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Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese combines creamy, cheesy pasta with tender and spicy buffalo chicken. Gorgonzola cheese and scallions on top add more zesty flavors.
Wake up your tastebuds in a very delicious way when you serve this easy Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese for dinner!
Adapted from a recipe on Frank’s RedHot website, this creamy casserole-with-a-kick combines two favorite dishes – Buffalo chicken and macaroni and cheese – into one fantastic entrée.
It’s a great choice to serve at game day gatherings, neighborhood potluck parties, or anytime you’d like to serve something a little different on the menu.
Why You’ll Love Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
- It’s bursting with delicious, zesty Buffalo chicken flavors.
- It’s creamy and delicious – just like every mac and cheese recipe should be.
- The flavors of these two iconic dishes combined are perfect together!
Key ingredients and Substitutions
- Macaroni – Elbow macaroni is traditional for macaroni and cheese because the rounded tubes hold lots of cheesy sauce. But just any pasta shape can work for this recipe.
- Cheddar Cheese – We used two kinds of cheddar cheese – a sharp yellow cheddar and an extra sharp white cheddar. You can use all of one or the other, but we liked the mix of the two as well as the golden color it added to the finished dish.
- Hot Sauce – Frank’s Original RedHot Sauce is a must for any Buffalo recipe – swapping in another hot sauce just won’t be the same. It adds both heat and flavor to the chicken and cheesy macaroni. You can add more or less depending on how spicy you’d like it.
- Chicken – For convenience, buy an already-cooked rotisserie chicken or roast a chicken at home. You’ll need about two cups of cooked, shredded chicken but if your chicken yields more or less meat, that’s fine – just use what you have.
- Celery – You’ll include chopped celery in the creamy cheese sauce.
- Whole Milk – Don’t skimp on a lower fat milk for the cheese sauce. The results won’t be as creamy.
- Crumbled Gorgonzola and Sliced Scallions – These two ingredients are sprinkled over the top of the casserole before baking. A crumbled Bleu cheese could be used in place of the Gorgonzola if you prefer.
Special supplies needed
- Large pot to cook the pasta and mix the macaroni and cheese mixture
- 4-cup microwave-safe glass measuring cup OR small sauce pan (to heat the milk)
- 3-4 quart sauce pan
- 9×13-inch baking dish
Chef’s Tip – This recipe comes together quickly once you start cooking, so it’s helpful to have everything measured out before you begin. Read about the concept of Mise en Place here.
How do I make Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese?
- Pick meat from the cooked chicken and shred.
- Cook macaroni a few minutes less than package directions, then drain.
- Sauté celery in melted butter.
- Add flour to form a roux and cook until raw flour smell is gone
- Whisk in warm milk to make a white sauce, then add shredded cheese and Frank’s hot sauce.
- Mix sauce together with cooked macaroni and shredded chicken.
- Pour the pasta mixture into the baking dish and sprinkle on scallions, Gorgonzola cheese and more hot sauce on top.
- Bake uncovered for 30 minutes. Broil to brown the top.
- Serve hot.
Frequently asked Questions
Can I make Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese ahead of time? Yes – you can cook the noodles ahead of time – then rinse and cool. Also prepare the sauce and pick the chicken. Then, when you are ready to bake, assemble the ingredients and follow the recipe from there.
How do I store leftovers? Store covered in the refrigerator for up to three days.
How do I reheat leftovers? Reheat individual portions in the microwave, or cover with foil and reheat in the oven.
Can I freeze? Yes, but the pasta will get very soft after thawing and reheating.
You might like these other Macaroni & Cheese recipes:
- Taco Macaroni and Cheese
- Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Mac & Cheese
- Air Fryer Mac & Cheese
- Ranch Macaroni and Cheese
We love seeing what you made! Tag us on Instagram at @afamilyfeast or hashtag #afamilyfeast so we can see your creations!
Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
1 to 1 1/2 pounds (2–3 cups) cooked chicken, shredded (meat from an average sized rotisserie chicken)
1 teaspoon kosher salt to salt the pasta water
1 pound dry elbow macaroni
1 quart whole milk
8 tablespoons butter (1 stick)
1 1/4 cups celery diced into 1/4 inch pieces (3 stalks)
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (2.2 ounces when weighed on a kitchen scale)
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese (4 cups), shredded (mix yellow and white or all of one or the other)
1/2 cup plus two tablespoons *Frank’s RedHot Sauce, divided
1/4 cup sliced scallions, white bottoms and green tops
1/2 cup crumbled Gorgonzola cheese
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Spray a 9X13 baking dish with kitchen pan spray.
Pick the meat from the rotisserie chicken and shred with two forks and set aside.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add a teaspoon of kosher salt. Add macaroni and cook a few minutes short of package directions. The noodles should still be a little chewy. Pour into a colander to drain then back into the pot and set aside off heat.
Add the cooked shredded chicken to the pot with the drained cooked noodles and toss.
Place milk in a 4-cup glass measuring cup and heat to hot in the microwave. Or heat to hot in a small sauce pan. Do not boil.
In a 3-4 quart sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat and once melted, add celery and cook until almost soft, about 4-5 minutes.
Leave celery in and add flour and stir and cook for three minutes.
Whisk the hot milk into the butter/celery/flour mixture one third at a time, whisking entirely smooth at each third. The sauce will start out thick and end up loose and have cooked pieces of celery in the sauce.
Keep the heat at medium and add the shredded cheese and stir or whisk to melt the cheese into the sauce.
Stir in the half cup of hot sauce and stir to combine then remove from heat and pour over the pasta and chicken mixture in the larger pot and stir to combine with a wooden spoon or firm rubber spatula.
Pour this mixture into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle on the scallions and Gorgonzola cheese
Drizzle the last two tablespoons of hot sauce over the top and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
Place under the broiler and broil to lightly brown the top.
Serve immediately.
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Notes
*You can adjust the hot sauce to suit your tastes. The original recipe as written on Frank’s hot sauce web site is exactly how much we used. Use less or more to suit your heat taste.
Hi Martha and Jack!
I am almost sorry that I saw this recipe… LOL. I love a frozen version of this I get in the store periodically . I could eat this every week . I will be making your recipe this weekend. It is just too good to pass up! Hope you and family are doing well. We have some spring like weather here in the Carolina’s this week.. in the low 70’s . It will change I am sure of that! Take care.
We hope you love it Doris!
(We’ve had 50+ degree weather here in MA and now 30’s – New England weather is crazy!)