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
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
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Easy Mac & Cheese (No Flour/No Roux!)
Tracy
This was delicious …. The hubs loved it and he’s a tough one to please
Nicki
Best Mac n Cheese ever! Frank’s hot always makes for a good addition to any recipe!!!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like it, Nicki! ❤️
Rachel
I have made this so many times. It is SO GOOOOOD. Only Mac recipe you’ll ever need.
Luke
Could I prepare this and refrigerate it to bake the next day? And if so how much would I need to increase the bake time?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Luke! That should be fine; just make sure to cover it well in the fridge and bake until it’s warm and melty. Enjoy!
Mark
I have made this a few times now and every time I’m blown away by how good it is. Absolute favorite for me
Joann
Planning to make this for our daughters. However, it says it could feed 8 people? I’m assuming very small portions?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Joann! Dividing the 1.5 quart casserole dish into 8 servings means each serving is about 3/4 of a cup. Hope that helps!
TJennings
Can this be doubled in a 9 x 13 pan? Time adjustments? Thank you.
Sam
That will work just fine. It may just need a few minutes longer in the oven. The bake time isn’t an exact science here because you are really just making sure everything is warmed up and melted together. 🙂
Kyla
I use this recipe for both the buffalo versions and just regular and I love it all! My in laws ate seconds when I made it for them. Great recipe!
In a pinch I substituted the panko for crushed up croutons and have stuck with it since!
Shayla
Amazing! So delicious. Will definitely give you a stomach ache if you go for a second helping but seriously worth it!
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for letting us know how it went for you, Shayla! Enjoy 🙂
Amanda
This turned out so delicious. I didn’t have any sour cream, but it was absolute perfection without it! 10/10 recommence
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thanks for your review, Amanda! We’re happy it still turned out for you 😊
Sarah
I also love the tangy zest of Buffalo Sauce, but more often than not, even mild is too hot for me to handle. However, I discovered Texas Pete’s Extra Mild Buffalo Sauce at the grocery store. Perfect for wings, perfect for this Buffalo Mac & Cheese recipe! Now if I have a hankering for wings, I don’t bother ordering out, I make them at home because I know the flavor and heat will be perfectly balanced. Thanks for the recipe!
Jamie
YUM.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Sounds like our mac and cheese was a real hit for you, Jamie! Thanks for coming back to leave a review 😊