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January 20, 2014 by: Shell

Buffalo Chicken Pasta: Easy Dinner Ideas

My favorite meals involve pasta. I could happily eat pasta every night, but that doesn’t exactly fit in with my resolution to lose weight. But I also know that if I try to completely eliminate my favorite food from my diet, I’ll fail miserably. Instead, I’m only making pasta maybe once a week and I watch how big of a portion I take.

This Buffalo Chicken Pasta recipe has been a favorite in my family for the last seven years. I can remember making it for my oldest two back when they were toddlers and they’d literally lick their plates clean. Back when it was cute for them to lick their plates clean, as opposed to now when they’d yell at whoever was licking their plate “TABLE MANNERS!”

What I like about this Buffalo Chicken pasta recipe is that it can be adapted depending on your tastes. This easy dinner recipe feeds my family of 5, leaving leftovers.

buffalo chicken pasta

Ingredients

  • 1 pound penne
  • 1 1/2 t salt
  • 1 1/2 t pepper
  • 1 1/2 t garlic powder
  • 1 1/2 paprika(see note below)
  • 1 pound chicken, diced
  • 2 T oil (or just 1 if you aren’t using celery)
  • 1 cup chopped celery(optional)
  • 2 T Frank’s hot sauce(plus extra if you wish, see note below)
  • 1 c mayo(can go low- or non-fat if you want)
  • 1/2 c ranch(use the good stuff here since it gives most of the flavor)
  • 3/4 c milk
  • 1 cup shredded mozzarella or 1/2 cup blue cheese (optional, see note below)

Notes:

  • Paprika gives a nice, medium spice. If you prefer milder, add an extra 1 1/2 garlic powder instead. I’ve also made this with Cajun seasoning instead of paprika, which I think gives it more kick.
  • I’m the only one who actually eats the celery in this dish, so I usually don’t bother with it. It does add a little crunch and texture, but it’s not necessary.
  • You can add an additional tablespoon of Frank’s to the sauce if you like a lot of spice. Leave this out if you like it milder.
  • This pasta is amazing without any cheese on top at all, which is how I made it recently, figuring I was cutting at least some calories by not adding it. Use mozzarella if you want gooey and blue cheese if you want that chicken wing flavor.

Directions:

  • While pasta is cooking according to package directions, season chicken with the spices. I use a Ziploc bag to shake it all up and coat the chicken.
  • Heat 1 T oil over med-high heat and cook chicken (about 5 minutes or so, until completely cooked through)
  • Add 2 T  Frank’s hot sauce and cook for one minute.
  • If you are adding celery to your dish: remove chicken from skillet, heat the other tablespoon of oil, add celery and cook for about 2 minutes. Then return chicken to the skillet.
  • Combine mayo, ranch, and milk and mix in a small bowl. It will be lumpy. This is where you can also add another tablespoon of Frank’s if you’d like your pasta spicier.
  • Add the sauce to the skillet with the chicken and celery. Cook a few minutes, until heated.
  • Pour sauce over prepared pasta and stir to combine.
  • Top with mozzarella or blue cheese crumbles if desired.

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy:

  • Make Ahead Baked Sandwiches
  • Best Ever Spinach Artichoke Dip
  • Copycat Chuy’s Creamy Jalapeno Dip
  • Mike’s Farm Mac and Cheese
  • And check out my most recent post

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Comments

  1. Amy Desrosiers says

    January 20, 2014 at 10:27 am

    I’ve made this before and boy was it a hit! I’ll have to make it again soon because we love it!

  2. Jessica says

    January 20, 2014 at 10:37 am

    I am a sucker for anything with the word buffalo in front of it. I love pasta, I love spice, and I love chicken. All three of these together make my perfect meal. Frank’s Red Hot Sauce is always in my cabinet! This recipe sounds beyond yummy.

  3. Adrienne says

    January 20, 2014 at 10:41 am

    Yum, yum, yum!! 

  4. Liz @ A Nut in a Nutshell says

    January 20, 2014 at 10:52 am

    That looks so good, but I can’t have mayo. Doggone it! I’ll have to figure out a workaround for that. 🙂

    • Shell says

      January 21, 2014 at 3:07 pm

      None at all? Not even non-fat?

    • lindsey says

      February 18, 2014 at 10:46 am

      i’m going to try it with greek yogurt instead of the mayo

  5. thedoseofreality says

    January 20, 2014 at 11:01 am

    That sounds delicious! And I am pinning it right now! :)-Ashley

  6. Kendra says

    January 20, 2014 at 11:19 am

    I like, I like. I also have some Paparika that I need to use so I’m defiantly going to try this.  I’m pinning to a board. 

