Buffalo Chicken Casserole has all the flavor of wings in a pasta bake: shell pasta and diced cooked chicken tossed with buffalo wing sauce, ranch dressing, garlic, onion and green onions, then layered with Monterey Jack and cheddar and baked until melted. It is a little spicy, very cheesy, and serves 8 in about 40 minutes.
How to make it: Cook a pound of shell pasta to al dente and drain. Stir in the chicken, buffalo sauce, ranch, onion powder, garlic powder and green onions. Layer half in a greased 9×13-inch dish with some of both cheeses, add the rest, top with the remaining cheese, and bake covered at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
Why You’ll Love It
- Wing night in a dish: buffalo sauce and ranch, no frying.
- Uses cooked chicken: leftover or rotisserie chicken works.
- Two cheeses: Monterey Jack and cheddar in the middle and on top.
- Heat you can adjust: make it milder or hotter with a few swaps.
Ingredient Notes
Medium shell pasta: One 16-ounce box, cooked just to al dente.
Cooked chicken: Three cups, diced. Rotisserie or leftover chicken saves time.
Buffalo wing sauce and ranch: One cup of each. The ranch makes the sauce creamy.
Seasonings: Half a teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder, plus 3 to 4 thinly sliced green onions.
Cheese: One and a half cups of shredded Monterey Jack and 1 cup of shredded cheddar, split between the middle and the top.
Ingredients
- 16 ounces medium shell pasta
- 3 cups diced cooked chicken
- 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 to 4 green onions, thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, divided
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta Casserole
1. Heat the oven. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×13-inch casserole dish.
2. Cook the pasta. Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, drain well, and return it to the empty pot.
3. Mix. Stir the chicken, buffalo wing sauce, ranch dressing, onion powder, garlic powder and green onions into the pasta.
4. Layer. Spoon half the mixture into the dish and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of each cheese. Spoon in the rest of the pasta and top with the remaining cheese.
5. Bake. Cover with foil and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot (165°F in the center).
How to Make It Milder or Hotter
Buffalo sauce brings the kick, and the ranch and cheese balance it, so as written this casserole is only a little spicy. It is easy to move in either direction.
For a milder dish: pick a mild buffalo sauce, or use less of it and make up the difference with broth. Stirring in some plain Greek yogurt adds creaminess and tones the heat down.
For more heat: use a hotter sauce in the pasta, or pass hot sauce at the table so everyone can add their own. Any hot sauce you like can stand in for buffalo sauce.
Either way: cook the pasta only to al dente and bake the casserole covered with foil.
Which Chicken to Use
Any cooked chicken works, which makes this a good way to use leftovers. You need 3 cups, diced or shredded. About 1 1/2 pounds of rotisserie chicken, chopped or shredded, is plenty, and 12 ounces of shredded chicken measures about 3 cups. You can also cook 1 1/2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for the dish, then dice them before mixing.
Tips for Success
- Drain the pasta well: then return it to the pot to mix everything in one place.
- Layer the cheese: half a cup of each cheese goes in the middle, the rest on top.
- Grease the dish: before the pasta goes in.
Variations
- Buffalo chicken and rice: sauté onion, carrot, celery and bell pepper, then bake with 1 cup of uncooked white rice, 3 cups of shredded chicken, 2 cups of chicken broth, 3/4 cup of buffalo sauce and cheddar.
- With bacon and cream cheese: use penne with crumbled bacon, softened cream cheese, ranch, Greek yogurt, cheddar and mozzarella.
- Rice, carrots and celery: mix cooked white rice with rotisserie chicken, buffalo sauce, sautéed carrots and celery, ranch and cheddar.
- Toppings: green onion, avocado, sour cream or parsley.
Make Ahead and Freeze
You can assemble the casserole, freeze it for up to 30 days, then thaw it and bake it when you need it. Leftovers keep according to USDA FSIS guidelines below.
Storage & Reheating
USDA FSIS says to refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours in shallow, covered containers and eat them within 3 to 4 days, or freeze them for 3 to 4 months. Reheat to 165°F.
What to Serve With It
Serve it with celery and carrot sticks and extra ranch. For more ranch chicken dinners, try chicken bacon ranch casserole with potatoes or chicken bacon ranch tater tot casserole. Other chicken casseroles: cheesy sour cream chicken casserole, million dollar chicken casserole, Ritz cracker chicken casserole and easy chicken burrito casserole.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you make a buffalo chicken casserole?
Mix al dente shell pasta with cooked chicken, buffalo wing sauce, ranch, onion and garlic powder and green onions, layer it with Monterey Jack and cheddar in a 9×13-inch dish, and bake covered at 350°F for 20 to 25 minutes.
What are the ingredients for a loaded buffalo chicken casserole?
Pasta, cooked chicken, buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, green onions and two cheeses. For a loaded version, add bacon and cream cheese.
Is buffalo chicken casserole spicy?
A little. Ranch and cheese balance the buffalo sauce. Use a mild sauce, or part broth, for less heat.
Can I use rice instead of pasta?
Yes. The rice version bakes uncooked white rice with chicken broth, buffalo sauce, vegetables and cheddar.
Final Notes
Cook the pasta al dente, layer the cheese, and adjust the heat to your table. If you make it, tell me how it turned out in the comments.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole
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Ingredients
- 16 ounces medium shell pasta
- 3 cups cooked chicken diced
- 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1 cup ranch dressing
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 3 green onions thinly sliced, 3 to 4
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese divided
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9x13-inch casserole dish.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water until al dente, drain well, and return it to the empty pot.
- Stir the chicken, buffalo wing sauce, ranch dressing, onion powder, garlic powder and green onions into the pasta.
- Spoon half the mixture into the dish and sprinkle with about 1/2 cup of each cheese. Spoon in the rest of the pasta and top with the remaining cheese.
- Cover with foil and bake 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and the casserole is hot (165°F in the center).
