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.
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.
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.
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!
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!!
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 have made this several times in the crock pot for the fam and we love it. But I got a new Instant Pot for Christmas and would love to try it out and cut down the cook time. Has anyone ever made this in an Instant Pot/Pressure cooker? If so, can you provide instructions and the settings?
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!
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!
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 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!
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!