Slow Cooker Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
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 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
Instructions
- 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 (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 1/4 cup at a time
- Garnish with cilantro if desired and serve immediately
Notes
Nutrition
Can I reheat it in the crockpot the next day or shld just microwave?
I would stick to the microwave, otherwise the noodles may get to mushy.
I’m making a double recipe of this and my crock pot is not big enough to fit everything. Do you think I could cook the noodles and then add?
The liquid the recipes calls for include the amount needed to cook the noodles. If you cook them separately you would need to adjust, but I don’t have the exact measurements as I haven’t tested the recipe this way.
I’ve made this multiple times and I absolutely love it! Just a quick question: can I use angel hair pasta or do you think it might come out mushy? Thanks!
Yay!! I think that the angel hair might cook too quickly. If you do try it I would reduce the liquid a bit and the cooking time.
I was searching for “something different” to cook for dinner this week at the request of the family and came across this while searching for a recipe that was relatively easy to make on a work day. I prepared everything in the crockpot Monday night (exactly per the recipe) and kept it in the fridge until the next morning. Turned it on low for 8.5 hrs before going to work, and came home to the house smelling great. This was a huge hit. Even the 10 year old – my pickiest eater – went back for seconds. I already have requests to make it again next week. Glad I took a chance on this recipe – it’s a keeper.
Awesome! Thanks for letting me know!
Made this recipe for dinner…my son loved it. I did t add the cheese until the last 5 minutes of cooking and it turned out oh so good.
Hooray!!
OK – it’s a hit with my son! (Even served it mixed with steamed broccoli for a “healthy” boost.) So I think we will be making it again — it’s surely easy enough! I did notice the pasta (I used medium shells) could get mushy if you don’t watch them closely. I had to add a couple splashes of water during that part to keep it moist; next time I think I’ll try less pasta (12 oz box) and maybe bow-ties. And I used a little over 1.5 lbs of chicken so it was very meaty! Thanks Jennifer!!
Oops, just saw that you added your reply! Glad it worked out and great idea adding the broccoli!
Hi Jennifer – kind of surprised to see you are still getting and replying to questions and comments, 4 years later! Well I’m trying this tonight for the first time — 3 of my son’s faves (buffalo chicken, pasta, and cheese!)… I’ve seen this exact recipe on several sites so not sure where it originated, but if it works I think I’ll have to start following you on Pinterest 😉
Hi Steve!! Hope it worked out well for you!! Yes, unfortunately it’s hard to keep up with people who have been copying my recipe word for word :(. I always love to see people use it for inspiration though!!
What is an actual serving size supposed to be? I don’t see it with the nutrition info. Also, could you put less buffalo sauce, maybe just not add the 1/4 cup to the chicken after shredding? I like the flavor but not so much the heat. 🙂 Looking forward to trying this!
I’m so sorry, this is an older recipe and I don’t have that info, I need to remake a few recipes. But, yes on the sauce. You can always add more later!
This sounds amazing! I don’t have access to the packet ranch dressing here in New Zealand. Do you have any other suggestions about what I might use instead?
Hi Annikakes! Yes… you can use my homemade ranch blend instead! https://slowcookergourmet.net/homemade-seasoning-blends/
Thank you so much!
I made this today and it was delicious! I used gluten free spaghetti pasta and it turned out great! It didn’t fall apart or get mushy, but I also don’t know exactly how long I had the pasta in. The chicken took less time to cook than anticipated! It was quick and easy to prepare!
Hooray!