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This buffalo chicken mac and cheese is a blend of pasta, cheese, chicken, and sauce. The best macaroni and cheese recipe you’ll ever make!
Some of my other favorites include lobster mac and cheese and 4 cheese mac and cheese.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s made with store-bought rotisserie chicken, buffalo sauce, and blue cheese dressing. All you have to do is cook the pasta and bechamel sauce!
- Super cheesy, creamy, flavorful, and decadent.
- It feeds a large crowd!
- Makes the best leftovers. Simply place any leftovers in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
Ingredient Notes
Pasta – I used cavatappi pasta but feel free to use any type of short-shaped pasta.
Chicken – You can boil chicken breasts, cook a whole chicken in the air fryer, or simply use store-bought cooked chicken.
Cheese – I used a blend of cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, and caramelized onion pepper jack cheese. If you can’t find onion pepper jack cheese, use gouda or cheddar instead.
Milk – Use whole milk for best results.
Top Tips For The Perfect Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
- Make sure to constantly whisk the bechamel sauce, otherwise, it can burn and stick to the pot.
- Use blue cheese dressing from the refrigerated section of your local supermarket. Those usually taste the best!
- Discard the chicken skin and fat, it tends to get soggy when combined with the cheese sauce.
- Cook the butter and flour for at least 2 minutes before adding the cold milk, to cook out that raw flour taste.
- Add some crumble blue cheese to the cheese sauce, if you want to make it extra cheesy.
- If you want to make it spicy, add cayenne pepper and use spicy buffalo sauce instead of the original.
- Throw some crushed Ritz crackers or bread crumbs on top before baking if you like a little crunch.
Can I Use Fried Chicken Instead Of Shredded Chicken?
Of course. Feel free to add cut-up crispy chicken nuggets. Just don’t forget to combine it with the buffalo sauce and blue cheese dressing.
What Goes Good With Baked Mac and Cheese?
This is such a rich and decadent meal that I highly recommend serving it as a side dish. I love to serve it with garlic butter steak tips or crab stuffed salmon.
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. And consider following me on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest!
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb pasta , cavatappi
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 1/2 cups whole milk
- 2 cups cheddar cheese
- 2 cups caramelized onion Jack cheese , or gouda cheese
- 1 cup mozzarella cheese
- 2 cups cooked chicken
- 1/4 cup buffalo sauce
- 1/4 cup blue cheese dressing
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook the pasta according to packaging instructions. I like to cook it till al dente.
- In a large skillet, add the butter and let it melt. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Stir in the whole milk. Let the sauce cook for 20-30 minutes over medium heat while stirring frequently.
- Once the sauce is thick, turn off the heat. Stir in the cheese, make sure to leave some cheese for the top.
- Check the sauce for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed.
- In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, and blue cheese dressing.
- Add the chicken mixture and cooked pasta to the cheese sauce. Mix well. Top it off with the remaining cheese.
- Bake at 400 degrees F. for 10-15 minutes. Garnish with chives or scallions, if desired.
Notes
- Make sure to constantly whisk the bechamel sauce, otherwise, it can burn and stick to the pot.
- Use blue cheese dressing from the refrigerated section of your local supermarket. Those usually taste the best!
- Discard the chicken skin and fat, it tends to get soggy when combined with the cheese sauce.
- Cook the butter and flour for at least 2 minutes before adding the cold milk, to cook out that raw flour taste.
- Add some crumble blue cheese to the cheese sauce, if you want to make it extra cheesy.
- If you want to make it spicy, add cayenne pepper and use spicy buffalo sauce instead of the original.
- Throw some crushed Ritz crackers or bread crumbs on top before baking if you like a little crunch.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
