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 cheat 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…. Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta. 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!
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.
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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.
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.
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken
- 3 cups chicken broth
- 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce (1/4 cup now, 1/4 cup later)
- 1 tablespoon ranch dressing mix ( packet kind)
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/8 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
- Place chicken, broth, 1/4 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 1/4 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 is 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 1/4 cup at a time
- Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve immediately
I made this in my 5 quart crock. It wasn't full but it gave me plenty of room to stir.
How about more pasta recipes made entirely in the crock? Like Slow Cooker Creamy Cheesy Chicken Spaghetti:
Or family friendly Slow Cooker Mac and Cheese with Garlic Chicken:
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I love buffalo chicken too and this looks delicious. PInned for later!
Thanks!!
I just wanted you to know I have just made this and used gluten free brown rice pasta instead of regular, will let you know how it goes, but it sure smells delicious!
I’m super curious how it turned out! I’ve tried a few different gluten-free pastas in the slow cooker without luck, but don’t think I’ve tried brown rice pasta yet.
Looks wonderful! I am more of a BBQ Sauce kinda girl so I think I would switch it from Hot Sauce.
mmmm…that sounds really good too! Let me know if you try it!
I made this today for my family. Lil spicy for the Lil ones but us adults loved it. Turned out a Lil think but I added a Lil water to my bowl and it gave it enough sause. You probably could use milk I guess. I would make this again maybe with a different type of pasta.
I don’t understand #2 & #8
#2 – just toss the cream cheese and cheese right into the slow cooker on top of everything else and cover. That’s it 🙂
#8 – the chicken has been removed and you have added the cornstarch mixture to the slow cooker. Whisk everything together until combined and smooth before you add the pasta and chicken back in
Does that make more sense? Sometimes I can’t even understand myself 😉
I don’t get #8, I thought the cheeses were already in crock for 4 hours wouldn’t they already be creamy?
Hi Kim!! After cooking all day, the cream cheese can be a little “grainy” looking so the whisking will just smooth it all out into a nice creamy sauce!
I combined the cream cheese and shredded cheese in the crock along with the chicken and spices and cooked for 5 hours. Removed the chicken whisk the corn starch and water together. Pour in crock and stir. Add noodles n chicken cook for about 45 minutes. If needed to cook noodles longer add water as previously suggested.
Can I use penne?
I haven’t tried this recipe with penne but I think it would work just as well! Let know if you end up giving it a try! I would follow the same directions and just keep an eye on it for when it’s done. 🙂
I started using penne and mini farfalle with this recipe because my son doesn’t like long noodles. It works just the same and is actually easier to serve, in my opinion!
sounds great!
I followed the recipe, only substituting linguine with penne because that is what I had on hand, and it turned out perfect! Everyone loved it.Thank you for sharing this recipe. We will definitely be making this one again.
so glad to hear it!!
Made this substituting spaghetti squash for the pasta and it turned out wonderfully! You can get away with using a little less liquid at the beginning since the pasta won’t be soaking it up later, but it was hardly an issue. Super yum, thank you!
That sounds amazing!! I love spaghetti squash!!
Did you cook the spaghetti squash first?
Have it my crockpot right now and it smells wonderful… My son can’t wait for dinner!
Yay! I wish I could eat it every night 🙂 Let me know the verdict!!
I missed something. What is buffalo sauce?
Buffalo sauce is the sauce that is typically tossed with cooked chicken wings to make buffalo wings 🙂 You can find it at the grocery store with the hot sauce.
What is buffalo sauce
Can I use frozen chicken?
A topic with many opinions 😉 While in theory it would be fine in this recipe I personally follow the guidelines suggesting that for food safety purposes all meat should be thawed before slow cooking.
Ok! Better safe than sorry (: Thanks for the quick response!
It is perfectly safe to use frozen chicken in a crockpot, ai have done it many times, as have many family members and friends. The only I can say is it might make any sauces or gravies more watery due to the ice melting/chicken thawing during the cooking process.
