Buffalo Chicken Pasta Casserole

This buffalo chicken pasta bake is the ultimate comfort casserole, packed with creamy ranch, spicy buffalo chicken, and cheesy macaroni. It’s an easy pasta dinner that’s perfect for meal prep, a freezer meal, or a fast weeknight dinner. With tender noodles and bold flavors, this buffalo chicken casserole will quickly become a family favorite. Perfect for anyone who loves quick and delicious chicken dinner recipes!

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Why this is the best buffalo chicken pasta recipe

This recipe tastes amazing! Something magical happens when you mix ranch dressing and hot sauce. Add chicken, macaroni, and cheese, and you have a big winner.

This recipe uses simple pantry staples. I'm willing to bet you already have everything you need to make this meal. If not, a quick trip to the local grocery store will net you the rest of the ingredients.

This recipe is very easy and quick to prep. Cook the chicken and pasta, mix everything together, and bake. That's it! If you grab a rotisserie chicken or use canned chicken, you can shortcut a quick meal to make it even faster.

This recipe is versatile. You can use any shape or style of pasta or even substitute tater tots, frozen hash browns, or rice for the pasta. You can use any brand or style of hot sauce, and you can use ranch or blue cheese salad dressing. It's a very forgiving recipe that you can easily make your own.

This recipe feeds a crowd or works for a whole week of meal prep. This recipe makes a lot of food, definitely enough for 6-8 servings or even more, depending on what else you serve with it. Some Parmesan roasted carrots or a small BLT salad would make a great side dish for this heavy casserole.

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This recipe is allergy friendly and can work for special diets. Buffalo chicken casserole as written is soy-free and nut-free. If you use gluten-free pasta, it can be gluten-free. If you are looking for a low carb, high protein, or keto buffalo chicken casserole, you could substitute chopped, pre-roasted cauliflower or riced cauliflower for the pasta in an equal amount.

As always, please check the labels on all your ingredients to ensure they fit your nutritional needs.

What you'll need to make buffalo chicken pasta bake

Equipment

• Deep 9x13 pan - This recipe makes quite a bit, so a 9x13 pan that's on the deeper side would be best.
• Colander - You'll need to drain the pasta.

Other than these items, you will need a medium saucepan to cook the pasta, a large mixing bowl, measuring cups and spoons, and a rubber spatula.

Ingredients

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Cooked chicken breast - If you're cooking fresh boneless skinless chicken breasts, you can shred the meat or cut it into bite-sized chunks. I invested in this chicken shredder after our fire, and it has changed my life. We now eat a ton of shredded chicken. If you are in a hurry, grab a rotisserie chicken or two cans of prepared chicken from the grocery store and use that from that for your casserole.
• Elbow macaroni - The first step is to cook the noodles, so if you have leftover cooked pasta from something else, use that. Any shape of pasta will work in this recipe. I most commonly use elbow macaroni, but I have used small shells, farfalle, penne pasta, rotini, and even radiatori. You could even use a spaghetti or fettucini-style noodle, if you broke them up into smaller pieces.
• Frank's RedHot Sauce - This isn't a sponsored post, and you can use whatever buffalo sauce you enjoy. I like Frank's. You can also use more or less to taste. When you make this recipe for the first time, I would suggest you use half of the suggested amount, mix it all up, and then taste it. If it's not spicy enough, add more hot sauce.
• Ranch dressing - You could also use blue cheese dressing. If you accidentally make your casserole too hot (as in, you put in too much hot sauce), then you can add extra ranch or even sour cream to tone down the heat.
• Shredded cheddar cheese - It is my opinion that you can never have too much cheddar cheese, so feel free to use more than the recipe calls for. (I ALWAYS do.)
• Cream cheese (not pictured) - I started adding this recently and love the creaminess that it adds. Make sure it's room temperature before attempting to mix it in with the ranch and buffalo wing sauce.
• Chopped celery - I put this in the recipe because most people like celery with their buffalo chicken. I personally hate it (and so do my kids) and never use it when I'm cooking for my own family.
• Chopped green onions - Use both the tops (green parts) and bottoms (white parts) of these.
•  Kosher salt and black pepper
• Crumbled Ritz crackers - Ritz cracker crumbs add a buttery crunch to the whole casserole. This is another recent addition, so they're not in the photos but they really make the casserole delicious if you remember to add them right before baking.
• Crumbled bacon - This is for a garnish at the end. It does not get mixed into the casserole (although you could, I suppose). Cook the bacon according to your preferred method. I usually fry mine on the stove, but in the past, I have often baked it in a 425ºF oven for 12-15 minutes. I stopped baking it because I got tired of cleaning my sheet pans all the time. It feels easier to clean one large skillet than two sheet pans with two grates. I'm a little lazy.
• Blue cheese crumbles - These are for garnish, though, like the bacon above, you could mix them in before baking if you feel so inclined.
• Fresh parsley - This is optional and also for garnish. I would not mix this into the casserole.

