Recipe

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This buffalo chicken pasta is rich, hearty, and filling, making it the kind of dinner that actually sticks with you.

A bold and satisfying creamy pasta for the Buffalo chicken lovers out there.

top view of a white skillet with buffalo chicken pasta

Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta

This recipe brings together everything I love about buffalo chicken and creamy penne pasta in one pan. You get that bold, tangy buffalo flavor balanced by a creamy sauce that coats every bite of pasta and hides inside the nooks of the penne.

Ingredients

To make this recipe, you need pasta and cooked chicken; either poached, pan-seared, or rotisserie. The creamy sauce is made with butter, onion, garlic, petite diced tomatoes, chicken broth, Buffalo sauce, cream cheese, Cheddar, and mozzarella cheese.

Top left: uncooked penne, shredded chicken, chicken broth, buffalo sauce, diced tomatoes, chopped onion, garlic, shredded cheese, cream cheese, butter, and parsley in small bowls. Top right: a pot with penne and buffalo tomato sauce. Bottom left: pasta cooking as the sauce thickens. Bottom right: shredded chicken and cheeses stirred in.

Adjusting the Heat

The creamy pasta sauce tones down the spicy, but the final heat level depends entirely on the buffalo sauce you use; some are milder, others much spicier.

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta

This is an easy recipe where the pasta cooks directly in the skillet. Some tips in each step include:

Cook the chicken.
Either by poaching it or pan-searing. If you’re using a rotisserie chicken, shred it.
Sauté the onions and garlic, then add the diced tomatoes. Then add the chicken broth and pasta, and cook the pasta directly in the skillet.
Make the creamy Buffalo sauce once the pasta is cooked. Starting with room temperature cheeses yields a more consistent sauce.
Add the cooked chicken to the skillet and combine. Here is where you’ll adjust the thickness of the sauce to your liking.

Reheating This Dish

Creamy pasta sauces thicken when they cool. To bring back the original creaminess, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk, depending on how much you’re heating.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Servings: 6

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 35

This buffalo chicken pasta is rich, hearty, and filling, making it the kind of dinner that actually sticks with you.

5 from 5 votes

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Ingredients

2 chicken breasts, or 2 cups rotisserie chicken
1 ½ tablespoons butter
1 small onion, ½ cup diced
3 garlic cloves, minced or grated
14 ounce can petite diced tomatoes, with liquid
32 ounces chicken broth
16 ounces penne pasta
½ cup Buffalo sauce
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 cup Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded

Instructions

Prep:

Cube the cream cheese and shred the cheeses if necessary. Let them sit at room temperature for 15 minutes. You'll want them at room temperature when you add them to the pot.

Cook the chicken breasts:

Poaching: place them in a pot filled with water 3" higher than the chicken, bring to a boil, and once boiling, turn off the heat. Let it sit (poach) for 15 minutes.
Pan searing: season with salt and pepper on both sides and cook in a pan for about 7 minutes per side. Slice or cube them right before you add them to the pasta.
If using cooked rotisserie chicken, shred it or chop it into small pieces.

Cook:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, melt the butter and sauté the onions for 2 to 3 minutes, until they're soft and translucent. Add the garlic and sauté it for about a minute. Add the can of diced tomatoes with the liquid and the chicken broth to the skillet and stir to combine.
Add the pasta to the liquid and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes (check the pasta box). To ensure the pasta doesn't stick, open the lid a few times throughout cooking and stir.
Once the pasta is al dente, not fully cooked but nearly there, add the Buffalo sauce, cream cheese, and Cheddar and Mozzarella cheeses. Stir to combine the cheeses and melt them into a creamy sauce. Once the sauce is cohesive, add the shredded chicken and stir to combine with the creamy pasta. This is a thick sauce. If you want to thin it out, add ¼ cup milk, broth, or water, and slowly mix it into the pasta.

Leftovers & Reheating:

Refrigerate leftovers for up to 3 days. To reheat, add 1 to 2 tablespoons of milk over the pasta, depending on how much you’re heating up, to reconstitute the creamy sauce.