A creamy, spicy buffalo chicken mac and cheese topped off with a buttery toasted panko. Be sure to check out the video just above the recipe for a super quick and easy visual how-to guide!
Because I literally just shared a savory recipe with you exactly one week ago, I was extremely hesitant to share this Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese recipe with you today.
This is still a dessert blog, and I promise you that there are plenty more cookies in the very near future and lots, lots more sugar. Just, sometimes a recipe is too darn good not to share right away, and this buffalo chicken mac & cheese definitely fits the bill.
And, honestly, if I wasn’t sharing this one with you, it probably would have been my Halloween recipe that I mentioned in my last post, and I’m not sure that everyone else is quite as ready as I am to jump into full-blown Halloween prep (or are you? I hope so because I can’t wait much longer!). 
This Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese recipe started out as a just-for-fun experiment. Those happen a lot around here, especially with savory recipes, and most of them don’t make it onto the blog (because we do sugar here, right? Hard to tell recently!).
This one wasn’t originally destined for the blog, but then it happened…
That first mind-blowing bite where I knew that I had to share it with you because it was just so perfect, so decadently rich, so creamy, so cheesy, so mind bogglingly addictive that my hands were absolutely tied on the subject.
It’s actually so creamy and richly delicious that I really consider it to be more of a “party food” rather than a true dinner. It’s absolutely addictive and sure it has protein (chicken) and calcium (cheese and milk), but it’s a stretch to consider this as a nutritious dinner. It’s more of a comfort food, the kind that you pile on your plate at a party and keep going back to for seconds, and thirds. However, if you want it for dinner, who am I to tell you how to live your life?
To make this buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese so creamy, I went beyond your standard shredded cheeses, and in addition to shredded mozzarella and cheddar, and I also used cream cheese and sour cream. These two ingredients are possibly the most critical in developing such a creamy and richly flavored dish.
Everything is topped off with a buttery, crispy, crown of toasted panko that gives way beneath your spoon to the best dang mac and cheese of your life.
It carries some heat, as all buffalo-flavored things do, but it’s not overwhelmingly hot (though you heat-seekers out there can feel free to up the ante with a few extra tablespoons if you dare), and is nicely tempered by all of that cheese.
Alright, that’s all for today and I promise there will be a lot more sugar in my next post 😉
Be sure to check out my easy mac & cheese recipe if you’re looking for something more classic and simple!
If you make this Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese in the meantime, though, be sure to share it on Instagram and tag it #sugarspunrun so I can see your work and we can obsess together over how amazing this dish really is!!
Enjoy! The printable recipe is just below the video.
Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz dry macaroni noodles I used Cellentani noodles (230g)
- 3 Tablespoons butter (42g)
- 3 Tablespoons flour (24g)
- 2 cups milk (475ml)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 4 oz cream cheese (115g)
- 1 ½ cup shredded mozzarella cheese , I use low-moisture part skim (170g)
- 1 cup sharp shredded cheddar cheese (115g)
- ⅓ cup sour cream (80g)
- ½ cup buffalo hot sauce (120ml)
- 1 ½ cups shredded chicken (200g)
For Panko Topping:
- 1 Tablespoon butter (14g)
- ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup seasoned panko crumbs (30g)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease a 1.5qt round baking dish or 9x9 square baking dish with butter.
- Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions.
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once it has melted, add flour and stir until smooth.
- Add milk and spices (salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground mustard), stir well and bring to a boil.
- Once mixture begins to boil, reduce heat, bring to a simmer, and stir frequently until it is slightly thickened.
- Reduce heat to low and add cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, cheddar cheese, and sour cream. Stir until cheeses are melted and mixture is smooth.
- Add hot sauce and stir.
- Add shredded chicken and cooked, drained pasta noodles and stir until well coated by the sauce.
- Pour into prepared baking dish and prepare your Panko topping.
Panko Topping
- Combine butter and olive oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, until melted.
- Add panko and stir well until the butter and oil has been mostly absorbed. Continue to stir until panko is lightly toasted and turns a light-medium brown color
- Use a spoon to sprinkle over prepared buffalo chicken mac and cheese
- Transfer to oven and bake on 350F (175C) for 15 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley, if desired, and serve.
Nutrition
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Amanda says
This recipe is AMAZING. I’ve made it many times and everyone loves it. I’ve also left out the chicken before and it was just as good. Today I wanted to try to make as a regular mac and cheese without buffalo so I left out the buffalo sauce and chicken and it was still soooo good. I’ve been searching for the perfect mac and cheese recipe for years and I’ve never found the one. This one is definitely it! thank you!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Amanda! 🙂
Jana Mc says
How would you recommend changing the blend in the event I use 16 Oz of dried macaroni, should I just double everything? Thanks!
Sam says
I would definitely recommend doubling everything if you are doubling the noodles that way there is enough sauce and cheese to go around. 🙂
Jana Mc says
Ok great, thank you! 🙂
Zach says
Is there something you could replace instead of the cream cheese? Or would the recipe be fine without cream cheese? I have an allergy
Sam says
Hi Zach! It will probably still turn out but it probably won’t be nearly as creamy as it should be. Enjoy! 🙂
Hansa says
Tried this out last night. This is such a good recipe for all the cheese lovers. It was my first time making Mac and cheese and I loved it. So creamy and cheesy 😍 thank you Sam. I skipped the hot sauce as I had my nephews and nieces for dinner. Yet it was a hit among the adults of the family.
Sam says
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Scott says
Made this several times and is a big hit. Going to try something a bit different this time and put it in a cast iron skillet and smoke it.
Sam says
I am so glad you have enjoyed it so much, Scott! I bet smoking it would add an awesome flavor. 🙂
Judy says
I would double up on the buffalo, I am pretty heat sensitive but it didn’t pack enough punch for me!
Sam says
Hi Judy! You can certainly add a little more buffalo sauce, it will just make a little thinner sauce in the end. 🙂
Patti says
Would it make a major taste/texture difference if I left out the chicken? My daughter won’t eat it 🥴
Sam says
That will be fine! The dish will be a bit saucier, though you could use a little bit more pasta (about 1 cup cooked pasta) to make up for the missing chicken if you’d like. Enjoy!
Sirena says
I’m trying to prep it for tomorrow can I do all the steps and bake tomorrow? How long do you recommend from cold?
Sugar Spun Run says
Hi, Sirena! Yes, you can make it now and bake it the next day. You will bake it until it is no longer cold in the center and cheese starts to bubble on the sides slightly… probably an additional 10 mins than what is listed. I hope that you enjoy it. 🙂
Bob says
Totally delicious and not too difficult. I make it using rotisserie chicken and it turns out great. Sweet or savory, Sam’s recipes are top notch!
Sugar Spun Run says
Thank you so much, Bob! I am so glad that you enjoyed it! Thanks for trying my recipe and being a fan of my baked creations. 🙂
Lisa says
Which buffalo sauce is best for this recipe?
Sugar Spun Run says
I either use Sweet Baby Rays Buffalo Sauce or Franks Red Hot. It is totally up to you! Enjoy!
Lisa says
Awesome thanks! I’m going to try it today. Do you think franks red original or franks red wing sauce?
Sam says
I think the wing sauce would be good here. 🙂
Meredith says
I used less hot sauce because I don’t like food that’s too spicy. Came out so well!
Sam says
I am so glad you enjoyed it, Meredith! 🙂