How to make buffalo chicken casserole

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Spritz a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray or lightly grease it with butter.
2. Prepare the elbow macaroni according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
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3. In a large bowl, stir together the chicken, macaroni, buffalo wing sauce, ranch dressing, 1½ cups of shredded cheddar cheese, cream cheese, celery, green onions, salt, and pepper. Mix well.
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4. Pour the buffalo chicken mixture into the prepared baking dish, spreading it out evenly.
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5. Sprinkle the remaining ½ cup of shredded cheddar cheese over the top. (Or do what I normally do and just empty the rest of the bag. There is never too much cheese.) Cover the cheese evenly with Ritz cracker crumbs.
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6. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until the casserole is bubbly and the cheese on top is melted and slightly browned.
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7. Remove the casserole from the oven and sprinkle the bacon, blue cheese crumbles, and chopped parsley evenly over the top. Allow to cool for a few minutes before serving.
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8. You can drizzle additional ranch dressing over each serving as you plate, if desired.
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Variations

This recipe was made for substitutions and variations.

You can use any size or shape of pasta in this easy pasta bake - or substitute cooked rice, thawed tater tots, thawed frozen hash browns, riced cauliflower, or chopped roasted cauliflower for the elbow macaroni. (I would not recommend adding chopped raw potatoes or chopped raw cauliflower as neither will cook completely in the short time the casserole bakes. You can use either one, but you will need to precook them and mix them in already cooked.)

You can use ranch dressing as instructed or blue cheese dressing. If you stick with the ranch, you can add a tablespoon of ranch seasoning with the ranch dressing for an even stronger ranch flavor.

You can add veggies such as shredded carrots or chopped onions or bell peppers. Cook them first or they will be raw even after the casserole has baked.

You can use any variety of shredded cheese. I prefer extra sharp cheddar cheese, but you could use gouda or another cheese with a strong flavor.

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You can add a clove or two of pressed fresh garlic or a tablespoon of garlic powder.

You can add a tablespoon of sweet or smoked paprika to the buffalo chicken mixture.

For a creamier buffalo chicken casserole, add 8 ounces of softened cream cheese when you mix up the pasta and chicken mixture. (My kids LOVE it this way!)

Storing leftovers

Allow the casserole to cool completely to room temperature before refrigerating or freezing.

To store most of the casserole, cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap. Store the covered casserole in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

For easier reheating, consider dividing the casserole into individual portions. Place each portion in an airtight container such as Souper Cubes and refrigerate for up to 5 days.

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For longer storage, you can freeze the casserole. Wrap the entire casserole dish tightly with plastic wrap then aluminum foil, or place individual portions in airtight freezer-safe containers. If in an airtight container, the casserole can be frozen for up to 2-3 months.

Reheating Instructions

• Refrigerated Casserole: To reheat the whole casserole, preheat the oven to 350°F. Remove the plastic wrap and bake for 20-30 minutes or until heated through. To reheat individual portions, microwave on high for 1-2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.
• Frozen Casserole: Thaw the whole frozen casserole in the fridge overnight and follow the reheating instructions for a refrigerated casserole.
• When reheating in the oven, you can cover the dish with foil to prevent the casserole from drying out. Adding a splash of water or chicken broth before reheating can also help maintain moisture.

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Try these other spicy dishes:

• Mild Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip - all the flavor without so much heat
• Buffalo Chicken Zucchini Boats
• Garlic Buffalo Shrimp
• The Best Buffalo Cheese Ball Recipe
• Frank's RedHot Buffalo Chicken Dip in the Instant Pot
• 15 Minute Cajun Shrimp and Rice (Plus Low Carb Option)
• Prosciutto-Wrapped Jalapeño Poppers
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken Skewers

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