While people often do, and the technical answer is yes, it works, it’s still best in my opinion to consider the food safety surrounding this issue. The meat will need to first thaw then start to cook in order to come to a safe temperature to prevent bacteria growth. So you are taking a risk of food borne illness by placing frozen meat in the slow cooker. I’m sure people have done it many times without issue. It’s just not something I’d personally recommend. I’m more likely to stick to the “rather safe than sorry” camp. Thanks for the input and for sharing your experience!!
Yes
At what point do you cut up your chicken?
Hi! In step 4 you will remove the chicken and shred it with 2 forks. Then you will add it back into the crock in step 10. If you’d prefer it cut into chunks instead you could do that before cooking it. Hope that helps!
I’ve had it in the crock for 7 hours on low. But, shredded the chicken about an hour ago, before I read further. I decided I am skipping the cornstarch step because I don’t think it needs to thicken. Noodles are in and I have about 45 min. to go. Wonder how it will turn out….
How did it turn out?!
I followed the recipe to a “T” and the sauce is delicious, with a little zip in flavor which is awesome. The noodles turned out gummy, so I consider this recipe a fail!
Cheesy buffalo chicken pasta
I LOVE the buffalo approach with this recipe………however………I’m NOT a fan of cream cheese………..can I sub something else??
Gosh…I haven’t tried this particular recipe any other way so I’d hate to give a suggestion that wouldn’t work. Possibly leaving out the cream cheese and then at the end you could add some heavy cream instead with the noodles. It may need a little more cornstarch to thicken. If you decide to experiment let me know!
What’s buffalo sauce? (I’m not in America …) Thanks 🙂
Basically just hot sauce that you toss with chicken wings to make buffalo chicken wings. Can you find hot pepper sauce?
I don’t know where you are, but I’m from America living in the UK, and at my local sainsbury’s and tesco they have Frank’s Red Hot Sauce which is an American buffalo sauce. If you can’t find that, I think nando’s peri-peri sauce would be a good substitute. Hope it helps!
This looks yummy. I want to make this dish which will be enough for dinner and for lunch the next day. I want to know if the pasta will become dry for lunch.
This makes great leftovers! Just add a splash of milk, water or broth before heating and then stir well! I hope you enjoy 🙂
Do you think you could do the noodles stove top to cut down on the 30-60 minute wait? Would the sauce thicken enough with the shorter time?
I have not done this on the stovetop so I can’t speak to the results at all. But IF you wanted to give it a try I think you would need to reduce the amount of broth since the noodles would be cooked and not soaking it up. Maybe start with 1 to 1 1/2 cups of broth instead? Your sauce will be thin compared to the slow cooked version but it might work! If you give it a try be sure to let me know!
Is this recipe hot (spicy hot)? The buffalo sauce makes me think it might be. Do not like spicy hot so woild i like it?
It is a little spicy. I don’t like things super spicy and it was not to much for me because the cream cheese offsets it a little. You can use less of the buffalo sauce to start with and just add a little more at the end to taste.
Definitely liked it but it was too hot, next time will use less Hot Sauce. My son reccommended cubing instead of shredding the chicken.
Glad you liked it! I think the cubed chicken would be delicious 🙂
Cooking on low, how long will it take for the chicken to cook and be ready for removal? Can’t wait for it (and for the leftovers)!
Boneless chicken should be cooked to an internal temp of 170 degrees. Kind of depends on the size of the slow cooker you are using and how hot it gets but generally it will be fully cooked on low in the range of 5-7 hours. You can leave this on longer since it’s in the broth it won’t dry out on you. I hope you enjoy it!! 🙂
This looks delish (as my son would say). My hubby will love this, but I am wondering how spicy it is since my boys have strong taste buds.
It’s a tad spicy but you can certainly control the spice level. Only add a little sauce to begin with and then add to taste at the end to get it just exactly how spicy you want it.
I am making this for dinner tonight. My family is a huge fan of buffalo style anything, so i know this will be a hit. Thanks for the great recipe 🙂
Be sure to tell me the verdict!!
so this recipe is badly flawed in one place. Adding pasta to a pot putting heavy chicken on top and turning up the heat equals burnt pot and inedible dinner within 3 minutes of adding pasta it was even on the smallest ring. Dinner ruined and waste of meat. What’s wrong with just cooking pasta for 10 minutes and adding it. That’s what I’ll do in future.
