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This creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta is a flavor-packed dish combining tender chicken, pasta, and buffalo sauce, all cooked together in one pot for a quick and easy meal!
If you like my Buffalo Chicken Braid or the Buffalo Chicken Pinwheels, chances are you’re going to love this pasta!!!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- It’s a one pot meal (no need to cook pasta seperately), so there are very few dishes!
- Takes just 30 minutes from start to finish, perfect for those busy weeknights.
- Easy to customize the spice level, type of cheese, type of pasta, etc!
- A great way to use up leftover chicken.
- The pasta tastes like buffalo chicken dip. Need I say more?!
Ingredients Needed
- Chicken – You can use skinless chicken breasts, chicken thighs, leftover grilled chicken or rotisserie chicken, whatever you’ve got on hand! See notes in the recipe card below.
- Oil – Vegetable or olive oil will work great.
- Minced Garlic – If you don’t have any fresh minced garlic, you can add garlic powder instead. Use 1/2 teaspoon and add it when you add the broth and water.
- Chicken Broth – You can use regular or low-sodium chicken broth.
- Buffalo Sauce – I use Buffalo Wild Wings medium buffalo sauce; Frank’s RedHot is another good option.
- Pasta – Penne, ziti and rotini are all great options.
- Cream Cheese – Adding cream cheese balances out the spicy tang of the buffalo sauce! I recommend using full-fat cream cheese for a more creamy texture.
- Shredded Cheese – I prefer medium or sharp cheddar cheese.
- Toppings – I like to drizzle a little ranch dressing and extra buffalo sauce on top then sprinkle it with some sliced green onions!
How to Make One Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta
You’ll start by adding the raw chicken and minced garlic to the hot skillet with oil. Cook the chicken just so the edges are seared (it’ll have plenty of time to cook through).
Next, you’ll add the water, broth, buffalo sauce and pasta. Give it a stir and bring the mixture to a boil.
Once it’s boiling, set a timer for 15 minutes. Let the pasta cook on medium-low heat, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick together.
When the pasta is al dente (tender pasta but with a little bite when bit into), stir in the cream cheese until smooth.
Lastly, top with shredded cheese and let it melt completely.
Garnish as desired and enjoy warm!
Variations
Just like when you get buffalo chicken wings at a restaurant, there are a variety of ways to enjoy this pasta.
- Customize the spice level. If you love really spicy buffalo wings, you can do the same with your pasta by adding additional hot sauce. Prefer less heat? Decrease the buffalo sauce to 1/4 cup.
- Ranch vs. Blue Cheese? Everyone has a preference for their wing dipping sauce of choice. Mine is ranch, but you can top with blue cheese dressing and/or blue cheese crumbles if you prefer!
- Use gluten-free pasta! This dish is quite simple to make gluten-free by just swapping out the pasta.
What to Serve with Buffalo Chicken Pasta
It’s nice to have a fresh green side salad to balance out the creamy pasta. Other great sides would be garlic bread (perfect for scooping up every last bit of the delicious sauce!), carrots and celery to go with the buffalo wing vibe or fresh fruit to cool off your palate!
Storage Instructions
Let the leftover pasta cool a bit then transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. Pasta will be good for 3-4 days.
Other One Pot Pasta Recipes to Try
- Sausage and Peppers Pasta
- Taco Pasta Skillet
- Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Million Dollar Spaghetti Skillet
- Enchilada Pasta
- Philly Cheesesteak Pasta
Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- 1 Large Skillet or Saute Pan
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken breasts
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/3 cup buffalo sauce
- 8 ounces dry penne pasta
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- sliced green onions, ranch dressing and buffalo sauce for garnish, if desired
Instructions
- Cut the chicken breasts into one inch cubes*.1 pound chicken breasts
- Add 1 tablespoon vegetable oil into a large skillet over medium heat.1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- Sauté the chicken and minced garlic until the chicken is sautéed on all sides; sprinkle with ground black pepper, if desired.1 tablespoon minced garlic
- Add the broth, water, buffalo sauce and pasta.2 cups chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups water, 1/3 cup buffalo sauce, 8 ounces dry penne pasta
- Bring the mixture to a boil.
- Boil for 15 minutes or until the pasta is tender, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the cream cheese until smooth.4 ounces cream cheese
- Top with cheddar cheese and cover for 2 minutes or until melted.1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- Garnish with additional buffalo sauce, ranch or blue cheese dressing and green onions, if desired.sliced green onions, ranch dressing and buffalo sauce
