken-mac-and-cheese/%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-42244":{"type":"food","name":"Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese","slug":"wprm-buffalo-chicken-mac-and-cheese","image_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/12\/Buffalo-Chicken-Mac-and-Cheese-f.jpg","rating":{"count":23,"total":115,"average":5,"type":{"comment":23,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"1","unit":"","name":"boneless\/skinless chicken breast","notes":"see notes","id":4319,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"","timestamp":1778514541000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":1,"amount":"1\/3","unit":"cup","name":"blue cheese 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