Sorry it didn’t work out for you 🙁 Thankfully this recipe has worked out perfectly for many including myself (several times…love this stuff). Glad you found a work around that will suit you in the future! 🙂
Sounds like you’re cooking on the stove top, not in a crock pot.
I’m not sure its possible to burn anything in a crockpot.
Making this tonight! Looks amazing, only problem I’m out of celery salt. Baby is asleep and I won’t be making it to the store. Any substitution ideas? Or just skip it? I don’t have celery seed or celery either.
I would just skip it. I don’t think it will make a huge difference, it just gives that hint of celery flavor that often goes with buffalo wings. You may need to up the regular salt just a bit but I would wait until it’s done and give it a taste and add a sprinkle or two if necessary. Enjoy!!
Cooked this for dinner last night and it was amazing! I didn’t have time to cook it in a crock pot so I ended up cooking it on the stove top. It worked beautifully and I was able to cook my noodles in the sauce without any problems, I just needed to add about a cup of extra water to the sauce for it to come out perfectly. This is definitely a keeper. Everyone loved it! Thank you!!!
Wonderful! So glad it was a hit!
For some reason, the cream cheese barely melted at all over the 8 hours on low. I ended up having to remove it from the crock and put it on the stove to heat it through and get it to combine correctly. I also thickened it on the stove top since I had already removed it from the crock. I put it all back in the crock with the shredded chicken to stay warm and just cooked the pasta separately then tossed them together at the end. Tasted great, but didn’t work out in the crock so well. I’ll definitely make this again but on the stove top.
How odd! I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t melt!! Thankful you were able to save it on the stove! 🙂
I know I recipes I’ve tried before- if you use fat free or 1/3 fat (whatever the less fat option)- the cream cheese does not melt. Maybe you used that?
I just bought a new crock pot and I promised my husband the debut meal would be delicious. (He’s a little skeptical of my crockpot cooking) 🙂 Well, this recipe didn’t disappoint! It was fantastic! I was out of Ranch powder packet but I used bottled dressing and it was perfect. Thanks for the tip about stirring the pasta a few times, mine was clumping together so the stirring, pulling it apart was a great tip! Look forward to getting more recipes off this site. Thanks!
I love it!! I’m so glad it turned out well and that he liked it 🙂 Makes the new slow cooker worth it, right?!
This recipe was amazing!! It did come out pretty thick, so when I served it I added just a drizzle of blue cheese dressing on top (not much, just a tad). To me, buffalo chicken needs blue cheese, so it killed two birds with one stone. Thanks for the recipe, it was amazing!
Thanks!! I agree, blue cheese is a necessity!! 🙂
do you dump the contents from the crock pot after cooking the chicken??
Take the chicken out and place in a separate bowl to shred. Then return to crock along with remaining ingredients and stir it all up! Hope that makes sense 🙂
You’re a saint with all these questions. 😂 The directions are so straight forward! Mine is just about ready, I’ll let you know!
Thanks Jill!
What would I need to change if my chicken is already cooked?
I use the slow cooker as an easy way to cook my chicken all day and then toss the pasta in at the end of the day to finish off. If your chicken is cooked I would probably reduce the broth and make this a stove top recipe. I haven’t tested it that way so I don’t have the specifics on the adjustments to make but if you decide to give it a try let me know! 🙂
We tried this tonight. It was really good! A couple of observations. I normally use cooking bags in my slow cooker but next time I may not as I think it might be easier to do all the stirring without the bag. I also may try to make the pasta on the stove and add it to the crock, mix and serve immediately. Ours came out pretty sticky and I prefer a little more separation in my pasta (if I am explaining this correctly). (Like it looks in the pictures.) I also prefer a little more sauce, so not making the pasta in the slow cooker should give me extra sauce. Just the right amount of spice for us and plenty of leftovers for lunch tomorrow. A keeper!
Great!!!
Made this tonight…didn’t think there were any crockpot recipes out there that i haven’t tried already but this one was new for my family and was AMAZING!! For sure a keeper…thank you for this recipe it was awesome!!
Hooray!!!
LOVED! Great recipe, my husband is a big fan!
