It's time to make my fav Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake (with blue cheese!). Using the baked feta pasta method, this ooey gooey speecy spicy mac n cheese recipe is ridiculously delicious! To make it, you’ll need Chipotle Havarti, Blue Cheese, shredded chicken, buffalo sauce, milk, cream cheese and pasta! Not only is this recipe so SO good, incredibly easy but it's also ready in under 30 minutes!
Table of Contents
FYI: This recipe was shared because of a sponsored instagram post – this post is not itself sponsored – just wanted to share!
Ingredients & Substitutions
(scroll all the way down for exact measurements and printable recipe card!)
- Whole Milk - I recommend whole milk or canned evaporated milk. If you use a reduced fat milk, it can work but it doesn't get as smooth and creamy as the other two mentioned.
- Shredded Chicken - If you want it veg, you could def replace the chicken with some meat-free alternative like tofu or even the fake chicken meat that they sell in the frozen section.
- Buffalo Sauce - I'm always using Franks Buffalo Sauce! If you don't have buffalo sauce, you could make your own using this recipe!
- Chipotle Havarti - I'm using Roth's Chipotle Havarti because it is legit one of my favorite cheeses ever! It's spicy and perfectly smokey and it melts like a dream! You could also use pepper jack or another spicy cheese if you cant' find Roth!
- Blue Cheese - I'm also using another one of Roth's amazing cheeses here - their Buttermilk Blue Cheese! Unlike most blue cheeses, theirs is mild and creamy and perfect! Even non blue cheese lovers love it! You can use regular blue cheese or gorgonzola if you can't find Roth's!
- Cream Cheese - No real sub for cream cheese but I guess you could mxi in some sour cream if you couldn't use cream cheese!
- Pasta Shells - Use whatever shape your heart desires! I love shells though because it cradles the chicken chunks perfectly!
How to make this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
Making the best baked buffalo chicken mac and cheese is super easy! Especially since we're using the baked feta pasta method!
First, begin by preheating your oven to 400F degrees.
While that's heating up, get a pot of salty water hot and ready for some pasta! Remember, the sauce only needs to be in the oven for 25 minutes so you want to be multitasking!
Once it's boiling, prepare pasta al dente according to the directions on the box/bag, strain and set aside — being sure to save pasta water if needed later on.
Now grab your baking dish and add chicken, milk, buffalo sauce, and a hefty sprinkle of salt and stir.
Then add the Roth Chipotle Havarti, Buttermilk Blue Cheese and cream cheese on top.
You'll want to bake it for 25 minutes until the cheese looks melted. Now remove the baking dish from oven and stir until all the cheese is combined.
Add the strained pasta and top and gently toss until all the noodles are coated in the creamy cheese sauce.
If the sauce looks dry, add ¼ cup of pasta water and stir.
Be sure to taste one last time and add more salt and pepper if needed.
Once you plate the baked buffalo chicken mac and cheese with blue cheese, finish with a little more Buffalo sauce if desired!
How to get a crispy cheesy crust
If you love a crispy, cheesy crust on your mac and cheese -- I got you!!
Achieving a crispy crust is super easy!
All you need to do is turn on your broiler on high heat. Then grate 1 cup of cheese over the top of the mac and cheese.
Place the Mac and Cheese under the broiler for 3-5 minutes (timing is dependent on your oven!) and wait!
The cheese will quickly get all nice and bubbly which turns into the perfect crispy cheesy crust!
As for what types of cheese to use, it really doesn't matter! Any melting cheese works wonderfully. But I do like to stick to using the same spicy cheese because it has so much flavor!
What to pair it with
I always love something fresh when I eat blue cheese buffalo mac and cheese, so I highly recommend pairing it with a big romaine wedge salad or these bacon wrapped dates with blue cheese!
If you want more baked feta pasta method style recipes, try any of these below!
- Original Baked Feta Pasta
- Baked Feta Pasta with Butternut Squash, Hot Honey & Sage
- Springtime Baked Goat Cheese Pasta with Asparagus, Peas and Herbs
- Baked Blue Cheese Pasta with Bacon & Spinach
- Baked Queso Mac and Cheese
Save this recipe for later
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I absolutely love when you save my recipes on Pinterest and share it with your followers!
And if you don’t already, feel free to follow me for more cheesy goodness like this!
Recipe
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups whole milk
- 2 cups shredded chicken
- ½ cup buffalo sauce plus more for serving
- 1 8 oz block spicy havarti (such as Roth's Chipotle Havarti)
- 1 4 oz block blue cheese (such as Roth's Buttermilk Blue)
- ½ 8 oz block cream cheese quartered
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 lb shells cooked al dente
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
- Prepare pasta al dente according to the directions on the box/bag, strain and set aside — being sure to save pasta water if needed later on.
- Add chicken, milk, buffalo sauce, and a hefty sprinkle of salt to a baking dish and stir.
- Add the Roth Chipotle Havarti, Buttermilk Blue Cheese and cream cheese on top.
- Bake for 25 minutes then remove from the oven and stir until all the cheese is combined.
- Add strained pasta and top and gently toss until all the noodles are coated in the creamy cheese sauce. If the sauce looks dry, add ¼ cup of pasta water and stir.
- Be sure to taste one last time and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Plate and finish with a little more Buffalo sauce if desired.
Angie
Pinning this forsure!!! I bet its amazing!
Shannon Ferger
Saw this recipe on TikTok and had to try it, and I wasn't disappointed! This seemed like less work than when I make my normal buffalo mac and cheese,. Having to make a roux, stand there constantly stirring, its just time consuming but I loved that I could just put my ingredients into the casserole dish and combine everything afterwards, I'll be doing this from now on. I made the recipe exactly is is, with the exception of replacing the Roth Chipotle Havarti with a block of pepperjack, and it was perfect. I loved the heat of the buffalo sauce and the pepperjack cheese, but it wasn't overly spicy. Will definitely add this to my go to recipes.
Jk
Huge hit in my house! Neither of us like blue cheese and still used it, and it was delicious.