Yup. I am combining two of everyone’s favorite foods to make Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese. It has the best elements of both. It’s cheesy and spicy and loaded with chunks of chicken. This is a fun way to repurpose leftover chicken, and it is a dinner that can easily be prepared in under 30 minutes. Plus, it is a crowd pleasing meal that your friends and family will love.
You can make this recipe with leftover chicken or rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. The chopped chicken gets soaked in a spicy buffalo sauce and then it gets added to a creamy cheese stovetop macaroni and cheese.
I added 1/3 cup of Frank’s Hot Sauce to 1 1/2 cups of chicken. I thought that this was a nice balance between the spicy and cheesy flavors. The spice from the buffalo sauce does build as you eat it, I would say that the spice level is about a 4 out of 10. If you want extra spice, just add some extra hot sauce!
The cheese sauce is made with a cheddar cheese and a touch of blue cheese. Even though I added just a couple tablespoons of blue cheese you can taste a hint of blue cheese in every bite. The blue cheese really compliments the buffalo sauce while also cutting the heat of the spice.
I used penne rigate because I think it is a little fancier than the traditional elbows. You can use any pasta shape you want. Medium shells are another personal favorite.
The recipe below makes enough to serve 4, but it can easily be doubled to serve more. I think that the leftovers are just as good as the original so I like making extra.
Want a classic mac and cheese recipe? Here is my recipe for creamy cheddar macaroni and cheese!
Yields 4
25 minPrep Time
25 minTotal Time
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 cups of Tubular Pasta
- 1/4-1/2 cup of Franks Buffalo Sauce (I used 1/3 cup)
- 1 1/2 cups of chopped or shredded Chicken
- 2 tablespoons Butter
- 3 tablespoons Flour
- 2 cups of Milk (I used 2%)
- 2 cups of Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- 3 tablespoons of Blue Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and add the pasta. Cook according to the directions on the box.
- Place the chicken in a bowl and soak it in the buffalo sauce. Start slow, you can always add more hot sauce later. I used 1/3 cup of the buffalo sauce.
- Once the pasta is cooking, get to work on the cheese sauce. Start by melting the butter in a saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Once the butter melts, whisk in the flour, and continue to stir the mixture over the heat for 1 minute. Then add the milk and whisk to incorporate the flour mixture.
- Bring the milk mixture to a slow and steady boil. Let it boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Then add the cheddar cheese and 2 tablespoons of the blue cheese. Once the cheese melts season with salt and pepper to taste. Then add the buffalo sauce-soaked chicken. Taste the sauce again, and add more buffalo sauce if you like.
- Drain the pasta, return it to the pot, pour the chicken and cheese sauce over and stir to combine. Serve the macaroni and cheese with a sprinkle of blue cheese on top.
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