• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • About
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop

Chili Pepper Madness logo

  • Recipe Index
  • RECIPES BY TYPE
    • BBQ/Grilled
    • Burgers
    • Chicken Wings
    • Chili
    • Curry
    • Dehydrator
    • Game Day
    • Hot Sauce Recipes
    • Jalapeno Poppers
    • Marinades
    • Pickling
    • Preserving
    • Quick and Easy
    • Salsas
    • Sauces
    • Seasonings
    • Stuffed Peppers
    • Tacos
  • COOKING TIPS
  • Pepper Info
    • Chili Pepper Types
    • The Scoville Scale
    • Hottest Peppers in the World
    • Growing Chili Peppers
    • Preserving
    • Health Benefits
    • Frequently Asked Questions
    • Buy Plants & Seeds
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • All Recipes
  • Pepper Info
  • Chili Pepper Types
  • The Scoville Scale
  • Growing Chili Peppers
  • Preserving
  • Chili Pepper Health Benefits
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Cooking Tips
  • Cookbooks
  • Shop
  • About Us
×

Home » Chili Pepper Recipes » Pasta » Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

by Mike Hultquist · May 29, 2023 · 24 Comments

Jump to Recipe Save Saved!
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe

This Buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe is so comforting with tender shredded chicken tossed with tangy Buffalo sauce and a creamy cheese sauce made with cream cheese and melty cheddar. Every bite is packed with flavor.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe

Easy Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Who's up for a delicious, comforting bowl of Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese? I know I am.

Macaroni and cheese is always on the menu when you think of your favorite comfort food, but when you combine it with spicy, tangy Buffalo sauce, you take it to a whole new level of flavor.

What You'll Love About This Dish

  • My recipe uses my homemade Buffalo sauce that is nice and tangy, and just the right about of "spicy", though it's easily adjustable to your personal palate. You can also use your favorite brand!
  • I include a few extra ingredients and spices to make this the best Buffalo chicken mac and cheese out there, better than all the rest.
  • I use 4 different types of cheese for intense and satisfying flavor, including cream cheese, cheddar cheese, blue cheese, and pepperjack. You'll love it!

Let's talk about how we make Buffalo chicken mac and cheese, shall we?

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese in a bowl

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Ingredients

The full recipe with measurements is listed in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  • Dry Elbow Macaroni Noodles. Or use your favorite noodles, like cavatapi.
  • Butter and Flour. To make a roux.
  • Jalapeno Peppers. Optional, for a spicier version and extra flavor.
  • Tomato Paste.
  • Spices. Paprika, garlic powder, cayenne (for extra spicy), ground mustard, and salt and black pepper.
  • Milk.
  • Cheeses. I use cream cheese, pepperjack cheese, cheddar cheese, and crumbled blue cheese.
  • Sour Cream. Or use Mexican crema, which I prefer. Use 1/4 cup to 1/2 cup.
  • Buffalo Sauce.
  • Cooked Shredded Chicken. Save yourself time by using prepared rotisserie chicken, or simple shredded chicken breasts or thighs.
  • For Serving. Crumbled blue cheese or blue cheese dressing, fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese - the Recipe Method

Prep the Noodles. Prepare your macaroni noodles by boiling them in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside.

Make the Roux. While the noodles are boiling, melt the butter in a large pot to medium heat. Once melted, stir in the flour and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw flour.

Making a roux adds extra creaminess to the dish, and will allow the cheese to melt properly through later.

Making a roux and cooking jalapenos in a pot to make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Jalapeno Peppers. Add the jalapeno peppers, if using, and cook for 3 minutes to soften up the peppers. I love adding peppers to my mac and cheese not only for the spice factor, but for the flavor boost.

Tomato Paste. Stir in the tomato paste and seasonings and cook for 1 minute.

Add the Milk. Slowly pour in the milk (be careful of splatter). Bring to a boil, the reduce heat to simmer. Stir until smooth. What you have at this is point is called a béchamel sauce.

Adding milk to the pot to make creamy Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Stir in the Cheeses. Stir in the cream cheese until melted through. Stir in the shredded cheeses a bit at a time until melted through and the sauce is nice and creamy.

Feel free to add in crumbled blue cheese at this point as well for extra blue cheese flavor.

Stirring chicken and noodles into a pot of Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Stir in the Rest. Stir in the buffalo sauce, shredded chicken, sour cream, and noodles until well combines. Serve!

Boom! Done! Easy enough, isn't it? This is such an easy yet hugely flavorful recipe. It's perfect for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Or hey, maybe it's your new go-to special occasion recipe! I would love that.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese served in a bowl with crumbled blue cheese on top

Recipe Tips & Notes

  • The Cheeses. I typically go for pepper jack cheeses, as they have that extra level of spiciness I crave. However, you can use other melty cheeses to your preference. Good options are Monterey jack, colby, or a Mexican cheese blend.
  • Crispy Buffalo Mac and Cheese. For a crispy topped version, add your mac and cheese to a baking dish and top it with bread crumbs or panko, then bake until golden. Super easy!

