Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

5 from 1 vote

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Jalapenos, hot sauce, bacon, and chicken come together to make delicious Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese. A perfect mash-up of Macaroni and Cheese and my Buffalo Chicken Dip!

close up top dobuffalo chicken mac and cheese in a baking dish

Let’s Talk Cheese

Believe it or not, I had all five of these cheeses on hand in my fridge to make this. I don’t know if I should be embarrassed by that or not. I’m a girl who likes cheese, what can I say. Here’s what I used: mozzarella, provolone, cheddar, blue cheese, and cream cheese! You can replace blue cheese with goat cheese or just leave it out if you’d like.

Making it Spicy!

The beauty of this recipe is that you can make it as spicy or as mild as you’d like. And it all comes down to two ingredients, jalapenos, and hot sauce. Add as many jalapenos as you can handle! I cut mine down for the kids. As for the hot sauce, I used Frank’s Red Hot. It’s a classic when it comes to Buffalo Chicken anything but you can use whatever hot sauce you like best. Especially if you like things spicier. Keep in mind this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is creamy and that does help moderate the spice.

Topping Options

I topped my Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese with a combination of corn flakes, bacon, and more blue cheese. If you don’t want to use corn flakes consider these alternatives: ritz crackers, panko breadcrumbs, crunchy fried onions or even leaving it plain!

Love Macaroni and Cheese? Try these other favorites: Smoked Sausage Mac and Cheese, Pumpkin Mac and Cheese, Camping Mac and Cheese, Pimento Mac and Cheese, Broccoli Mac and Cheese, Instant Pot Mac and Cheese, Butternut Squash Mac and Cheese.

close up top down view of buffalo chicken mac and cheese in a baking dish

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Besides this meal taking a little more time to prepare than usual, it’s really straightforward. Saute some veggies, cook pasta, make the sauce, mix it all together and bake. Really not intimidating in the least, but super cheesy and divine in every sense of the word. For full details on how to make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese, see the recipe card down below 🙂

Cook Bacon + Saute Onion and Jalapenos

In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and crumble. Pour off excess bacon drippings, keeping some in the pan. Place skillet back on the heat and saute onion and jalapenos until soft. Set aside.

Cook Pasta

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Salt the water generously and cook pasta 2 minutes short of package directions. You want the macaroni to be very al dente, but not still crunchy. Drain and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Take out and butter a 9×9 or a 9×13 baking dish, set aside.

Make Sauce

In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. whisk in flour and cook. Whisk in milk, cream, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Increase heat to medium-high and continue mixing until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.

Stir in cream cheese and hot sauce until melted smoothly into the sauce. Pour cooked pasta, sauteed onions, and jalapenos into the sauce. Stir to coat. Stir in cheeses and chicken.

Top + Bake

Pour into a buttered baking dish and spread out evenly. Top with blue cheese, corn flakes, and crumbled bacon.

Bake 20-30 minutes or until the top of the macaroni has browned. Remove from oven, top with parsley and serve hot.

Garnish Options

If you are wanting to experiment a little, feel free to do so! I topped this dish with bacon, blue cheese, parsley, and corn flakes. Try shaking some more hot sauce on this baby or even a drizzle of your favorite ranch dressing.

scooping buffalo chicken mac and cheese out of baking dish

Storing + Reheating

Store any leftovers you have either right in the casserole dish with its accompanying lid or tightly wrapped with plastic wrap. Place it in the fridge for up to 3 days! Then when you’re ready to eat again bake until heated through. Or you could always nuke a serving in the microwave.

Can you Freeze Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese?

You could freeze this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese however just note, thawed and reheated mac and cheese tends to have some texture issues (grittiness and not as creamy). I’d recommend making this in a disposable tin casserole dish then covering and freezing for up to three months! To reheat bake from frozen until heated through.

Love Buffalo Chicken Anything? Me Too!

Be sure to check out my other buffalo-flavored recipes down below! These got me through my third pregnancy!

Ladies: make this for that special someone in your life! They will want to marry you. Or marry you again. You’re welcome in advance.

The printable recipe card is down below!

scooping buffalo chicken mac and cheese out of baking dish
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5 from 1 vote

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Jalapenos, hot sauce, bacon, and chicken come together to make delicious Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese. An extra special dinner!
servings 6 servings
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 slices bacon
  • 2 tablespoons bacon grease reserved from said bacon
  • 1/2 large onion diced, about 1 1/4 cups
  • 2 jalapenos sliced, ribs and seeds removed
  • 1 pound elbow macaroni

for the sauce-

  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 5 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 cups milk whole or 2% please
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1 pinch nutmeg
  • 2 ounces cream cheese
  • 1 tablespoon hot sauce such as Frank’s Red Hot
  • 2 1/2 cups cheddar cheese grated
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese grated
  • 1/4 cup provolone grated
  • 1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • 1 cup precooked and shredded chicken optional

for the topping-

  • 1 cup corn flakes crushed
  • 1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
  • cooked bacon as listed above
  • parsley for garnish

Instructions

  • In a large skillet, cook bacon until crispy. Remove from pan, drain on paper towels and crumble. Pour off excess bacon drippings, keeping 2 tablespoons in the pan. Place skillet back on heat and saute onion and jalapenos until soft, about 6 minutes over medium heat. Set aside.
  • Bring large pot of water to boil. Salt water generously and cook pasta 2 minutes short of package directions. You want the macaroni to be very al dente, but not still crunchy. Drain and set aside.
  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  • In the same pot, melt butter over medium heat. whisk in flour and cook 1-2 minutes. Whisk in milk, cream, salt, pepper and nutmeg. Increase heat to medium high and continue mixing until sauce thickens. Remove from heat.
  • Stir in cream cheese and hot sauce until melted smoothly into the sauce. Pour cooked pasta and sauteed onions and jalapenos into the sauce. Stir to coat. Stir in cheeses and chicken.
  • Pour into a buttered baking dish {9×9, 9×13, or somewhere in between should be good} and spread out evenly. Top with blue cheese, corn flakes and crumbled bacon.
  • Bake 20-30 minutes until top of macaroni has browned. Remove from oven, top with parsley and serve hot.

