My creamy buffalo chicken mac and cheese is topped off with a buttery toasted panko for next-level flavor. It’s quick to make in just over 30 minutes! Recipe includes a how-to video!
The Best Buffalo Mac and Cheese
Today’s buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe started out as a just-for-fun experiment (so many of my recipes do!) but after taste testing I didn’t have a choice — I had to share it with you! With its irresistibly creamy texture and buffalo chicken dip-esque flavor, this one was just too good to keep to myself.
This recipe has everything you love about baked mac & cheese, plus an extra kick of flavor from the buffalo sauce. It’s cheesy, creamy, a little spicy, and so hearty with plenty of shredded chicken.
I top mine off with a buttery, crispy crown of toasted panko for some extra texture and flavor, and it’s truly the best mac and cheese I’ve had (my bacon mac and cheese is a close second though!). I just know you’re going to love it too!
What You Need
There are quite a lot of ingredients up there, so let’s go over some of the most important ones:
- Buffalo sauce. Make sure you’re using prepared buffalo sauce and not straight hot sauce (which would add more heat than intended).
- Pasta. You can use macaroni (a classic choice! I use this in my easy mac and cheese), but cavatappi/cellentani is a bit more fun.
- Cheese. Grab some mozzarella and cheddar blocks and shred them yourself–this is critical for the smoothest sauce and best melting. Pre-shredded cheeses may be more convenient, but they contain anti-caking agents that prevent them from melting smoothly.
- Sour cream + cream cheese. To make this buffalo mac and cheese extra creamy, we’ll go beyond your standard shredded cheeses and use cream cheese and sour cream too. These two ingredients are possibly the most critical in developing such a creamy and richly flavored dish!
- Chicken. Any cooked, shredded chicken will work. I like to use a rotisserie chicken or my slow cooker shredded chicken.
- Panko. We toast this panko in butter on the stovetop for wonderful, buttery flavor. Sometimes, instead of using panko I make breadcrumbs out of my sourdough bread and use those, instead!
SAM’S TIP: Since this dish is so creamy and rich, it makes a great party/potluck dish. It’s the kind of comfort food that you pile on your plate at a party, then find yourself going back for seconds…and thirds!
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Mac and Cheese
- Cook your pasta to al dente according to package directions, then drain and keep warm.
- Melt the butter and stir in the flour until smooth.
- Stir in the spices and milk, then bring the mixture to a boil.
- Reduce the heat to a simmer and stir frequently until thickened. Once thickened, stir in the cheeses and sour cream until smooth.
- Stir in the hot sauce, then add the chicken and pasta.
- Pour into a buttered baking dish and prepare the panko topping.
Panko Topping
- Melt the butter and olive oil together over medium heat, then add the panko.
- Stir and toast the panko until it absorbs the butter and oil and begins to turn a light golden brown.
- Sprinkle the panko over your prepared mac and cheese.
- Bake at 350F for 15 minutes, then enjoy!
SAM’S TIP: Fresh chopped parsley makes a pretty, fresh garnish on this mac and cheese. This is optional, but I do like to add it if I have some on hand.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! If you’d like to make the recipe up until the baking step, you can cover it and refrigerate until ready to bake. When you’re ready, simply remove your covering and bake until warmed through.
My buffalo mac and cheese carries some heat, but it’s not overwhelmingly hot (though you heat-seekers out there can feel free to up the ante with a few extra tablespoons of buffalo sauce). The heat is nicely tempered by the cheeses, so I find the spice level to be mild or about as hot as a buffalo chicken dip would be.
Yes! This buffalo mac and cheese doubles nicely, especially for parties. You’ll want to bake it in a 9×13 if you do. Keep in mind the bake time might be a bit longer in a bigger pan.
Let me know in the comments if you’d like to see more spruced up mac and cheese recipes!
Enjoy!
Let’s bake together! I’ll be walking you through all the steps in my written recipe and video below! If you try this recipe, be sure to tag me on Instagram, and you can also find me on YouTube and Facebook
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 8 oz (230 g) dry macaroni noodles (I used Cellentani noodles)
- 3 Tablespoons (42 g) butter
- 3 Tablespoons (24 g) flour
- 2 cups (475 ml) milk
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese
- 1 ½ cup (170 g) shredded mozzarella cheese I use low-moisture part skim
- 1 cup (115 g) sharp shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream
- ½ cup (120 ml) buffalo hot sauce
- 1 ½ cups (200 g) shredded chicken
For Panko Topping:
- 1 Tablespoon (14 g) butter
- ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- ½ cup (30 g) seasoned panko crumbs
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C) and lightly grease a 1.5qt round baking dish or 9×9 square baking dish with butter.
- Cook pasta al dente according to package instructions.8 oz (230 g) dry macaroni noodles (I used Cellentani noodles)
- Meanwhile, melt butter in a large pot over medium heat. Once it has melted, add flour and stir until smooth.3 Tablespoons (42 g) butter, 3 Tablespoons (24 g) flour
- Add milk and spices, stir well and bring to a boil.2 cups (475 ml) milk, ½ teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- 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.4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, 1 ½ cup (170 g) shredded mozzarella cheese, 1 cup (115 g) sharp shredded cheddar cheese, ⅓ cup (80 g) sour cream
- Add hot sauce and stir.½ cup (120 ml) buffalo hot sauce
- Add shredded chicken and cooked, drained pasta noodles and stir until well coated by the sauce.1 ½ cups (200 g) shredded chicken
- 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.1 Tablespoon (14 g) butter, ½ Tablespoon olive oil
- 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 color½ cup (30 g) seasoned panko crumbs
- 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.