  7. Ellen Christian says

    January 20, 2014 at 12:46 pm

    That looks really delicious. I absolutely love a good pasta dish.

  8. Cara says

    January 20, 2014 at 1:47 pm

    That looks yummy! I love pasta, going to have to try this!

  9. Tracie says

    January 20, 2014 at 3:44 pm

    My husband would love this so much. He is a firm believer in any food that contains buffalo sauce. 

  10. Robin (Masshole Mommy) says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:16 pm

    I love easy dinners, especially on those nights when the boys have back to back karate classes and I have almost no time to cook.

  11. Lauren says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:25 pm

    Goodness, that looks super easy and so yummy!! I love spicy pasta sauces!

  12. Janeane Davis says

    January 20, 2014 at 4:45 pm

    This recipe looks like something that would be good. I would like to try it for my family with some butter fresh baked bread.

  13. Melissa says

    January 20, 2014 at 6:27 pm

    YUM! I’m a big fan of pasta and this sounds like a delicious meal! I love hot sauce too. 

  14. Felicia says

    January 20, 2014 at 6:37 pm

    This looks tasty.  I’m sure the boys will enjoy it.

  15. Amanda Love says

    January 20, 2014 at 6:44 pm

    This looks yummy! I’m always looking for new easy dishes to make for my family. I work very long hours and when I come home I just want to relax. This will make it on my menu sometime soon. Thanks for sharing. 

  16. brett says

    January 20, 2014 at 6:59 pm

    my family would devour this.  they LOVE buffalo chicken everything. 

  17. Stacie Connerty says

    January 20, 2014 at 7:03 pm

    This sounds delicious.  I love all things that are buffalo chicken.  Yum!!

  18. Debra says

    January 20, 2014 at 8:01 pm

    I could eat pasta everyday too! This looks like a great recipe, I’ll have to try it, sans the chicken!

  19. Jaime says

    January 20, 2014 at 8:46 pm

    I’m totally pinning this so I can try it out on my toddler. He loves spicy foods, but is also SO picky sometimes (especially when it comes to chicken.) This sounds so great.

  20. Kecia says

    January 20, 2014 at 10:10 pm

    Easy dinners and pasta are two well-loved things in this house. We are totally trying this because I need new ideas for the kitchen!

  21. Tammy says

    January 21, 2014 at 12:33 am

    That looks delicious!  I am going to have to put it on the meal plan! 🙂

  22. Mickey says

    January 21, 2014 at 1:02 am

    I’ve made a similar pasta before, but not with chicken. This sounds awesome – we’ll have to make it soon. Thanks!

  23. JDaniel4's Mom says

    January 21, 2014 at 8:12 am

    This recipe looks delicious. The temperatures are going to dip down again here. This will be a great warm comfort food.

  24. Teresa says

    January 21, 2014 at 9:39 am

    This sounds dangerously delicious.

  25. Cassie @ Southeast by Midwest says

    January 21, 2014 at 10:07 am

    I’ve heard of buffalo chicken pizza and of course buffalo chicken but I’ve never heard of buffalo chicken pasta. This sounds amazing.

  26. Paige says

    January 21, 2014 at 11:15 am

    My husband loves buffalo chicken anything so this is right up our alley! I repinned it for later! Thanks!

  27. Janel says

    January 21, 2014 at 12:07 pm

    For some reason, my kids always complain if we do a red pasta sauce. What a great alternative idea to try!

    • Shell says

      January 21, 2014 at 3:09 pm

      My oldest doesn’t like red sauce on anything. He doesn’t even eat pizza. I don’t think he’s allergic to tomatoes, but I do think he has a food sensitivity there, so I don’t push him. It’s why I have to come up with other sauces!

  28. Emmy says

    January 21, 2014 at 3:44 pm

    Sounds good and like something I could handle 🙂

  29. kim says

    January 21, 2014 at 4:46 pm

    I love a great pasta dish that is easy to make. My fam might like this, but not sure. Seems I am always changing up recipes to suit my 4 year old. UGH!

  30. Ashley M says

    January 21, 2014 at 8:47 pm

    I’ve never head of Bufalo Chicken Pasta, seems easy to make though and I know my husband would like it. 

  31. katherine says

    January 21, 2014 at 10:52 pm

    Wow, I am a buffalo type person so this is perfect for me!

  32. Roxanne says

    January 22, 2014 at 7:30 pm

    I love pasta. I love easy dinners. And I love leftovers (so I don’t have to cook as often).

