We love the tangy, spicy flavor of a buffalo chicken wing combined with that quick but thorough dunk in a piquant blue cheese sauce. But the thing with a buffalo chicken wing is that it's super messy to eat... and the portions are teensy.
So what if you could turn all that deliciousness into a creamy casserole with generous portions you can serve your whole family? Yup— it would be a runaway hit, which is why we've come up with this buffalo chicken pasta bake recipe. It's easy, satisfying, and so good that it will become part of your regular dinnertime rotation.
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
Before you even get started on this recipe, consider this... if you don't want to cook the chicken yourself, head on down to the grocery store and buy a premade rotisserie chicken so you can use the meat for this casserole. Instant time saver! This makes 6 to 8 servings.
Ingredients
- 1 (13- to 14-ounce) box rotini or penne pasta, cooked according to package instructions and drained
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 onion, chopped
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (8-ounce) block cream cheese, room temp and cut into cubes
- ¼ cup milk
- ½ cup Louisiana hot sauce
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 ounces blue cheese crumbles
- 2 scallions, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large skillet, heat the butter on medium-high until it shimmers.
- Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is soft, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken and cook, stirring occasionally, until the chicken is cooked through, another 5 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Add the cream cheese, milk, blue cheese, hot sauce, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the cheese melts.
- Stir in the pasta.
- Transfer the mixture to a 9x13" casserole dish.
- Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until the casserole is melted, bubbly, and browned on top, about 30 minutes.
- Sprinkle with the chopped scallions.
Tasty Variations
You can vary this in several ways.
- Not a fan of blue cheese? No problem. Replace that with 4 ounces of your favorite grated cheese, such as cheddar or Swiss cheese, or even an Italian hard cheese like asiago or parmesan.
- Replace the chicken with an equal amount of ground beef or turkey.
- Add a little extra zip by adding ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon of cayenne to the hot sauce.
- You can also make the pasta a little smoky by adding ½ teaspoon of smoked paprika or ¼ to ½ teaspoon ground chipotle.
- Add 1 to 2 cups of steamed chopped veggies, such as broccoli or peas, to add a little green to your meal.
Turn Appetizers Into Dinner
Turn your favorite appetizer into a filling meal for your entire family. It's easy to make and has all the flavor you love in your buffalo chicken wings.