Recipe originally published August 2017. Recipe remains the same but text has been updated to be more helpful.
Kandy
I made this tonight and it was so delicious. I used shredded rotisserie chicken and a little extra Buffalo sauce. But otherwise followed the recipe exact. I served it with slow roasted baby back ribs and ate way too much. 🙂
I will make this again for sure.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Kandy! 🙂
Lindsay
Could I make this ahead of time?
Sam
Sure thing! 🙂
Taylor
Can’t wait to make this! Could breaded chicken tenders work too?
Sugar Spun Run
Yes, you can! I hope that you enjoy it. 🙂
Renee
Made it for my husbands lunches every one who tried it loved it and asked me to make it again!!! I absolutely love this recipe
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Who doesn’t like Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese for lunch?! So glad it was a hit! Thanks for commenting, Renee 🙂
Annabelle
I made this tonight and it was a big hit. I added some gouda and it came out so good. Thank you for this great recipe!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Annabelle! 🙂
Josée
Is it a spicy mac n cheese? I love the buffalo hot sauce flavor, but I don’t handle the heat so well hahahaha! Do all the creamy ingredients turn down the spicyness a little bit?
Sam
Hi Josee! It’s going to be a lot like a buffalo chicken dip. I would say a buffalo sauce level spicy. The cheese will tone it down a bit but not completely.
Laura
I have made this four or five times already and it is always a hit! I was super late to a party and brought a big dish of this mac and cheese and it was still the first thing gone 🙂 also made it for work! This week I volunteered to make a whole lot of it for a different work event. Wondering if I could prepare dishes and put in fridge for two days before baking several at once?
Sam
Hi Laura! I haven’t let tried letting it sit that long. It should work. Typically the longer a macaroni like this sits the more juice the noodles absorb so that’s just something you will want to watch out for. 🙂
Margie
Hi Sam, thank you for your delicious recipes. I have tried three of them this week and we really liked all of them. The lemon cupcakes, the Lasagna Soup and the Buffalo chicken pasta dish. Keep up the good work!
Sam
That is so awesome! Sounds like you have been busy. I’m glad you are enjoying everything. 🙂
Adriana
I made this for my family today and will definitely be making it a part of our Christmas dinner! So creamy and delicious!!! We all loved it! ❤️
Carol Eastway
DELICIOUS!!!! My husband loved it so much, its going in my recipe keepsake cookbook for future meals and get-togethers with family and friends 🙂
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Carol! 🙂
Amy
This was delicious! I was a little nervous at how rich it might be, but it struck the perfect balance of creamy and spicy. I used oat milk and it turned out fine. I do have a question though, can you make this ahead and freeze it? Please let me know!
Sam
Hi Amy! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! While I haven’t tried freezing it myself I think it will freeze just fine. 🙂
Molly
Hi! This recipe looks so good and I can’t wait to make it! One question however, your nutrition label says 1 serving is 458 calories, but you don’t indicate how much is in that serving. I was wondering of you could be more specific as I am fairly health and diet conscious. Thanks!
Sam
Hi Molly! This should serve about 8 and should make about 6 cups of mac and cheese. This would be about 3/4 cup. I hope you love it! 🙂
Maria
The family loves this dish.. so delicious!!!
Sam
I am so glad everyone enjoyed it so much, Maria! 🙂
Brittney
Hi there I am planning on making this recipe for Christmas Eve dinner. It sounds absolutely delicious I am so excited to try it! I wanted to know how spicy this is? I have one person who definitely wants to try it but she cannot handle extremely powerful spicy things and I wondered if maybe it would be better to cut down on the amount of hot sauce or if it provides just enough heat that you know it’s buffalo if that makes sense? Thank you in advance I hope to hear from you and merry Christmas to you
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Brittney! It’s going to be a lot like a buffalo chicken dip. We would say a buffalo sauce level spicy. The cheese will tone it down a bit but not completely. We hope that helps. Enjoy your dinner and have a merry Christmas!
Kelly
This recipe is INCREDIBLE! It will definitely become a staple in our home. Thank you for sharing.
Sam
I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed, Kelly! Thank you so much for commenting! 🙂
Brittany
I am not one to leave reviews but this is soooo good! I am very picky with homemade Mac and cheese and this was phenomenal. My boyfriend has celiac disease so I made this gluten free and was perfect
Sam
Hi Brittany! I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment. 🙂
Nan
This has become my ultimate comfort food recipe! I substitute Trader Joe’s Four Cheese blend for straight up mozzarella and make individual breaded and baked chicken (breast) fingers with buffalo sauce to go on top and crumble blue cheese around them on top, then back into the oven for 5 minutes. Absolutely insanely delicious !!!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it so much! 🙂
Anjail
My family enjoyed the Mac n cheese I will definitely be making this again thanks so much for sharing this
Sugar Spun Run
I am so happy to hear that everyone enjoyed it, Anjail! Thank you for trying my recipe and for commenting. 🙂
Tyler Pullin
I added grated parm, white vinegar, more butter and heavy on the buffalo sauce and garlic powder. Extra cream cheese chunks and cheddar on top before throwing in the oven. Fantastic recipe will definitely keep this one
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much, Tyler! 🙂