The most decadent, amazing and delicious meal to ever come out of your slow cooker! This Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta continues to get rave reviews! See why for yourself!
Ohhhh, I'm going to be such a bad influence right now. I mean, if you are trying to eat super healthy or stick to light salads for dinner you might want to look away. Except don't! Because we all need a little indulgence now and then, right? And this one is totally (and I mean TOTALLY) worth the splurge. Delicious, rich, cheesy, creamy and just the right amount of spicy.... Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta. Yes. In the slow cooker. Like every step of this recipe completed in the slow cooker. Have I convinced you yet?
I don't indulge in pasta any too often. And when I do I usually eat a small helping and have lots of veggies or a side salad. Not here. No. I stuffed myself full of this yummy, gooey, cheesy pasta. And then started getting super pumped about the idea of sharing it with all of you!
Can you cook pasta in a slow cooker?
- Yes! Make sure to use regular (not gluten free, etc.) pasta
- Keep an eye on it the first time you make it, it can quickly overcook
- If it's not cooked enough, just add a little more liquid and let it cook a few minutes longer
I'm a huge fan of anything buffalo chicken. I've mentioned once or twice (or a bazillion times) that it's only been in the last year or two that I discovered the wonderful spicy flavor and now I can't seem to stop myself. I hope you don't mind. I think I could eat it every day. I've found a couple of favorite sauces and still have lots of ideas for using them for dinners.
Tips for making this buffalo chicken pasta for your family:
- This recipe will make a bit 'ole pot of pasta. Like enough to serve at least six people. Unless you invite me to dinner. In which case I'll race you for seconds. I'm not feeding six people at my house and in fact I only fed three with this meal.
- My three year old is not a fan of buffalo sauce. Yet. She ate microwaved mac and cheese and I only felt a little guilty. I know what I'm having for lunch!
- If you want to heat some of this up for leftover just add a little splash of water or broth and it will be like the first time you ate it all over again.
Another tip on making pasta in the slow cooker:
Just a little note on how this will all go down. You will cook everything but the pasta. Then in the last 30-60 minutes you will add the noodles.
Try to be around at this point so you can walk by and give it a stir every now and then. Your noodles will cook evenly and you will be glad you gave your arm a little workout.
Every time I've made pasta this way in the crockpot my noodles were perfectly done in exactly 45 minutes.
I also feel it's important to tell you that if you love things buffalo chicken you really need to try my slow cooker buffalo chicken chili!! Okay, now on the the recipe!
Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds boneless skinless chicken
- 3 cups chicken broth
- ½ cup buffalo wing sauce (¼ cup now, ¼ cup later)
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix ( packet kind)
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
- 1 tablespoon corn starch + 1 tablespoon water
- 16 ounces linguine noodles
- Chopped cilantro for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place chicken, broth, ¼ cup buffalo sauce, and seasonings in crock
- Top with cream cheese and shredded cheese
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8
- When chicken is fully cooked remove to separate bowl and shred with two forks
- Add remaining ¼ cup buffalo sauce to chicken and toss to coat
- Set aside chicken
- Whisk together corn starch and water and add to crock
- Use a whisk and stir until cheese and cream cheese (which were added in step 2 and should now be soft and melted) are all combined and smooth
- Break noodles in half and place in crock
- Top with chicken and cover
- Turn crock on high for 30-60 minutes until noodles are fully cooked, stir 3-4 times during cooking
- If noodles are not done you can add extra broth or water ¼ cup at a time
- Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve immediately
Notes
Nutrition
Could this be frozen as a plan ahead frozen crock pot meal?
This one doesn't work as well as a freezer meal. But I have lots of other options!
Could I make the buffalo sauce in the slow cooker , Then finish the cooking time on the stove adding the pasta like I was making a one pot lasagna?
Yes, many people have done this! I would reduce the liquid to accommodate.
Can I half the recipe? What would you suggest for cook time?
Yes you can! Instead of reducing cooking time, you'll need to use a smaller slow cooker (3-4qt).
Best recipe ever! Everyone loved it!
Thanks!
What is the corn starch and water for? Does it help bind the sauce together? Does it just make it thicker?
It helps to thicken the sauce.
How could I cook this in the instant pot?
Here is the Instant Pot version of the recipe: https://slowcookergourmet.net/instant-pot-buffalo-chicken-pasta/
where do you find buffalo sauce?
Can you use some other sauce besides buffalo wing sauce? The recipe sounds great but doesn't the buffalo wind sauce over power the taste?
It's meant to be the star of the show in this dish. You may prefer my Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo?
Could you use ramen noodles for this?
I'm not sure, to be honest! The texture and cooking time is very different and I haven't tested them in this recipe.
I don’t think I would try Ramen, they turn to mush if left in the pot, so they probably won’t stand up to the slow cooker 🤷♀️
Absolutely love this recipe! Although I swapped a few ingredients for a healthier version:
• Instead of 3 cups chicken broth - I used 1c chicken broth & 2c bone broth
• Instead of 8oz cream cheese - I mixed in a bowl 3oz lite cream cheese, 2 lite laughing cow cheese wedges, a dollop of no sodium low fat cottage cheese & a dollop of plain nonfat Greek yogurt
• Instead of regular cheddar cheese - I used 1c reduced fat shredded cheddar
After taking the chicken out to shred, I poured the sauce into a blender to get an even smoother consistency (since I used cottage cheese). I didn’t even need to add the corn starch & water, as the consistency was perfect!
Thanks for sharing! Meal prepping this on repeat.