Hooray! 🙂
I’m exctited to try this dish! However, we are not big buffalo people
Have you ever had a problem with your cream cheese curdling? I followed the instructions exactly, but after 8 hours on low my cream cheese had curdled. I put my pasta in 30 minutes ago and it’s way too thick and starting to burn on the bottom, even though I used 13oz instead of 16oz. Hope it tastes ok because it still smells amazing.
I haven’t! Is it curdled or separated? Try whisking it really well and see if it combines. It sounds like you have a slow cooker that cooks really hot possibly? Add more broth or water to help thin it out a bit and see if that helps. Let me know!!
We tried this out on Monday and it moved to my step-son’s number 1 spot on his favorite list- which he is the pickiest eater so this says something! I was a little concerned about the spiciness for the kids, so I cut the buffalo sauce at the end to 1/8 cup and added 1/8 cup of ranch dressing to coat the chicken in. That was perfect! We did have a small issue with the noodles sticking together, so I did as suggested and kept adding a 1/4 cup of water at a time and it ended up being fine. They definitely were sticky, but it wasn’t an issue with eating. My husband said he thought it tasted even better the next day. I added a splash of milk to mine before reheating and he added water, so I think both work well. We will be making this over and over in our house.
This recipe was floating around Facebook and looked SO good! I’ve been looking forward to making it all week but it was a flop. I’m not sure where it went wrong. I followed the directions to the “T”. Everything seemed perfect until I added the cornstarch and (uncooked) linguine. Within 5 minutes, there was not enough liquid to cook the noodles so I added water as instructed. What we ended up with looks nothing like the picture, but instead is a big starchy, stick glob. 🙁 Any thoughts on what might have gone wrong?
I’ve done uncooked pasta in the slow cooker many times and this has only happened to me when it has gotten overcooked, but that doesn’t sound like the case here. Hmmmm, I’m stumped. What kind of pasta did you use? Regular?
Creamette linguine
Hmmmm. Well that should have worked okay. If you make it again just make sure you quickly get all the noodles mixed in and coated with some sauce. Then stir a few times during that first 15 minutes after you add them. Maybe they are cooking fast and hopefully that should help.
I’m not sure if it’s because I used a thinner pasta (regular spaghetti noodles), but my pasta was very mushy :(. The flavor was pretty good though so next time I will probably boil the noodles separately or try a thicker pasta
Just had to comment on how yummy this dish is. I have made it before with a crockpot and it was delish! Made it today using leftover turkey meat. This time I tried to cook it on the stovetop and worked great for me in case anyone was wondering if it can be done. I did add a little more cornstarch mixture but everything else was as the recipe stated.
Definitey one of my favorite recipes.
That’s great!! Thanks for the feedback and tips for the stovetop!
I have followed these directions but now the cream cheese has broke down and looks like cottage cheese is this okay?
Whisk it up a little before returning the chicken to the crock with the pasta. This should help smooth it out. The cream cheese can sometimes separate but it is still fine to eat. Let me know if that helps!
I couldn’t find corn starch at the store I was at and my two year old couldn’t last much longer shopping so I’m skipping that part. .. is this really going to negatively affect our dinner tonight? ?
It should be okay! You could add a flour slurry instead (just use 1 T flour instead of cornstarch) or otherwise just leave it out. Your sauce will just be a bit thinner but it’s really just a preference issue. Let me know how it turns out!
Thank you for a quick response! I’ll let you know!
This recipe is great! Made it tonight. Super easy and yummy! Might try adding a small can of mushrooms and broccoli next time just to feel like I’m getting some nutrition to counteract all the cheese!
The veggies would be a perfect addition! Then it’s guilt free, right?! 😉
Can whole grain pasta be used? Has anyone tried that? Sounds amazing!
I think it should work just fine. You may need to add a little extra cooking time or liquid so let me know if you give it a try!
I really liked the flavor, but it was SO thick. Should I not add the cornstarch next time?
you could leave it out or if you use it and it ends up to thick just add more broth a little at a time.
So, this might ve a silly question – but I don’t cook pasta very often – 16 oz of noodles, do you mean 2 cups, or literally 16 oz by weight?
Not silly at all! 16oz by weight which is the size of a typical package 🙂
This sounds relish! I will be making this soon!