Nutrition

Calories: 965kcal | Carbohydrates: 73g | Protein: 40g | Fat: 57g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Cholesterol: 158mg | Sodium: 990mg | Potassium: 507mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 8g | Vitamin A: 1544IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 675mg | Iron: 3mg
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

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87 Responses
  1. The Best Mac and Cheese and Cookies You Will Ever Eat….Seriously! | Drowning in Pinterest

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  2. Laura

    5 stars
    Sweet baby jesus !! Just made this tonight and not only did my husband name it “The Best Meal Ever” but also told me it’s his new fav!! Can’t go wrong and I assure you I will be making this many more times 🙂 Thank you!!!

  3. Jacqui Phillips

    Want to try this. Wow. Are the corn flakes essential for the total experience? ( yes I’m calling this an experience). I like the idea of crunchy, I’ve just never been able to wrap my ‘foodable’ brain around corn flakes in anything other than a bowl with sugar and milk. Any other possible suggestions or maybe just no crunch? (assuming that’s why they’re there)

  4. Aimee

    Hahaha when you said its totally Rufus I was like NEVER BEEN KISSED. Rock on. Love it. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen that movie over 20 times (although never in the theater) So p.s. my friend Beth & I are totally making this tomorrow night (6/19) and I will for sure be coming back here to write a review. We are PRETTY pumped about it.

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  6. Debbie

    This looks fabulous! Any suggestion on what I could substitute for the bleu cheese? (I can’t stand the stuff) Goat cheese maybe…? When I have buffalo chicken, I’m a ranch girl instead of bleu cheese.

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  8. Heather

    I am about to make this for my husband… I think he might just marry me all over again! lol Hope it comes out as good as it sounds!!!

  9. Spicy Richmond

    […] I need this in my life. How I never thought to combine these flavors I don’t know but you bet your […]

  10. Ryan - Spicy Richmond

    I’m obsessed with jalapeno poppers, buffalo chicken AND mac and cheese so this is like heaven! This has been added to my list of meals this weekend!

  11. Krista

    5 stars
    wow, this was certainly amazing! i saw the recipe today and just had to make it tonight. I had almost all of the ingredients on hand but found that I was able to get by without cream by adding extra cream cheese, didn’t have blue cheese or provolone but just added a little extra mozza and cheddar, and I only had herb & garlic cream cheese in the fridge so i used it – still absolutely fantastic. so happy there are leftovers for tomorrow!

  12. Kati

    5 stars
    I am making this for the third time in three months. Hands down the best recipe ever to have stumbled upon!! And yes, my husband did fall in love with me all over again!

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  14. Amanda @ Diary of a Semi-Health Nut

    5 stars
    This recipe made it to my Friday Five Foodie Finds! 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
    http://www.semihealthnut.blogspot.com/2012/01/friday-five-foodie-finds-12.html

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  17. Crystal

    5 stars
    I made this last night and it is amazing! I’m not a cook and it was super easy despite the semi long list of ingredients. I added more buffalo sauce and also used pre-cooked buffalo bites from the prepared food section at my grocery store. We went into an immediate food coma and it was fantastic!!!

  18. kerry

    Hi Lauren making this dish for tonights Patriots opener! I was wondering what you thought of using ritz crackers instead of corn flakes for the topping? it’s a grocery store thing not a taste preference.

  19. Tracy

    5 stars
    I AM STUFFED AND I WANT MORE!!! 🙂 This is sooooo incredible! (I did leave out the blue cheese) Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I want to marry you! hahahaha……

    1. Lauren

      Yay! Glad you liked it! I kept it pretty mild because I feed it to my 2 year old, but feel free to crank up the heat as much as you’d like.

  20. Lauren @ hey, who cut the cheese?

    Oh my goodness… this recipe *is* rufus… and bananas. I just bookmarked and will definitely be trying this out. Yum!

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  22. Baking Serendipity

    Wow! I’ve made a buffalo chicken mac and cheese before, but never thought to add the jalapeno poppers…good call! 🙂

    1. Ari

      I’m not sure how you feel about turkey, but there’s turkey bason you can cook instead! Or, and I haven’t tried it personally, but I’ve had friends who love it to pieces, there’s also apparently vegetarian bacon that’s supposedly quite tasty 🙂

      Also, wow, this recipe looks delicious, I can’t wait to cook it up for the family!

  23. hailey

    this is just everything that is right in the world, all wrapped up in one dish! amazing! i need to make this soon 🙂 this dish will make people all kinds of happy!

  24. Chris @ TheKeenanCookBook

    This recipe is absolutely bananas! There is so much amazingness in this dish I think my eye balls are about to explode 🙂 Love that you included bacon too. Always gotta have bacon. Saving this one for cooking (soon!)

  25. Rachel @ The Avid Appetite

    Can we take a moment for the fact that you have used no less than 4 cheeses in this recipe?! And buffalo sauce (my favorite thing in life)! I cannot wait to make this. I actually just sent you an email about it 🙂

  26. Deborah

    I haven’t made mac and cheese in awhile – but now I’m wishing I had all the ingredients right now to make this tonight!!

  27. Erin

    Wow definitely a lot going on. Jalapeno poppers AND buffalo chicken in mac and cheese? But I don’t think it’s too much, I love it,.

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