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This buffalo mac and cheese recipe puts a bold, spicy spin on classic comfort food! It’s packed with rich, tangy buffalo hot sauce, juicy shredded chicken, and three kinds of cheese, baked until it’s hot and bubbly.
Lovers of spicy buffalo chicken and buffalo chicken pasta, prepare to meet the macaroni and cheese of your dreams!
Between my Buffalo chicken and rice casserole and stovetop dip, it’s safe to say I’m not-so-mildly obsessed with buffalo hot sauce. So, it was only a matter of time before I worked it into another one of my favorite comfort food meals: macaroni and cheese! This buffalo mac and cheese is everything I imagined it would be. Cheesy (that much is a given), saucy, packed with juicy bites of chicken, and just spicy enough to get the tastebuds tingling.
Why I Love This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Bold buffalo flavor. Buffalo hot sauce brings tons of flavor to this recipe. I love that the tangy heat of the buffalo sauce gets tempered perfectly by a generous amount of melted cheese. Of course, feel free to use a mild buffalo sauce if you’re sensitive to spice.
- Baked in the oven. I love baked mac and cheese. The inside becomes gooey and bubbly while the cheese on top gets all toasty and golden. Drool. However, it’s also fine to skip the baking step if you’re short on time. Your buffalo mac and cheese will still turn out delicious!
- Quick to prep. Did I mention that this mac and cheese needs only 10 minutes of prep before you pop it into the oven? Consider this your sign to make it ASAP!
Ingredients You’ll Need
These are the ingredients that go into this homemade buffalo mac and cheese, plus some notes and substitutions (if you need them). Scroll to the recipe card below the post for the printable ingredients list and recipe instructions. I’ve also included a photo step-by-step below the recipe card that walks you through how to make it!
- Chicken Breasts – Boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or thighs) are easiest to shred. You could also use leftover baked chicken breasts or a store-bought or air fryer rotisserie chicken.
- Seasoning – Olive oil, paprika, salt, and pepper to coat the chicken.
- Elbow Macaroni – The best pasta dishes depend on the quality of your pasta. I recommend slow-dried semolina pasta made from 100% durum wheat.
- Butter, Flour, and Milk – You’ll combine these ingredients to make béchamel, which is the base for the cheese sauce in mac and cheese recipes. I use unsalted butter, all-purpose flour, and whole milk (you can use any kind of milk you’d like).
- Cheese – I like a combination of melty cheddar and Monterey Jack in my mac and cheese. For an extra kick, you could also use Pepper Jack. Be sure to grate the cheese fresh so that it melts smoothly.
- Buffalo Sauce – Choose your favorite brand from the store, like Frank’s Red Hot. Or, borrow the homemade Buffalo sauce from my air fryer buffalo cauliflower recipe.
- Gorgonzola Cheese – I can’t resist adding a sprinkle of tangy, funky crumbled blue cheese to this buffalo macaroni and cheese. The combination always reminds me of buffalo chicken wings dipped in blue cheese sauce!
Tips and Variations
- Use quality pasta. The better the pasta, the better your pasta dinners will be!
- Not a fan of blue cheese? Instead of topping this mac and cheese with gorgonzola, drizzle the top with ranch dressing before serving.
- Save the pasta water. Before you drain the boiled macaroni noodles, set aside about a cup of the starchy pasta water, just in case. This way, if the cheese sauce is too thick later on, you can add ¼ cup of the reserved pasta water (or more if needed) to get it to the right consistency. The starches also help emulsify the sauce.
- Check the chicken for doneness. When cooking the chicken breast in this recipe, check that the chicken is cooked through by taking the internal temperature using an instant-read thermometer. It’s done when it hits 165ºF.
- Different protein. Replace shredded chicken with pulled pork or shredded or ground beef. Leave the meat out altogether to make a vegetarian buffalo mac and cheese.
- Add-ins. Stir in cooked crumbled bacon, diced jalapeños, or veggies, like onions, bell peppers, or chopped steamed broccoli.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve this baked buffalo mac and cheese is with a side of something fresh, like an avocado salad or green bean salad. Italian grissini breadsticks also make a nice, light bread side, and I love this baked battered shrimp as a starter.
