Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese (Crockpot) recipe, an easy buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese made right in your slow cooker. Not a lot of prep and you don’t even have to precook the pasta! This slow cooker chicken and pasta meal is a crowd pleaser!
I created my new favorite slow cooker recipe recently, Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese! And no need to precook the pasta! You may remember my Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad last year. It’s been one of my most popular posts. Then there was also my Buffalo Shrimp Bread Bowl Dip. By the amount of traffic that each of those recipes has received, I’m guessing many of you LOVE buffalo flavored anything and everything!
If that’s the case, then you will LOVE this Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese! I love it because it is SUPER easy. No other cooking or pots/pans required. The only prep work is chopping up some precooked chicken and veggies. You just throw everything (including the uncooked pasta) in your crockpot and in a couple of hours or less you have a complete meal! Yum!!!
I love coming up with new and fun mac and cheese variations and even created this list of 50+ ways how to make mac and cheese better. Lots of topping and fun ideas.
Buffalo Chicken Mac and cheese is nothing new. In fact there are a lot of recipes out there already for it. But I didn’t see too many Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese recipe that you could make in a slow cooker.
The recipes I saw seemed to require a lot of work or they didn’t work out for me so I did some experimenting on my own. I’ll admit that the first time I tried making this Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese in my crockpot, it was a huge epic FAIL.
I forgot the kids had swimming lessons (oops) and everything sat in the slow cooker WAY too long while I was sitting by the pool. I also tried using raw chicken and that didn’t work well either. I altered my recipe, and it turned out perfect the next time, and the next time, and the next time! So I figured it was time to share!
You can use any shape pasta you’d like although I would highly suggest using a smaller size such as Barilla’s Pipettes or something about the same size or smaller that has a shorter cooking time. Since you don’t precook the pasta, I’m not sure how well larger pastas would do.
I thought these Pipettes were perfect and adorable! Don’t you love cute pasta?? :) Larger pasta may have a hard time cooking all the way through so again, I strongly suggest sticking to the smaller shapes. If you do want to use a larger shape or a heartier pasta (such as whole-wheat), you may want pre-cook the pasta before putting it in your slow cooker or adjust the cooking time in the slow cooker.
You’ll also need to chop up some veggies and precooked chicken. For the veggies you can use any combination of celery, onions, and/or carrots. I used a combination of all 3 but you can use whatever you like or have in the fridge. Be sure everything is finely chopped.
For the chicken, you can use leftover cooked chicken, chopped up rotisserie chicken, etc. I had some leftover chicken breasts so I just chopped those up. I don’t recommend using raw chicken.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese:
Put the chicken, veggies, and the rest of the ingredients (including the uncooked pasta) in the slow cooker and stir to combine. I used Frank’s hot sauce, yum! You could also add some blue cheese and/or a Ranch seasoning packet. I will try both of those next time. Mix everything together in the slow cooker and don’t worry if some things on top aren’t in the liquid.
Cover and set your crockpot on low. After about an hour, quickly remove the lid, stir everything together, cover again, and cook another half hour to an hour. You want to make sure the stuff on top moves to the bottom to cook in the liquid a little.
Check on the Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese every now and then so that the sides of your crockpot don’t burn. It should be ok, but it may vary depending on the size and model of your slow cooker. I believe My slow cooker holds 6-quarts so you may have to alter the recipe for your model/size. Or if you need a new one there are so many fancy inexpensive options for slow cookers these days!
Once the Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese is all done cooking, give it a few stirs to make sure everything is combined and cooked through. The time it takes to cook is going to vary depending on your slow cooker so you may have to cook a little longer. It took about an hour and a half in mine and probably could have gone a little longer but I like my veggies and pasta a little crunchy.
The veggies were a little crunchy but not raw, just the way I love it! My family gobbled this up except my son who thought it was spicy. I didn’t think it was too spicy, but he doesn’t like anything even the slightest bit spicy, so if your kids are the same, you may have to cut back on the hot sauce and add some chicken broth or more milk to make up for the loss of liquid.
When serving this Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese, you can add more chopped veggies, cheese, and/or blue cheese on top. I will definitely be making this recipe again and again.
If you make it and enjoy the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese, let me know! I always love getting comments!
Perfect comfort food!
