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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Easy Mac & Cheese (No Flour/No Roux!)
Michelle says
October 2, 2019 at 7:06 pmI made this with an already prepared whole, roasted chicken. It is absolutely delicious! The panko, as usual, is so perfect on the top. So, so good!!
Sugar Spun Run says
October 3, 2019 at 7:35 amThank you so much, Michelle! I am glad that you enjoyed the buffalo mac and cheese. 🙂
Amber Corpe says
September 30, 2019 at 2:10 pmI am planning on making this for a mac and cheese competition at work, which will mean I’ll put it in a crockpot. Do you have any recommendation for how to do this in a crockpot?
thanks!
Sugar Spun Run says
September 30, 2019 at 6:37 pmHello, Amber! I have never made this completely in the crockpot before. I recommend following the recipe as indicated and then transferring it to the crockpot to keep warm. I hope that your coworkers enjoy the buffalo chicken mac and cheese! Let me know how the competition turns out. Good Luck! 🙂
Amber Corpe says
October 3, 2019 at 2:08 pmWon the competition! Thanks so much! A few people asked for the recipe too. I didn’t add the panko on top since I did it in a crockpot, but it was a huge success!
Sugar Spun Run says
October 3, 2019 at 3:34 pmThat is awesome, Amber! Congrats on your award-winning mac and cheese. I am so glad everyone enjoyed it. 🙂
April says
September 29, 2019 at 2:28 pmI’m a huge picky Buffalonian over here but I have made this recipe for so many people here in Buffalo, N.Y. and we always eat it all so I always double the recipe!!!! I do add a little bit of crumbled blue cheese because that’s what we do here and I use half extra sharp cheddar and half mozzarella because we love the sharpest cheese and just scale it back w the mozzarella. Absolutely awesome and sometimes I just add a few sprinkles of finely chopped celery and carrots in the food processor 😍
Sugar Spun Run says
September 29, 2019 at 3:04 pmThank you much, April! I am glad that you enjoyed the buffalo chicken mac and cheese. I love the additional blue cheese crumbles and the idea of chopped carrots & celery. 🙂
Becca says
September 17, 2019 at 8:08 pmI made this recipe exactly how it says aside from the chicken. I got my crockpot out and cooked it in half hot sauce, and half garlic chili hot sauce with some seasonings. Then shredded that all up! Since I did that, I only used a little under half the hot sauce that the actual cheese itself calls for. It turned out absolutely amazing. Thank you so much for this recipe!
Sam says
September 17, 2019 at 9:45 pmI am so glad you enjoyed the mac and cheese so much, Becca! 🙂
Marie Lawton says
September 9, 2019 at 10:46 amOh my gosh it was so good (just had some for breakfast because I couldn’t wait until lunch!). I followed the recipe to a T except I doubled everything. Now my son is an expert and very picky about Mac + Cheese recipes and he loved it. He did suggest next time I add more shredded cheeses. I must mention if your sauce ends up like a big blob with lots of strings, don’t panic. Continue to stir and stir over a slightly higher heat until all the strings go away and your sauce is as smooth as a fancy French sauce. This sauce is perfect as it is, don’t tweet it unless you add more cheese.
Sugar Spun Run says
September 9, 2019 at 11:18 amI am so happy that everyone enjoyed the buffalo mac and cheese, Marie! Extra cheese to anything is always welcome. Enjoy! 🙂
Marie Lawton says
September 9, 2019 at 6:43 pmCould you please come up with a dip recipe with the ingredients for the sauce? Or where else could I use it? It is so good. Perhaps over chicken breast? Please please come up with other recipes using the same sauce but on something other than macaroni pasta. Thank you.
Abby S says
September 6, 2019 at 8:18 pmI made this for a pasta cook-off and you got me first place! Thank you!!!!
Sugar Spun Run says
September 7, 2019 at 6:32 amThat is awesome! Congrats, Abby! I am so happy that the Buffalo Mac and Cheese was award-winning and loved by all. 🙂
Jeannie says
September 5, 2019 at 1:56 pmThis looks great. Trying to find things I can make and send back with my college student. Can this be frozen before baking it?
Sugar Spun Run says
September 5, 2019 at 2:18 pmHello, Jeanie! I have had others freeze it and have had success. I hope that they enjoy it! 🙂
Michelle says
August 25, 2019 at 6:03 pmAmazing! Just 👏 freaking 👏 AMAZING! 10 out of 5 stars!
Sugar Spun Run says
August 26, 2019 at 12:44 pmMichelle, thank you so much! I am so glad to hear that you loved the buffalo mac and cheese! 🙂
Amanda says
August 3, 2019 at 9:21 pmMy boyfriend and I have made this recipe quite a few times now, and it’s always a huge hit with us and with everyone who’s tried it! Will definitely continue to make it!
Sam says
August 3, 2019 at 9:52 pmHi Amanda! I am so glad everyone enjoys the buffalo chicken mac and cheese so much! I hope you enjoy it for years to come. 🙂
Armando says
July 7, 2019 at 3:43 pmEverytime I make this, my family loves it. Thank you for the recipe🙂
Sam says
July 7, 2019 at 4:43 pmI am so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Armando! 🙂
Korri M. says
May 19, 2019 at 11:34 amHonestly my family cannot get enough of this! It is delicious! I’ve learned to prep all the ingredients beforehand which is a time saver & much easier!
Sam says
May 19, 2019 at 7:50 pmI am so glad everyone enjoys it so much, Korri! 🙂
Michele says
April 19, 2019 at 11:09 amI made this last night and it was perfect! My very finicky son had two huge helpings! I will definitely make this again.
Sam says
April 19, 2019 at 8:46 pmI am so glad everyone enjoyed the mac and cheese Michele! 🙂
Jen says
April 8, 2019 at 10:48 amThis recipe was a huge hit in my home. My family keeps asking me to make it again. I doubled the recipe (I feed teenage Jr. hockey players) and they couldn’t get enough. Only change i made was that i did not double the buffalo hot sauce because i was worried it would be to hot for my younger daughter so I did 1 1/2 and it was perfect. This recipe is a definite keeper!
Sam says
April 8, 2019 at 12:55 pmI am so glad everyone enjoyed the Mac and Cheese, Jen! 🙂
Stephanie says
March 16, 2019 at 3:37 pmI am so sorry, but this recipe is just awful! I used the video …had a helper…and followed it to the letter. The cheese is too thick… it isn’t creamy, it is sticky! It was one of the worst things I’ve ever eaten. We threw the batch away, and I went back to my own simple, 3 step, 3 ingredient cheese sauce recipe.
Sam says
March 19, 2019 at 8:13 pmI’m disappointed to hear it didn’t turn out for you. 🙁