Super yummy on these COLD winter days in Ohio.
I toasted some panko crumbs and sprinkled it on top for a little crunch!
We also LOVE the garlic version too!
Mmmmmm, garlic!!
I made this for dinner tonight and about all I changed was I added a bit of paprika and one small can of drained green chilies, chopped. Like many others, I found the need to add more liquid toward the end. I think next time I make this I will omit the cheese and just stick with the cream cheese and it will be more like an alfredo sauce.
Other than being an EXTREMELY guilty pleasure, I really liked this recipe. I am going to toy with it to lighten it up.
Thank you so much!!
Thanks!! Yes, it certainly is a treat… if you find a way to make it lighter be sure to let me know! 🙂
Do you have a buffalo sauce recipe?
I haven’t tested out or created any homemade buffalo sauce recipes (yet!). I’ve seen several out there when doing google searches… let me know if you end up trying one you like!!
Thank you for this yummy sounding recipe. I’m wondering if you could use sour cream instead of cream cheese since sour cream is more of an alfrado (sp?) sauce thing??
I have not tried it! Sounds possible but I would certainly not add it until the end for fear that it would curdle.
Hello! This sounds delicious and i’ll be making it tomorrow night for my wife and some friends. Quick question – I plan on cutting the chicken into cubes before cooking and cooking the pasta separately. What should I do with the corn starch? Add it right in the beginning or towards the end? Should I mix the cooked pasta with the sauce at some point or would it work as a sauce to just top onto the pasta? Sorry if that’s a little confusing – I just feel more comfortable cooking the pasta on the stove top. Thanks so much!!
Hi Steve! If you are going to make the pasta separate then you will need to reduce the broth. I haven’t tested it that way but maybe use about 1 1/2 – 2 cups instead? Add the cornstarch and cream cheese at the end as instructed and let it continue to heat through on high for at least 30 minutes to thicken. Let me know how it turns out!
Great recipe. Still perfecting adding the pasta and getting it not too sticky. I like to add chopped celery the last hour before adding the pasta. Adds a fun crunch and some veggies.
I’m planning to make this dish for a big group. You said you made it in a 5 qt crockpot and had room to spare. I have a 6 qt crockpot and would like to double the recipe. Do you think a double batch will work in my pot? Thanks.
I can’t speak to doubling this recipe. I haven’t tried it yet and am just to unsure of the results.
Not a fan. I tried making it and it smelled pretty gross. My husband won’t eat it at all.
Found this recipe by chance, and I have it in the crock pot now…can’t wait to try it!! I got started late so I had to do it on high…hope it still turns out well!
Delicious!! My husband loved it. He brought the leftovers to work today, and shared…and they all loved it too! Highly recommend!!
I added extra broth and cauliflower for the last 30 minutes and found that worked well. The cauliflower blends in – perfect for hiding a vegetable for those who are wary of them. They wouldn’t even notice!
great idea! Love getting those extra veggies in!
THIS IS SO EASY TO MAKE AND TASTES DELICIOUS. VERY SIMILAR TO A CHICKEN AND SAUSAGE PENNE RECIPE I HAVE. I COOKED THE CHICKEN AND PASTA SEPARATE THE CREAM CHEESE GIVES IT A UNIQUE FLAVOR, THANKS FOR SHARING. THIS IS A KEEPER.
I honestly did not think this would be as tasty as it was. The family was hesitant to try it but we all ended up loving it. I will definitely be making it again. Follwed the recipe expect for the corn starch and it turned out great. Thanks!!
Love it when things work out that way! Glad you all liked it!
This is so good! I make this all the time now.. I’m obsessed. I only use about half the pasta though and throw in cut up broccoli, cauliflower and chopped spinach instead. That way I don’t feel like I’m completely overwhelmed by carbs and cheese.
Thanks Amy! Great idea on the healthy adds!!
I am a gluten free eater; has anyone tried this recipe with gluten free pasta?
I don’t recommend gluten free noodles for the slow cooker, they tend to fall apart very quickly. I’ve not had good luck testing them out. I would recommend decreasing the liquid in the recipe and using it more as a sauce and cooking the noodles separately.
Do you start with frozen chicken or thawed?
