Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is rich, spicy, ultra cheesy and packed to the brim with flavour!

I hope you’re hungry, because this one is aggressively delicious! Follow me…

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Aka one of the many reasons I’ll never own a six pack. This is not only one of my favourite ways to use buffalo sauce, but it’s also one of my favourite mac and cheese recipes. Here’s why I think you’ll love it too:

• It’s absolutely bursting with flavour! This mac and cheese is built up with layers of flavours that all marry together perfectly.
• It’s incredibly easy to make.
• The perfect way to use up leftover chicken.

Making Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

The mac and cheese itself is actually incredibly easy to make. Besides your pantry staples such as butter, flour, milk and pasta, here’s the key ingredients:

• Cheese – I like to use a combination of cheddar and mozzarella in the sauce.
• Sour Cream – This offers a gorgeous creaminess to the sauce and pairs perfectly with the buffalo sauce.
• Buffalo Sauce – I use a whole bottle of Frank’s Red Hot Wings Buffalo Sauce!
• Seasoning – Take the flavour up a notch with some smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and black pepper.
• Chicken – Leftover rotisserie chicken works great.

Sauce consistency

It’ll be pretty thick and stringy once you add the mozzarella. But the pasta (alongside the excess water it brings with it) will smooth it out a little. Then the buffalo sauce smooths it out a little more.

Where can I find Buffalo Sauce?

You’ll find it in a lot of supermarkets, just make sure it’s not hot sauce (much hotter!).

Process shots: stir flour and butter (photo 1), whisk in milk then add sour cream and seasoning (photo 2), stir and simmer (photo 3), stir in cheese (photo 4), stir in pasta (photo 5), stir in buffalo sauce and chicken (photo 6).

Baked Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

I love baking the mac and cheese until golden and bubbly! I add some Red Leicester on top beforehand (although you can use more cheddar) then bake it until it’s hot & bubbly. I then like to flick on the grill to crisp up the top a little.

Al dente pasta

The pasta will carry on cooking slightly in the oven, so make sure you it’s still a teeny bit hard when you boil it, otherwise it’ll bloat and be too soft!

Process shots: add mac and cheese to baking dish (photo 1), add cheese (photo 2), bake then grill (photo 3), add toppings (photo 4).

Serving Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Totally optional, but I like to take things up a few notches with some toppings once the mac and cheese is fresh out the oven:

• Chives – fresh and finely diced.
• Bacon – cooked until crisp then diced.
• Blue cheese sauce – or you could use ranch! Only a small drizzle in both cases.
• Buffalo sauce – or some hot sauce. Again, just a small amount.

I’ve typed those out in order of recommendation (chives most recommended and more buffalo sauce less essential).

Alrighty, let’s tuck into this buffalo mac and cheese recipe shall we?!

How to make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese (Full Recipe & Video)

5 from 7 votes

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

By: Chris Collins

This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is rich, spicy, ultra cheesy and packed to the brim with flavour!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 35 minutes mins

Total: 45 minutes mins

Servings: 6

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Equipment

• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
• Cheese Grater
• Jug (for milk)
• Large Pot & Whisk (for sauce)
• Large Pot & Colander (for pasta)
• Wooden Spoon
• Large Baking Dish & Serving Spoon
• Serving Spoon

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 75g / 2.6oz Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 75g / 2.6oz Plain Flour
• ▢ 720ml / 3 cups Whole Milk, at room temp
• ▢ 1x 150g/5.3oz tub of Sour Cream, at room temp
• ▢ 1 tsp EACH: Garlic Powder, Smoked Paprika
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Onion Powder
• ▢ 1/4 tsp EACH: Salt, Black Pepper, or to taste
• ▢ 250g / 2 1/2 cups freshly grated Cheddar
• ▢ 100g / 1 cup freshly grated/shredded Mozzarella
• ▢ 400g / 14oz Spirali Pasta (or regular macaroni)
• ▢ 250g / 9oz Cooked Chicken, cubed
• ▢ 1x 148ml/5.3oz bottle of Frank's Buffalo Sauce (see notes)
• ▢ 100g / 1 cup freshly grated Red Leicester Cheese, or more cheddar

Topping (see notes)

• ▢ Blue Cheese Sauce
• ▢ Buffalo or Hot Sauce
• ▢ Fresh Chives
• ▢ Crispy Bacon

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Instructions 

• Pre-heat the oven to 180C/350F.
• Cook the pasta in salted boiling water until al dente. You want it still a tiny bit hard or it'll bloat and soften in the oven.
• Melt the butter in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Stir in the flour to create a roux, then gradually begin adding in the milk, whisking as you go to prevent lumps forming.
• Stir in the sour cream and seasoning, then bring to a gentle simmer. Allow to bubble away for a minute, then turn off the heat.
• Firmly stir in the mozzarella and cheddar until they both melt. It will be very thick at this point and some of the strands of mozzarella may not have completely melted, but that's fine.
• Drain the pasta and stir it through the sauce (it will loosen up a bit now). Add the chicken and buffalo sauce and give it all a really good stir until well-combined.
• Pour into a large baking dish then top with Red Leicester and bake in the oven for 15 mins until golden and bubbly. I then like to immediately switch on the grill and place it on the highest rack for a few mins, just to crisp up the cheese a little.
• Serve with the suggested toppings or serve individual portions with your preferred toppings. Tuck in and enjoy!

Video

Notes

a) Buffalo Sauce - Another reminder to check it's the buffalo red hot wings sauce. Regular hot sauce is much spicier! I like to add this right at the end to prevent it curdling the milk. Because it's so vinegary, if you added it straight to milk it would likely turn grainy. Because we're using whole milk and you've incorporated the butter and flour, you should be fine if you add it at the started, but just to be safe I stir it through at the end.

b) Cheese - Make sure it's freshly grated from a block. The pre-grated stuff will likely turn the sauce grainy. 

c) Consistency - As mentioned in the method, it'll be pretty thick and stringy once you add the mozzarella. But the pasta (alongside the excess water it brings with it) will smooth it out a little. Then the buffalo sauce smooths it out a little more. Once out the oven it ends up perfectly gooey/saucy! Just make sure you don't over-bake it otherwise the sauce dries up.

d) Toppings - These are optional, but I usually do add them. In order of important I'd say chives -> bacon -> blue cheese sauce -> hot/buffalo sauce. Just follow your tastebuds!

e) Al Dente Pasta - Very important to ensure the pasta is only just cooked, otherwise it'll come out soft and broken once baked. 

f) Calories - Whole recipe divided by 6 with no toppings.

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Nutrition

Calories: 917kcal | Carbohydrates: 69.04g | Protein: 45.09g | Fat: 50.69g | Saturated Fat: 29.138g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.44g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12.465g | Trans Fat: 1.123g | Cholesterol: 152mg | Sodium: 880mg | Potassium: 570mg | Fiber: 2.9g | Sugar: 10.1g | Vitamin A: 1904IU | Vitamin C: 1.2mg | Calcium: 672mg | Iron: 2.71mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

Got leftovers? Check out my Mini Leftover Mac and Cheese Quesadillas!

Hey, whilst you’re here why not check out my other recipes?

Buffalo Recipes

• Buffalo Chicken Wraps
• Homemade Buffalo Sauce
• Buffalo Chicken Meatballs 
• Buffalo Chicken Crunchwraps
• Buffalo Chicken Salad

Unique Mac and Cheese Recipes

• Gnocchi Mac and Cheese
• Roasted Garlic Mac and Cheese
• Spicy Bacon Mac and Cheese
• Brie Mac and Cheese
• Chipotle Mac and Cheese