Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese – ultra creamy, spicy 3-cheese sauce with chicken garnished with bacon, blue cheese and a drizzle of ranch dressing. Cooks completely in 1 pot in under 30 minutes.
Another thing I love about this recipe is that the entire dish cooks in just one pot so you don’t have to boil the pasta separately.
The spicy buffalo sauce takes ordinary homemade macaroni and cheese (one of my favorite comfort foods) to the next level.
cheese tip:
As always, I recommend freshly shredding the cheese yourself if time allows. Pre-shredded cheese in bags contains ingredients that prevent the cheeese from clumping. These ingredients can result in the cheese not meltinging as well so your sauce won’t be as smooth.
What do I need to make Buffalo chicken mac and Cheese?
- butter
- flour
- milk (2% OR whole milk – not skim)
- dry Hidden Valley Ranch dressing/seasoning mix
- elbow macaroni UNCOOKED
- cream cheese
- Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Wing sauce
- cooked chicken (leftover or rotisserie)
- mozzarella cheese (can sub monterey jack)
- sharp cheddar cheese
How to make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese:
In a deep pot melt the butter over medium heat then whisk in the flour and cook 1 minute.
Next pour in the milk and water, blending completely with the butter/flour mixture (roux) then sprinkle in the dry ranch seasoning, UNCOOKED elbow macaroni and buffalo sauce, stirring to combine.
COVER bring to a boil over medium-high heat then reduce the heat and simmer UNCOVERED over low heat 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Stir often to prevent the pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
Turn off the heat then fold in cream cheese, and cooked chicken stirring until blended, then add shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses stirring gently to combine.
GARNISHES and VARIATIONS:
Add a drizzle of buffalo sauce over the finished Buffalo Mac and Cheese.
Finely chopped celery adds great texture to this creamy dish.
Make it mild with Frank’s RedHot mild wing sauce instead of classic Buffalo Red Hot Sauce.
Add blue cheese crumbles or even a drizzle of blue cheese dressing before serving.
Sprinkle on slivered green onions.
Crumbled on some cooked bacon or bacon bits.
No Chicken? No problem! You can definitely make Buffalo Mac and Cheese without chicken for a tasty side dish!
Craving even more spice? Use pepper jack cheeses instead of mozzarella or monterey jack.
LOOKING FOR GAME DAY FAVORITES?
Crispy Baked Buffalo Wings: Marinated in a spicy buttermilk-ranch blend, then “oven fried” until crispy and bursting with bold flavor.
Cowboy Queso: Warm, spicy dip loaded with 2 kinds of cheese, chorizo, black beans, corn, tomatoes and fresh cilantro. Serve with tortilla chips.
Slow Cooker White Chicken Chili: Creamy chili with bites of white beans, corn and green chilies in every bite. Topped off with sliced avocado, extra cheese, tortilla strips and sour cream.
Classic Spicy Ground Beef Chili: Packed with ground beef, beans and bold, spicy flavor. Quick stove top and slow cooker recipe options.
Last but not least, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share the 12+ Best Sides to Serve with Chicken Wings – perfect for your next gathering.
. . . and there you have it. Enjoy!
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If you tried this spicy Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese recipe or any other on the blog then I’d love to hear from you with a comment or star rating!
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk 2% used (full fat ok; skim not recommended)
- 2 1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons dry ranch seasoning
- 2 cups elbow macaroni uncooked
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Frank's Buffalo Wing Sauce or more to taste + 2 T extra for drizzling on top
- 2 cups cooked chicken rotisserie or leftover, shredded/cubed
- 3/4 cup mozzarella freshly shredded
- 1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles or more to taste
- 1/4 cup bacon crumbles (real bacon precooked) - or more to taste
Instructions
- In a deep melt the butter over medium heat then whisk in the flour, cooking 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk and water, blending completely with the roux (butter/flour mixture).
- Sprinkle in the dry ranch seasoning, UNCOOKED elbow macaroni and buffalo sauce, stirring to combine.
- COVER bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer UNCOVERED 8-10 minutes or until the pasta is al dente. Stir often to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom of the pot.
- Turn off the heat then fold in cream cheese and cooked chicken stirring until blended then add shredded cheddar and mozzarella cheeses stirring gently to combine.
- Optional garnishesL drizzled buffalo sauce and/or ranch, cooked bacon, finely chopped celery and/or blue cheese crumbles.
Mary says
I love the idea of individual portions! Picky eaters can add or leave off the blue cheese….whatever they desire. I say more is better! This recipe looks and sounds completely decadent!! Pinned. Thanks for another fantastic recipe. Have a fun and safe weekend.
Bernie says
So true Mary – every family has at least one picky eater, right? Thank you so much – decadent was the goal! It was a great weekend here. Hope you enjoyed yours as well and let’s chat later this week. 🙂
Lauren says
I made this last night for a girls night in watching Grey’s…AMAZING. You combined 2 of my favorites. I loved how easy it was to put together and totally agree – very decadent. Will be making again!!
Bernie says
So glad you enjoyed it! Sounds like a fun evening ~ catching up with friends and watching Grey’s 🙂 My kind of night!