Hi Bethany! Chicken (and all meats) should be thawed before placing in slow cooker.
This went SO wrong for me… like, SO wrong. It was really tasty, but once I added the pasta to the slowcooker and left it for 20 mins with some stirring… it turned into a giant congealed lump. Added at least 4 cups of pasta and transferred it to a huge pot but I couldn’t get the pasta to unstick from itself or thin down even a little bit. Shame, because the flavour was great but the consistency was awful.
*4 cups of water, rather.
oh no!! Do you happen to remember what kind of pasta you used?
I made this for the first time for lunch for work this past weekend, and it was DELISH!!!! None left over either!! Will definitely make it again. I did brat ring extra chicken broth with me, as the cheese sauce conceals a bit after refrigerating overnight. That did the trick, and it was good as new after adding a bit of the broth while heating it up! My coworkers loved it! Thank you!?
Awesome!! Love it that you made lunch for your coworkers too! So nice!
Lol. That was “bring,” not brat ring! Stupid autocorrect…! ?
I’m confused, the list of ingredients does not include cream cheese. Is there cream cheese in the recipe and if so how much?
Hi Denise, it’s there 🙂 It’s listed right above the cheddar cheese – 8oz of cream cheese. Hope that helps!!
Made this today…..AWESOME! Followed directions to a “T” and it turned out perfectly! Thank you for a great recipe!!
That’s great!! Makes to so happy to hear 🙂
I made this today. I used an 8 qt crockpot and used four cups of chicken broth instead of three. Cooked on low for 7 hours. Removed the chicken and it was so tender! Added the cornstarch and water and whisked it in. Broke the linguini noodles in half and stirred them in. Stirred about four times in 30 minutes and they were not sticky or glumpy. Then added the chicken back in. Came out perfect and everybody loved it! Thanks for a great recipe…it’s a keeper! 🙂
I went to make this last night for my family and didn’t realize it was a crock pot meal until right before I went to cook it at 5pm so I boiled the chicken, cooked the pasta, and then whisked all the sauce ingredients together in a pot until they were thick and smooth and this was delicious! We love this recipe and are glad we found it! Thanks for sharing!
Paige
http://thehappyflammily.com
Yum love chicken and pasta. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
This was delicious! I would cook the pasta separately next time (Or add more broth or water as suggested) because it soaked up the saucy goodness but it was still tasty and I will make it again. Thank you !
Glad you enjoyed it!!
This recipe was amazing. I will definitely be making this again! I called it heaven on my plate and I had to go back for seconds! I can’t wait to eat the leftovers tomorrow!
I love that!! Thanks Nichelle, you’ve made my day 🙂
What brand do you prefer for the buffalo sauce? I haven’t bought any in awhile and I was just curious as to what brand you prefer or maybe one you tried and definitely did not prefer? Thanks. Putting on my menu for next week! Sounds delish!
Hi Cherrye! When I can find it I usually buy Ott’s brand. I like it because it’s a little more creamy. But I also really love Frank’s Wing Sauce and it’s usually very easy to find.
I made this recipe to welcome my husband home from a conference out of town. I used extra wing sauce because we like flavor, and I drained a can of diced tomatoes to add as well. I had to add an extra cup of chicken broth because the linguine noodles started to stick together, and I had to use a knife to help peel the noodles apart. He asked for seconds and said he would have gotten more if he didn’t want dessert!! ?
Awesome!! The diced tomato sounds great! Thanks Clarissa 🙂
Saw this recipe a few months ago. Waited until now to make it for my son who just came back from college for Thanksgiving. He loves everything Buffalo Chicken as I do. We were not disappointed. I added a whole cup of Frank’s Hot Sauce and needed an extra cup of water to finish the pasta but OH MY GOD! My son wants me to make another batch for him to take back to school. Great comfort food recipe.
Now that’s awesome! Thanks for letting me know!!
Just made this & it is DELICIOUS!
Thank you!
Awesome Kelly!! Thanks for letting me know!