Other Buffalo Chicken Recipes you may enjoy:
- Buffalo Chicken Biscuit Poppers
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Mushrooms
- Buffalo Chicken Calzone
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
Check out this quick video to see how easy this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese comes together…
Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 12 ounces evaporated milk (1 can)
- 1 cup milk (fat free works fine)
- 1/2 cup buffalo style hot sauce (such as Frank's)
- 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 3 cups shredded cheese (such as white cheddar, cheddar, or your favorite melting cheese)
- 1/3 cup carrot finely chopped
- 1/3 cup celery finely chopped
- 1/3 cup onion finely chopped
- 1 pound precooked chicken finely chopped
- 1/2 pound small uncooked pasta (such as Barilla's Pipettes) *see tips below
- Garnish (optional): chopped carrots, onions, celery; crumbled blue cheese; and/or shredded cheese
Instructions
- Mix together evaporated milk, milk, hot sauce, garlic powder, and salt and pepper in slow cooker until combined. Stir in cheese, vegetables, chicken, and uncooked pasta until combined.
- Cover slow cooker and cook on low for about 1 hour. Quickly remove lid, stir, cover again and cook another 30-60 minutes or until pasta is soft.
- Garnish with chopped vegetables, blue cheese, and/or shredded cheese as desired.
Notes
Nutrition:
(Nutrition data is provided when available for informational purposes only and calculated using an online nutritional calculator. For the most accurate information please calculate based on specific ingredients and brands you use as well as any changes you made to the recipe. I am not a certified nutritionist or registered dietician and any nutritional information provided should only be used as a general guideline and estimate.)
Diane says
Watch slow cooker sunday with the CEO of Tmobile..he showcased this recipe!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks for letting me know! Just found it! :)
KA says
I was excited to make this, but to echo another reviewer, the pasta came out very, very doughy
:( the taste of it, overall, is decent—but the texture was not pleasant.
Mary @ Cooking Video Recipes says
Cooking this right now! My family like it!
Lisa says
Oh. My. God. This was #amazing
I cooked chicken thighs in buffalo sauce and butter in the oven and then used that for the mac and cheese… double buffalo Nom Nom
Lisa Huff says
Thank you so much for the sweet comment!
RANDY FULGHAM says
this sounds very good, i gotta try this soon, thanks for the recipe
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Randy, hope you enjoy the recipe. It’s super easy to make in a slow cooker!
Renée ♥ The Good Hearted Woman says
What a great spin on an old favorite, and I love that it is prepared in the slow cooker. I’m among the many who have never made pasta in my slow cooker, but judging from the raves of this recipe, I think I am going to take the plunge and give it a try! Thanks!
pam (Sidewalk Shoes) says
I didn’t realize you could do pasta in the slow cooker.
Melanie | Melanie Makes says
Perfect for a game day main dish, Lisa – this sounds incredible!
Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious says
Wowie does that look good!
Julie says
Going to a mac n cheese holiday party next month so I thought I would test this out first. Didn’t put onions, just celery. I added 1/4 Hidden Valley ranch dressing and I used Barilla gluten free penne pasta with Sargento mozzarella cheese. Trying to make it gluten free so my friend can eat it. Didn’t precook anything. Cooked 2 hrs. Came out pretty good! Curdled when cooling though. Wondering if it’s the cheese. Maybe I’ll try adding blue cheese next time. Or another idea is instead of adding ranch, maybe I’ll drizzle some on top when it’s on my plate.
Lisa Huff says
Hi Julie! Yes some cheese melts better than others, and some may curdle especially the lower fat ones.
Zach says
If I’m using this recipe just doubling each serving size. Would I cook for 4 hours?
Lisa Huff says
Not necessarily. Unfortunately, a lot can depend on the size of your slow cooker and how hot it runs. I would check it every half hour and stir.
priscilla says
I am making it right now and I am about halfway through the cooking process. My pasta has the texture of dough…will it be different at the end? I followed your recipe exactly.
Lisa Huff says
Hi! Sorry, just seeing this. Hope it turned out ok! Depending on the size and brand of your pasta it could vary a bit. I wish all slow cookers cooked the same as well!
Marye @ Restless Chipotle says
OMG… I love the flavors here! definitely making it!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Marye!
Amy @ A Healthy Life For Me says
I love all the veggies that you included. YUM!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Amy!
Beth @ The First Year says
I love that this incorporates extra veggies!
Lisa Huff says
Thanks Beth!
Emily says
Cooking this right now! I am partially cooking the pasta because I won’t be home to stir it! I also added bacon! I can’t wait!
Lisa Huff says
Bacon sounds great Emily! Hope you enjoyed!