Storage & Leftovers

Store any leftovers in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. Warm gently on the stovetop or in the microwave to enjoy again. You can also freeze it in an airtight container for 3 months or longer.

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did. Off to make another batch. Let me know how it turns out for you. Send pics! Share on social media! -- Mike H.

Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes

  • Buffalo Chicken
  • Buffalo Wings Recipe
  • Boneless Buffalo Wings
  • Buffalo Chicken Pasta
  • Buffalo Chicken Chili
  • American Goulash
  • Creamy Jalapeno Popper Mac and Cheese
  • One-Pot Spicy Chicken Mac and Cheese
  • Cheesy Chili Mac and Cheese
  • How to Make Creamy Beer Cheese
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese on a serving spoon

Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe
Print

Easy Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe

This Buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe is so rich and creamy with shredded chicken tossed with melty cheese and tangy Buffalo sauce, so comforting! Every bite is packed with flavor.
Save Recipe Saved!
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: blue cheese, Buffalo sauce, cheddar cheese, cream cheese
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
Calories: 758kcal
Author: Mike Hultquist
Servings: 4
Tap or hover to scale
5 from 11 votes
Leave a Review

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces dry elbow macaroni noodles (or use your favorite noodles, like cavatapi)
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 1-2 jalapeno peppers chopped (optional, for a spicier version)
  • 2 tablespoons tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne (optional, for extra spicy)
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2 cups milk
  • 4 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • 1 cup shredded pepper jack cheese (or use mozzarella)
  • 1/2 cup sour cream (or use Mexican crema)
  • 1 cup Buffalo sauce
  • 2 cups cooked shredded chicken (or use cooked chopped chicken)
  • For Serving: Crumbled blue cheese or blue cheese dressing, fresh chopped parsley, red pepper flakes

Instructions

  • Prepare your macaroni noodles by boiling them in lightly salted water for 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain and set aside.
  • While the noodles are boiling, heat the butter in a large pot to medium heat. Once melted, stir in the flour and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw flour.
  • Add the jalapeno peppers and cook for 3 minutes to soften up the peppers.
  • Stir in the tomato paste and seasonings and cook for 1 minute.
  • Slowly pour in the milk (be careful of splatter). Bring to a boil, the reduce heat to simmer. Stir until smooth.
  • Stir in the cream cheese until melted through.
  • Stir in the shredded cheeses a bit at a time until melted through and the sauce is nice and creamy.
  • Stir in the buffalo sauce, shredded chicken, sour cream, and noodles until well combines. Serve!

Video

Nutrition Information

Calories: 758kcal   Carbohydrates: 58g   Protein: 27g   Fat: 48g   Saturated Fat: 28g   Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g   Monounsaturated Fat: 12g   Trans Fat: 0.3g   Cholesterol: 136mg   Sodium: 2502mg   Potassium: 455mg   Fiber: 2g   Sugar: 10g   Vitamin A: 2646IU   Vitamin C: 6mg   Calcium: 629mg   Iron: 2mg
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe
Did You Enjoy This Recipe?I love hearing how you like it and how you made it your own. Leave a comment below and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was updated on 5/29/23 to include new information and photos. It was originally published on 12/8/17.

 

Reader Interactions

Comments

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Banks says

    October 01, 2023 at 7:30 pm

    5 stars
    Love this, Mike. We used habaneros as we love how the pepper fruitiness complements buffalo sauce so well. Otherwise we stuck to the recipe as listed and thought it worked great.

    Question for you - you use a lot of different ingredients in the YouTube video. Was that just an earlier iteration of this recipe? I'm curious about some of the differences (brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, onion, tomato sauce, etc.) and whether those are just a different take on it or if you consider this current recipe to be an improvement. Thanks as always.

    Reply
  2. Lucille A Paquette says

    August 22, 2023 at 12:43 am

    5 stars
    Excellant , we will make this again

    Reply
    • Mike Hultquist says

      August 22, 2023 at 5:34 am

      Great! Thanks, Lucille!

      Reply
« Older Comments

Primary Sidebar

ALL. SPICY. RECIPES. Hi, I’m Mike and I LOVE Spicy Food! Say goodbye to bland and boring food with my easy-to-follow recipes. Let’s get cooking!

More about me →

Mexican Cajun Sauces Seasonings
Order The Spicy Food Lovers' Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND / BOOKS A MILLION

Order The Spicy Dehydrator Cookbook by Mike Hultquist

AMAZON / BARNES & NOBLE / INDIEBOUND

Footer

NEVER MISS A RECIPE

Receive my "5 Essentials for Spicy Cooking" email series & new recipes

  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

↑ back to top

About | Contact | Travel-Food | Ingredients | Stories | Privacy | Disclaimer | © 2024 Chili Pepper Madness

EXCLUSIVE MEMBER OF MEDIAVINE FOOD