I failed pretty hard on this recipe, and I think I know why: I didn’t pay close enough attention to the noodles (planned to stir at intervals but wasn’t watching between stirs). I didn’t realize til probably too late that it needed more chicken broth once pasta started cooking. Added more broth but sauce had already become a little too thick. I checked the pasta at about 40 minutes thinking it wouldn’t be done by then, but it was already overdone and gummy 🙁
So I’m here to warn others: watch the noodles! check them for doneness early on! Also, I added a little too much celery salt so don’t do that either! lol.
I see many have had success with this recipe so I’m confident it will be tasty when I try again and fix those mistakes!
So sorry they didn’t turn out 🙁 I’ve recently had great success using the Barilla Pronto Noodles in the slow cooker! They have a slightly different texture and seem to cook up a little faster so you might want to try those instead!
I am following the THM – Trim Healthy Mama plan so I will make a few changes to the recipe. Instead of using the regular pasta I’ll use the plan approved noodles. Also, in place of the cornstarch I’ll use an on plan thickener called Gluccie. And last but not least I’ll use a recipe in the THM cookbook for the ranch dressing mix. Although, 1 tablespoon of this mix probably won’t throw the weight loss off to much so I might leave that in, but since I already have the ranch mix made up I might go ahead and use that. In any case this sounds wonderful and my disabled husband will love it. I’ll let you know how it turns out.
Yes, let me know!! One word of caution, I’m not sure if the noodles are gluten-free or not but I’ve had challenges cooking gluten-free noodles in the slow cooker. You may need to reduce the liquid and cooking time a bit or cook them separately and add to sauce for serving. Keep me posted!
Hi Jennifer,
I decided to cut the chicken into chunks before I put it in the crock pot. Its cooking now. After the chicken chunks are done do I still remove to a separate bowl to toss the remaining buffalo sauce in?
Thank u 🙂
Hi Shay, I would. You could also just stir it into the slow cooker but I would take out the chicken anyway so that you can put the noodles in and then add the chicken back on top. Let me know the verdict!!
Awesome! Thank you for the response. I will 🙂
We just ate this for dinner & we all (including some sometimes picky teens) ate it up . My son suggested trying other shapes of pasta and more chicken. I just used about a pound. I served it with peas.
I loved it but would stir sooner as my noodles clumped a bit and maybe add just a bit more moisture.
Thanks for a delicious new slow cooker recipe. We’ll definitely have this again.
Thanks Traci, I’m glad everyone loved it! There are some new noodles that I’ve tried that work great in the slow cooker by Barilla called Pronto! They cook a little faster and don’t clump up as much so you could give those a try next time too!
Hi there,
Very tasty! Do you think I could freeze this in individual portions? Just one of me in the house, and I don’t want to waste it…
Thanks!
Hi there! I haven’t tried it with this recipe, but pasta doesn’t always freeze well. I have occasionally had luck though so it may be worth a try!
For the people having pasta issues – don’t just throw the pasta in and walk away. Stir the pasta for 3-4 minutes with a fork to de-clump it. Then proceed as the recipe calls for. I think it tends to clump because it is not being agitated by boiling water. I added some extra liquid and was all set. Turned out yummy!
Thanks for sharing your tip! We are so glad you enjoyed the recipe!
Hi Jennifer,
I love the “CHEESY BUFFALO CHICKEN PASTA” … so tasty!! Thanks for publishing. Now I’ ll try all the other recipes, too. 🙂
Regards Chris
Glad you loved it, let me know what else you try!
I followed this recipe exactly, step by step and it came out terrible. It was SO thick and everything clumped together, even though I kept stirring the pasta and checking on it. Definitely will not be making this recipe or any others on this site again.
So sorry it didn’t work out for you, Jessica. As you can see, the recipe has been tested many times by lots of users and I’ve tested many different versions myself with lots of great results. It can sometimes take just a bit of practice to get pasta just right in the slow cooker, but once you get it figured out for your particular slow cooker and ingredients you use, it can be such a great way to have a delicious dinner! I hope you won’t give up so soon, and would be glad to help you trouble shoot. I can assure you all my recipes are tested extensively as I hate for anyone to be disappointed in their dinner. Give me a holler if I can help 🙂
I know this is an old post, but I really appreciate that you actually care about the recipes you post. Some bloggers just post recipes and it seems they have not even tried them. I just found your site today and I cannot wait to try out this recipe.
