Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
This one won’t be for the calorie-conscious, but it WILL be one of the most decadent and delicious meals you ever make in your slow cooker! Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta gets rave reviews time after time. A bowl (or two) of this cheesy, creamy pasta will satisfy all your carb cravings.
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What’s To Love About This Recipe
But really, what’s NOT to love about creamy, cheesy carbs and tangy buffalo sauce all-in-one? Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta is one of my most-loved recipes. Let me tell you why!
- Every step of this recipe can be completed in the slow cooker – even cooking the pasta. If you haven’t tried cooking your noodles in slow cooker meals yet, you’re missing a one-pot cleanup opportunity!
- The flavor – have I mentioned the flavor yet? I am a huge fan of buffalo sauce and I try to incorporate it into lots of different types of dishes. This one tops the list!
- Buffalo sauce adds a little spice, but not so much that the whole family can’t enjoy it. The added cheese creates the perfect balance.
- I don’t indulge in pasta dishes too often, but this is one for which I definitely make an exception. It’s just that good! You’ll love making a recipe that’s a real winner around the dinner table.
Okay, before we get to the recipe, I do have to warn you. This recipe is designed for 6 servings, but between 3 people in my family, we devoured every single bit of it in one meal!
Ingredients Needed
- Boneless skinless chicken – I prefer to use chicken breasts, but boneless skinless thighs are also an option. The chicken will ultimately be shredded and mixed with additional buffalo sauce.
- Chicken broth – Broth adds flavor to the sauce and cooks the noodles. I recommend keeping a little extra broth on hand in case you need it for the pasta at the end. Use bone broth for extra nutrients if you like.
- Buffalo wing sauce – Split the buffalo sauce into two portions for different segments of the recipe. You can use your favorite buffalo wing sauce – whether sweet, mild, medium, or hot.
- Seasonings – Use a tablespoon of ranch dressing mix from a single packet, and add in some garlic powder, celery salt, salt, and pepper.
- Cream cheese – This is used to achieve the super creamy sauce! If you’d like to make this slightly lower-fat, you could also use Neufchatel cheese.
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese – Sharp cheddar is the best flavor to complement the tangy wing sauce. If you have extra time, shred some yourself for the freshest quality.
- Cornstarch slurry – Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 1 tablespoon of water to create a slurry that thickens the creamy sauce.
- Linguine noodles – I like the shape of linguine noodles and how they hold their texture well in the slow cooker. If you choose another type of pasta noodle, note differences in cooking time.
- Chopped cilantro – For an optional garnish, chop up some fresh cilantro to sprinkle across the top of each bowl!
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta In The Slow Cooker
If you haven’t made pasta in your slow cooker before, you’re about to find out what a great shortcut this is! With pasta recipes, you will typically cook the meat and sauce ingredients first, then add the noodles to cook in the final steps. This is how it works with Buffalo Chicken Pasta!
- Place chicken, broth, 1/4 cup buffalo sauce, and seasonings in the slow cooker.
- Top with cream cheese and shredded cheese.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the slow cooker and shred it with two forks in a separate bowl.
- Add the remaining 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce to the chicken and toss to coat. Set the chicken aside.
- Whisk together cornstarch and water and add the mixture to the slow cooker.
- In the slow cooker, use a whisk to stir the melted cheese and softened cream cheese (added in step 2) until all ingredients are combined and smooth with no lumps.
- Break the noodles in half and place them in the slow cooker.
- Top the noodles with the shredded chicken and cover. (Keep an eye on the noodles the first time you make this since they can quickly overcook.)
- Turn the slow cooker on high for an additional 30-60 minutes until the noodles are fully cooked. Stir the noodles 3-4 times during cooking with tongs or a large fork.
- If the noodles are not done after 30-60 minutes, you can add extra broth or water, 1/4 cup at a time or as needed.
- Garnish servings of pasta with fresh cilantro, if desired, and serve immediately.
Recipe Substitutions and Variations
When you’re planning to make easy buffalo chicken pasta, you might want to try a few other ingredient swaps for convenience or taste.
- Chicken – Besides boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, you could also use precooked ground chicken, precooked and shredded chicken, or a rotisserie chicken. If you use precooked chicken, reduce the slow cooker time to only 1 hour on high or 2 hours on low, then add the pasta for the allotted time.
- Spice – If you need a more kid-friendly option, look for a mild buffalo wing sauce or use less than the designated amount.
- Pasta noodles – Try out any shape or size of pasta noodles that you like, but keep in mind that different shapes may have different cooking times. Stay close by your slow cooker to check on the pasta during the final cooking time. If you choose gluten-free noodles, reduce the broth by ½ cup.
- Veggies – If you want to add a little extra nutrition to your protein and carbs, go for it! Finely diced peppers and onions would be a great addition, or frozen corn or a frozen veggie blend would also be delicious.
What To Serve With Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Buffalo chicken pasta makes a hearty plate but would be delicious with some fresh veggies on the side. Mix up a green garden salad topped with Zesty Lime Jalapeno Ranch Dressing, or offer a side of sliced raw veggies and dip.
Top your pasta with fresh cilantro or sliced green onion. Add a sprinkle of blue cheese crumbles across your plate if you like!
Storing and Reheating
When we make this at home, we rarely have leftovers, but you might be lucky enough to have some for lunch the next day! Store your leftover pasta in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
I recommend adding a splash of broth or water before reheating in the microwave or on the stove to help the sauce to be smooth.
I don’t recommend freezing this dish since the combination of pasta and dairy won’t defrost well.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 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 from a packet
- 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 cheese
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch + 1 tablespoon water
- 16 ounces linguine noodles
- Chopped cilantro for garnish optional
Instructions
- Place chicken, broth, 1/4 cup buffalo sauce, and seasonings in slow cooker.
- Top with cream cheese and shredded cheese.
- Cover and cook on high for 4 hours or low for 8 hours.
- When chicken is fully cooked, remove it from slow cooker and shred with two forks in separate bowl.
- Add remaining 1/4 cup of buffalo sauce to chicken and toss to coat. Set chicken aside.
- Whisk together cornstarch and water and add mixture to slow cooker.
- In slow cooker, use a whisk to stir melted cheese and softened cream cheese (added in step 2) until all ingredients are combined and smooth with no lumps.
- Break noodles in half and place in slow cooker.
- Top noodles with shredded chicken and cover.
- Turn slow cooker on high for an additional 30-60 minutes until noodles are fully cooked. Stir noodles 3-4 times during cooking with tongs or a large fork.
- If noodles are not done after 30-60 minutes, add extra broth or water, 1/4 cup at a time or as needed.
- Optional: Garnish pasta with fresh cilantro and serve immediately.
Notes
- Store leftovers in the fridge for up to 3 days. To reheat, add a splash of broth or water to help the sauce to be smooth.
- When making pasta in the slow cooker, your best results will come if you use tongs or a large fork to stir occasionally.
- Reduce the spice level by using less buffalo sauce or a milder wing sauce.
Hi, this looks so delicious and I will definitely try to make it next week. But I just wanted to double check – do you use a whole chicken for this recipe?
Thanks!
just boneless skinless chicken breast
We love this recipe! Even my picky 7 year old loves it. He HATES spicy foods, but this he loves. I do add an extra cup of broth when I add my noodles to make sure they cook enough. And leftovers are just as good as fresh! Thank you from the Wilson family!
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.
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!!
This has become a household favorite!!!! Simply delicious!!! Thank you for sharing this recipe ?
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.
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!
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!
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 🙁
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!!