Mac & Cheese
Buffalo Chicken Mac & Cheese Casserole
Prep Time: 30 MIN | Cook Time: 45 MIN | Servings: | Calories:
Prep Time
30 MIN
Cook Time
45 MIN
<p>This instant classic combines the sassy flavor of buffalo chicken with the decadent flavor of cheesy mac and cheese. Add some crumbled bacon and the flavor of ranch dressing and you’ve got a casserole everyone will love.</p>
Ingredients
- 1 lb. uncooked shell pasta
- 1 cup 1% milk
- 16 ozs. cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup pasta water (from cooking macaroni)
- ½ cup buffalo wing hot sauce
- 1 Packet (3 Tablespoons) of Hidden Valley Ranch Seasoning
- 3 cups rotisserie chicken, cooked and pulled
- 6 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
- 2 cups Sargento® Sharp Cheddar Shredded Cheese
- ¼ cup finely chopped celery or celery leaves
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
Directions
- In a 4 qt. saucepan, add 2 qts. water and 1 tsp. salt to a boil over medium-high heat. Add uncooked pasta. Stir well, then reduce heat to medium. Cook for 10 minutes or until almost al dente. Do not drain.
- Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine milk, cream cheese, hot sauce, dry ranch mix and ½ cup hot pasta water. Stir until smooth. Set aside.
- When pasta is almost al dente, drain well and add pasta, pulled chicken and crumbled bacon to the bowl of milk and hot sauce mixture. Fold mixture together until pasta and chicken are well coated. Transfer mixture to a greased 13” X 9” casserole dish.
- Place sprinkle cheese on top of pasta and chicken mixture. Cover with foil. You can refrigerate until ready to bake. When ready to bake, pre-heat oven to 350 degrees, then place casserole dish on the middle rack. Bake for 20 minutes.
- Uncover and bake an additional 20 minutes or until cheese is well melted and pasta is hot. Sprinkle celery and green onions on top. Drizzle with additional hot sauce if desired. Serve.
5 out of 5
I made this recipe for a tough to please crowd. It was a huge hit! Some went back for seconds! I only made half of the recipe. I decreased the Buffalo sauce to a tablespoon, as I wanted the kids to eat it, but used a whole bag of shredded cheddar cheese. I cannot say enough how pleased everyone was! Make this!
5 out of 5
This was really very good! I added a quarter cup of the hot sauce as I did not want it too hot for the children. When served it I passed the Wing Sauce and each could add more which gave it even more flavor. I highly recommend this recipe!