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Enjoy your favorite hot wing flavors in a new way with this buffalo chicken casserole recipe! It’s simple to throw together, cheesy, and has an irresistible kick.
You may also enjoy my Buffalo Chicken Meatballs or Buffalo Chicken Soup for more of these flavors.
Why you’ll love it
I’m all for less work and effort when making the food I crave. This easy buffalo chicken pasta bake feeds a crowd, and you get a tasty combo of the spicy and tangy buffalo sauce along with the comfort of a chicken casserole with plenty of melty cheese.
A few shortcuts like using rotisserie chicken and a jar of your favorite Alfredo sauce mean that this buffalo chicken casserole, in all its cheesy glory, is on the table that much faster. Game day, guys’ night, dinner, whenever you want pasta with a zing!
What you’ll need
- Pasta – we’re using penne. It’s a sturdy pasta that works great in pasta bakes.
- Chicken – rotisserie chicken is great for convenience, or use leftover Baked Chicken Breast
- Alfredo sauce – a tried and true shortcut for the sauce. I like Rao’s or Classico.
- Hot sauce – get that signature kick from Frank’s Red Hot
- Blue cheese – it’s optional, but I know that purists can’t have buffalo chicken without blue cheese!
- Ranch seasoning – it gives that cooling, zesty contrast to the hot sauce
- Mozzarella – for the melty topping
Tools for this recipe
Check out Natasha’s favorite kitchen essentials, gadgets, and cookware!
- A sieve or colander makes it easy to drain the pasta.
- I use my favorite cooking spoon to mix everything together.
- For this pasta bake I use this 9×13 casserole dish.
How to make this buffalo chicken casserole
This is an overview with step-by-step photos. Full ingredients & instructions are in the recipe card below.
Preheat your oven. Cook the penne for a minute less than the package directions suggest. Drain, and place in a casserole dish. Add the chicken, Alfredo, hot sauce, blue cheese if using, and ranch seasoning.
Toss everything until coated, and then spread into an even layer. Top with the mozzarella, and bake. Carefully broil afterwards to brown the cheese if desired. Sprinkle on chopped scallions, and enjoy!
Substitutions and variations
- You could make my Alfredo Sauce from scratch instead. If using my recipe, it does make a bit less than a 15 oz. jar of Alfredo sauce, so try doubling it. Mine yields about 1.5 cups, and a jar is usually around 2 cups.
- Substitute the penne for another variety of pasta that’s similar size if you prefer.
- Make this homemade ranch seasoning instead of using store-bought if you wish.
What to serve with this casserole
- Cheesy Garlic Bread is probably my favorite pairing. You can’t go wrong with more cheese, right?
- A salad makes a great fresh counterpoint. Try my bright Honey Mustard Dressing, this Italian Dressing, or my popular 10-Minute Caesar Dressing.
Leftovers and storage
- Store leftovers of this chicken pasta bake for 3-4 days in the fridge, but keep in mind it might dry out a bit as the pasta absorbs the sauce.
- Reheat slowly in a saucepan over a low heat until warmed through. If desired, add in a touch more Alfredo sauce to pep it up.
- I don’t recommend freezing leftovers of this one.
If you liked this buffalo chicken casserole as much as I did, please leave a star rating and review below! You can also tag me #saltandlavender on Instagram.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
Ingredients
- 8 ounces uncooked penne
- 2 cups cooked/rotisserie chicken
- 1 (15 ounce) jar Alfredo sauce
- 1/3 cup Frank's Red Hot Original Sauce
- 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles optional
- 1 (1 ounce) packet ranch seasoning
- 2 cups shredded mozzarella
- Chopped scallions optional, to taste
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375F and move the rack to the top third of the oven.
- Boil a salted pot of water and cook the pasta for one minute less than package directions indicate.
- Drain the pasta and add it to a 9×13 casserole dish. Add in the cooked chicken, Alfredo sauce, Frank's Red Hot, blue cheese, and ranch seasoning. Toss until evenly coated, then spread it in an even layer.
- Top with the mozzarella, then bake, uncovered, for 15 minutes or until hot and bubbly. Broil it for a few minutes at the end to brown the cheese if desired (watch it carefully so it doesn't burn). Top with chopped scallions if desired and serve hot.
Notes
- This recipe does have some kick. You could reduce the hot sauce a bit if you’re sensitive to spice, but it does add moisture to the dish as well at the signature hot wings flavor.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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The absolute best dinner if you love the taste of buffalo sauce!
Thank you!! 😀
Awesome taste! And so easy to make I made 3 at a time.
Thank you, Zac!! 😀
Our family really liked it and it was super easy to make. I used around 10 ounces of pasta and probably closer to three cups of shredded rotisserie chicken. I shredded the breast portion of a Costco rotisserie chicken and used it all.
My husband and son are gluten free and it worked really well with Tinkyada gluten free pasta.
Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome, Andrea! 😀
This looks delicious! Would this be to spicy for a 20 month old toddler?
Hi Jessica! I haven’t made this for a while, but I think it may be a bit too spicy if your toddler hasn’t grown up experiencing spicy foods yet.
Very easy to follow receipe. And taste great 👍.
Thank you so much for taking the time to write me a review, Sharon! 😀