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    Home » Recipes » Sides

    Buffalo Chicken Style Pasta Salad

    August 12, 2016 Updated August 7, 2023 BySam 7 Comments

    This post may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please read my disclosure policy.
    Jump to Recipe

    An easy buffalo chicken flavored pasta salad that can be prepared in just fifteen minutes.  The perfect side dish for any party!

    Buffalo Chicken Style Pasta Salad -- this was a huge hit at our party!

    I recently shared the recipe for this buffalo chicken pasta salad over on Spend with Pennies.

    I’m trying to be grateful.  It’s 100 degrees outside and the air is thicker than a bowl of my favorite Panera broccoli cheese soup, and just as hot.  It’s literally difficult to breathe; my lungs take a few extra milliseconds to filter out the oxygen from this dense blanket of sheer humidity.

    But, it’s summertime, it’s warm (putting it mildly), and there’s no snow in my 10-day forecast (and hopefully won’t be for a while), and for that, I’m trying to be grateful.  In fact, I’m about to introduce even more heat to your summer days — in the form of this buffalo chicken pasta salad.

    Buffalo Chicken Style Pasta Salad -- this was a huge hit at our party!

    I made this buffalo chicken salad a little while ago for a cookout at my parents’ house.  It was nothing fancy, just the family and some of my sisters’ significant others (which makes for a pretty full house of 12 people) and I brought along this pasta salad for everyone to try out.  It was a hit, and Nikki  ate nearly the whole container on her own.

    To keep things simple I use a rotisserie chicken, which I shred while it’s still warm and then toss with the pasta and cheese (for melty mozzarella in every bite) and then the sauces.

    The buffalo sauce gives this pasta a good bit of heat, but it’s tempered nicely by the ranch dressing, and the pasta, too.  The scallions and red pepper do a good job of keeping the dish from being too spicy (a cooling, crunchy element), so all ages can enjoy a big scoop besides their burgers without grappling for a glass of water.

    Buffalo Chicken Style Pasta Salad -- this was a huge hit at our party!

    Enjoy, and let’s try to appreciate the heat while it lasts.

    Buffalo chicken style pasta salad in a white bowl

    Buffalo Chicken Style Pasta Salad

    An easy buffalo chicken flavored pasta salad that can be prepared in just fifteen minutes.  
    5 from 7 votes
    Print Pin Rate
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    Course: Side Dish
    Cuisine: American
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Servings: 8 servings
    Calories: 288kcal
    Author: Sam Merritt

    Ingredients

    • 8 oz rotini pasta
    • 1 ½ cups shredded chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken, shredded)
    • ⅓ cup chopped red pepper
    • ½ cup buffalo sauce
    • ½ cup ranch dressing
    • 2 Tbsp mayonnaise
    • ¼ tsp garlic powder
    • ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
    • 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    • 2 Tbsp chopped scallions

    Instructions

    • Cook pasta according to package instructions.
      8 oz rotini pasta
    • Drain and transfer to a large bowl.
    • Add chicken breast and red pepper and stir to combine.
      1 ½ cups shredded chicken, ⅓ cup chopped red pepper
    • In a separate, medium-sized bowl, whisk together buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, mayonnaise, garlic powder, and black pepper to make a sauce.
      ½ cup buffalo sauce, ½ cup ranch dressing, 2 Tbsp mayonnaise, ¼ tsp garlic powder, ⅛ tsp ground black pepper
    • Pour sauce over pasta mixture and stir until well combined.
    • Stir in mozzarella cheese (it is best to add this while the pasta is still warm so that the cheese mostly melts).
      1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
    • Top with chives and serve*
      2 Tbsp chopped scallions

    Notes

    *This pasta salad is delicious either served warm or chilled first in the refrigerator.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving | Calories: 288kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 14g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 755mg | Potassium: 143mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 105IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 84mg | Iron: 1mg

    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.

    Tried this recipe? Show me on Instagram!Mention @SugarSpun_Sam or tag #sugarspunrun!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Karen

      May 22, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      Which brand of buffalo sauce do you use? They each taste very different from each other I’ve noticed. Thanks and I love your site!!

      Reply
      • Sugar Spun Run

        May 22, 2020 at 3:01 pm

        Thank you so much, Karen! I use either franks red hot or sweet baby rays buffalo sauce. I hope that you enjoy the pasta salad! 🙂

        Reply
    2. Garrett Vance

      March 24, 2018 at 1:54 am

      5 stars
      Hi, Sam! We came here from Chowhound and my wife and I already have next week’s entire menu planned all from your wonderful site! Great recipes and great fun, thanks!

      Reply
      • Sam

        March 24, 2018 at 7:58 am

        I’m so happy to hear this, thank you for coming over!! I hope that you and your wife both love the recipes, thank you for commenting! 🙂

        Reply
    3. Sues

      August 14, 2016 at 9:35 pm

      a) This looks absolutely incredible and b) I’m right there with you about being grateful! It’s SO hot here, too, but people complain all winter long in New England, so I am certainly not going to complain about the heat 🙂

      Reply
    4. Jackie

      August 13, 2016 at 12:55 pm

      These all look great. Stay cool.

      Reply
      • Sam

        August 13, 2016 at 8:09 pm

        Thanks Jackie!

        Reply
    5 from 7 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    The author (Sam) in blue shirt holding donut Hi, I'm Sam! I'm dedicated to bringing you sweet, simple, and from-scratch dessert recipes. My life may or may not be controlled by my sweet tooth. Send help (or chocolate). Read more about me.

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