Otherwise, if we’re craving comfort, I’ll make a batch of air fryer potato wedges or corn ribs while the mac and cheese is in the oven. These also make great sides whenever I make this buffalo mac and cheese for a football or game day party!
Storing and Reheating Leftovers
- Refrigerate. Store this buffalo mac and cheese covered in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. I recommend reheating leftovers in a 350ºF oven for 20 minutes or so, or until the mac and cheese is hot throughout. Or, reheat portions in the microwave in 30-second increments.
- Freeze. You can also freeze this mac and cheese for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight before reheating.
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Buffalo Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
For the chicken:
- ¾ pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- ½ tablespoon olive oil
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- ¼ teaspoon paprika, or to taste
For the mac and cheese:
- ½ pound elbow macaroni
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 1¼ cups milk
- ¾ cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
- ¾ cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- ½ cup buffalo sauce
- ¼ cup crumbled gorgonzola cheese
Instructions
- Prep the chicken. Preheat the oven to 450ºF. Place the chicken between two pieces of plastic wrap and pound it with a meat mallet to an even thickness.
- Add seasonings. Brush the chicken with olive oil and season with ¼ teaspoon paprika, salt, and pepper to taste.
- Bake the chicken. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and bake for 15-20 minutes or until cooked through. The inner temperature of the chicken should reach 165˚F. Set the cooked chicken aside to cool. Once cooled, shred it by using two forks or a meat shredder. Note: You can skip this step if you have cooked or rotisserie chicken leftovers.
- Cook the macaroni. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Once cooked, drain and set aside.
- Make a roux. Melt the butter in a large saucepan set over medium-high heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes or until golden. Pour in the milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thickened, for 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Add cheese. Stir half of the cheddar and half of the Monterey Jack cheese into the sauce until melted and combined.
- Combine. Stir in the buffalo sauce and the cooked macaroni. Finally, mix in the shredded chicken.
- Prep for baking. Lower the oven temperature to 350ºF. Lightly grease a 9×13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
- Fill the pan. Add the macaroni mixture to the baking dish, topping with the remaining cheddar, Monterey jack cheese, and crumbled gorgonzola cheese.
- Bake. Bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese is golden and bubbly.
- Serve. Remove the mac and cheese from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Equipment
Notes
- Always use quality pasta for the best results.
- Use pepper jack cheese instead of Monterey jack cheese for an additional kick of heat.
- If your sauce is too thick, add ¼ cup of pasta water to thin it out to a desired consistency.
- Alternative stovetop method: This recipe can also be made without baking. Combine all three types of cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, gorgonzola), chicken, and pasta into the prepared sauce, stirring until the cheese is melted and the chicken is warmed through. Serve as desired.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Buffalo Mac and Cheese
Follow the steps below to have this buffalo chicken mac and cheese assembled and in the oven in literal minutes. And if you don’t feel like baking it, I’ve included easy stovetop directions afterward.
- Prep the chicken. Start by pounding the chicken breasts to an even thickness between two pieces of plastic wrap, the same as you would for chicken paillard. Then, rub the chicken with olive oil and season with paprika, salt, and pepper.
- Cook the chicken. Cook the chicken breasts using your preferred method. I usually bake them in the oven at 450ºF for 15-20 minutes. You can also cook the chicken following my stovetop, Instant Pot, or air fryer methods.
- Shred. Once the chicken is cooked and cooled, use two forks or a set of shredding claws to shred it.
- Cook the pasta. Next, boil the macaroni in a pot of salted water. When it’s al dente, drain and set the pasta aside (don’t forget to save some pasta water!).
- Make a roux. Meanwhile, combine flour with melted butter in a saucepot. Let the flour cook and brown for 1-2 minutes, then whisk in the milk to make a roux.
- Put it all together. Once the roux thickens, melt in the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack cheese. Add the buffalo sauce and cooked macaroni, and finally, stir in the shredded chicken.
- Bake. Transfer the mac and cheese to a greased 9×13” baking dish. Sprinkle over the remaining shredded cheese and crumble over the gorgonzola. Then, bake at 350ºF for 20 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Stovetop Method
You can make this buffalo mac and cheese without the oven, too. To skip the baking step, simply combine the topping cheese (cheddar, Monterey Jack, and gorgonzola) with the shredded chicken and pasta in the prepared buffalo cheese sauce. Stir until everything is melted and warmed through, and serve right away.
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