Ready to spice up your life? Easy, creamy Buffalo Chicken PastaBake is deliciously spicy, super simple to make, and the ultimate comfort food. When mac and cheese meet buffalo sauce, something magical happens, and hot and cheesy never tasted so good!
8ouncescream cheese,softened or at room temperature
1cupblue cheese or ranch dressing,works best with homemade or refrigerated dressing
⅓cupcrumbled blue cheese
½cupBuffalo Wing Sauce,I like Sweet Baby Ray's
3cupsextra sharp cheddar cheese,shredded and divided
¾cuppanko bread crumbs
2 tablespoonsbutter
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350 °F.
Cook the pasta al dente according to the directions on the pasta box. When finished cooking, reserve a quarter cup of the pasta water before placing the pasta in a colander to drain.
While the pasta is cooking, combine the chicken, bell pepper, a quarter cup of chopped scallions, and two cups of shredded cheese in a large bowl. Set aside.
Place the cream cheese, garlic, blue cheese dressing, and buffalo sauce in a food processor fitted with a metal blade, or use an immersion blender. Process until smooth.
Mix the chicken and cheese mixture with the cream cheese mixture and pasta water.
Place the pasta, chicken, and sauce mixture in a 9x13-inch baking dish sprayed with non-stick cooking spray.
Melt butter and mix with the panko bread crumbs.
Top with the crumbled blue cheese, remaining one cup of shredded cheese, panko bread crumbs, and the remaining scallions.
Bake for approximately 35 minutes or until the mixture bubbles and the panko is crispy. Let sit for a few minutes and serve hot. Enjoy!
Notes
This casserole serves eight. Because we have a small family, I made it in a nine-inch square baking dish; then, I froze the rest in another container. However, it does fit perfectly in a 9x13-inch baking dish.
Three cups of chicken is a loose measurement. A little more or less won't matter.
I prefer using either homemade blue cheese or ranch salad dressing or the refrigerated kind. However, if all you have is regular bottled dressing, it will work too.
If you don't have buffalo sauce, substitute a quarter cup of hot sauce plus a quarter cup of melted butter.