    So this is totally something I want to try.

  33. Ashley says

    January 23, 2014 at 10:31 am

    This looks great, perhaps it will be for supper tonight. Stopping by from Mama Kat’s.

  34. Miriam Gomberg says

    January 23, 2014 at 11:36 am

    serious yum! I hate cooking but I’m still gonna try it. Hope I don’t burn it. M

  35. Alissa | CleverCompass.com says

    January 23, 2014 at 12:03 pm

    This look super yummy. We’ll definitely have to try it here. Fun to find your blog and post from Mama Kat.

  36. madamdreamweaver says

    January 23, 2014 at 3:30 pm

    Sounds really yummy. Thx for sharing.

  37. Kat says

    January 24, 2014 at 2:12 am

    Creamy + buffalo + pasta = Sure fire win! That looks so good!

  38. Cinella says

    January 27, 2014 at 12:57 am

    Oh my word! We love wings and pasta! i’m always looking for side dishes to accompany pizza nights. Thanks for that!

  39. Ashley says

    February 3, 2014 at 8:40 pm

    I just made this. Amazing. I used 4 tablespoons of Franks Red Hot instead of 2 and added extra Cajun seasoning to make it spicier.

    It’s fabulous. I licked the sauce off the pan it was so good. Thanks for sharing!!

    • Shell says

      February 6, 2014 at 9:41 am

      Glad you liked it!

  40. Christie says

    February 6, 2014 at 9:43 am

    Fantastic! we love buffalo flavor, so adding to our pasta would be amazing! SITS Girl fan 🙂

  41. Sheena @ Hot Eats and Cool Reads says

    February 6, 2014 at 9:47 am

    I could eat pasta all the time too and this one looks great! Pinning!

  42. Andrea says

    February 6, 2014 at 9:57 am

    I know I saw this when you first posted. Why didn’t I comment? I swear I’m in a fog! 

    Anyway, this looks SO good. But I’m a spicy stuff wimp. My husband, however, would probably love it. So maybe I’ll make it toned down a drop and he can add more sauce as needed. Or maybe I’ll just make it for him and be nice. ;D

  43. Tracey says

    February 6, 2014 at 10:40 am

    Wow that looks yummy!! Printing to try very soon!

  44. Trish says

    February 6, 2014 at 10:41 am

    Yum! I’m going to have to try this SOON 

  45. Jaime says

    February 6, 2014 at 10:46 am

    I need to try this! I love pasta and buffalo chicken!

    Yum!

    #SITS

  46. Diane says

    February 6, 2014 at 10:59 am

    This one goes on the “To Make” list. Thanks for sharing. 🙂

  47. cristin says

    February 10, 2014 at 6:03 pm

    Can I do this in a slow cooker or no? Any ideas?

    • Shell says

      February 16, 2014 at 7:41 pm

      You could probably do the chicken in a slow cooker. I haven’t had much luck doing pasta in the slow cooker, but if you have, you can probably adapt. What I like about this one is that it really doesn’t take any longer than it takes to boil the water and cook the pasta, so I haven’t looked for a way to make it any easier. 😉

  48. Ashley says

    February 23, 2014 at 8:47 am

    I’m a sucker for anything Buffalo!!! Tried this the other night and the kids LOVED it!!!

    • Shell says

      February 23, 2014 at 11:52 am

      Glad you liked it!

  49. lealorali says

    March 2, 2014 at 8:26 am

    This dish is naughty, but we’re gonna try it tonight!!

  50. ce says

    April 1, 2014 at 10:01 am

    Is this something that I could make ahead, put in a pan and warm up in the oven later? I’m thinking of taking it to someone as a meal….but wasn’t sure with the mayo in it if that would be a good way to make this meal.

    • Shell says

      April 1, 2014 at 10:06 am

      I’ve taken it as a meal to someone before and they really enjoyed it. Also, we eat the leftovers the next day and they are still good. I will say that the sauce(due to the mayo) has a different consistency when reheating than when served immediately. But, it’s still good.

  51. April says

    May 7, 2014 at 2:34 pm

    I’ve made this a few times now and it’s always a hit! I always have these ingredients on hand so this makes for an easy meal to throw together in a pinch! Thank You!

  52. Madison Haney says

    June 15, 2014 at 3:47 pm

    Easy to make!!

Welcome to Things I Can't Say: Tips and Tales from an Introverted Mom. I'm Shell. Boy mom, beach girl, bookworm, ball games, baker, brand ambassador, Thinking yoga, food, and travel should start with "b," too. Finding the easiest way to do some things while overthinking so many others. Read More…

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