Awesome! Be sure to let me know how it turns out when you make it!
This is in my crock pot as I type! I’ve made it several times and it’s a new family favorite! I can understand having some trouble with it, but you just have to tweak a bit when you run into trouble, and you’ll end up with a delicious meal!! Thanks so much for this, it’s my ‘go-to’ for an easy Sunday night dinner!
I am totally addicted to this dish! I made it exactly however I cooled the pasta in boiling water and added it to chicken mixture. I also added extra sauce to the shredded chicken it was not enough to coat the 2 chicken breasts.
Glad you love it Kristina!!
I’m about to put this in my slowcooker, looks delicious. I am in the Netherlands and we don’t have the ranch dressing here. Any suggestions for a sustitute?
Hi Isabel, I have a fantastic substitution for a ranch packet. You can check out Jennifer’s homemade ranch seasoning here! Hope you enjoy the pasta!
http://slowcookergourmet.net/homemade-seasoning-blends/
Hi Jennifer,
Thank you for the ranch dressing recipe. I will try this one next time I make this dish. I already found a similar recipe on Google. We just finished the pasta. Wow! Everybody loved it so much! I added Some chopper parsley before derving. Will difinately make this again. Absolutely delicious!
Great! So glad it turned out well for you!
Made this tonight on the stovetop, as I got home from work after 5pm and the crockpot was not an option. Cubed the chicken, cooked with 1/4 cup of Frank’s and 1 1/2 cups of chicken stock, and all the spices above. Then added 4 tlbsp of vegan cream cheese and 4 tblsp of vegan cheddar cheese. (we don’t eat much real dairy) Cooked the penne pasta (gluten free) separately, and then added to the pot with the chicken mixture. Didn’t need to use cornstarch. Delicious! Thank you for the recipe idea.
Is it 1 cup shredded cheese (4oz.) or 8oz. which is 2cups shredded cheese? Thanks Rich
Hi Richard! 1 cup (4oz) shredded sharp cheddar cheese.
Jennifer,
I just wanted to let you know that I love your site. I’m also obsessed with buffalo chicken and cooking in the crock pot so your website was a great find. This turned out great for me, just like your buffalo chicken chili. Cant wait to try more of your recipes!
Thanks James!!
Good flavor but we were short on time and did the whole thing with crock pot on high. We had to add another entire 2 cups of broth as it got SUPER THICK!! By the end this was still a very heavy dish. AgaIn, great flavor but too thick for my liking.
Sorry it didn’t work out quite to your liking 🙁
i cut the cream cheese block in half and put it in the pot. It’s been going for about 3 hours on high now and the cream cheese hasnt melted. I have a 6qt pot. Should I have cut the cream cheese up a bit more? they are also not completely submerged in the broth….
any help appreciated
Sorry I didn’t see your note until this morning. Hopefully it worked out… but basically you need to stir a lot! Whisking works the best to get all the cream cheese blended up smooth!
What if you wanted to make it without the chicken? Should it still be made in the crockpot? I’m a huge crock cooking fan, and would like to still do it in he crock if possible.
Hi Traci! That’s a tricky one! I’m not sure. I really made this with the idea of the slow cooker saving time by cooking the chicken, but you probably could make some kind of creamy buffalo sauce without chicken using a small slow cooker. You would probably need to reduce the liquid? Sorry, I’m not more help with this one. I haven’t tested anything out specifically like this but I’ll keep thinking on it!
Do you think this will work in a 4qt crock pot? Thats all I have and I want to make this! It looks delicious!!
Probably, it will just make it a little tight for stirring everything.
This has become a household favorite!!!! Simply delicious!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe 😊
I may have missed this in the above comments, but can I make it ahead of time and freeze? How would you recommend reheating? Thanks for your wonderful recipes!
I would not recommend freezing this recipe. Glad you enjoy Jennifer’s creations!!
Am I missing something or is cream cheese not included on the ingredients list? Maybe thats why some people had issues with it being too thick?
Hi Jessica! I just double checked (I’ve been known to leave ingredients off!!) but the cream cheese is there under the pepper. For anyone having issues with it being too thick, I’d suggest adding some more broth to thin the sauce.