Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Make this Crockpot buffalo chicken mac and cheese tonight! It’s a really easy – and spicy – family dinner idea for busy weeknights.
This is the perfect comfort food for cool nights. With creamy homemade cheese sauce and a little kick from the buffalo sauce and the extra protein of the chicken, you have a complete meal. Try more of our other Crockpot Meals.
Easy Buffalo Chicken Mac And Cheese
There are a few flavors that are just so iconic! The spice of buffalo sauce always goes perfectly with chicken. They were made for each other.
Something else that I discovered is perfect together is buffalo chicken and macaroni and cheese! It’s amazing how these two flavors mesh.
What’s In Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese?
I made the entire thing from scratch, with all whole ingredients. Here’s what I used in my recipe, along with any time-saving swaps you can make.
- Boneless Chicken – use either breast or thigh, either work perfectly. Save time and shred rotisserie chicken instead.
- Chicken broth
- Buffalo Sauce
- Garlic Powder
- Pasta
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk – Whole milk works the best. For dairy-free use either almond milk or soy milk
- Shredded Cheese – cheddar has the best flavor
Tips for Making Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
I made this dish in the slow cooker, and it couldn’t have been any easier! In fact, I have the entire recipe for you at the end of this post in a printable card.
First, here are a few tips that are definitely going to help!
Prep Your Chicken
Before you even begin putting things in your crockpot, defrost your chicken (if it’s frozen), then clean it and trim off any fat.
There is nothing worse than biting into a piece of chicken fat!
Use A Crock Pot Liner
If you don’t have any cooking spray, use a Crock-Pot liner. This will make clean-up time a breeze!
How Much Buffalo Sauce To Use
How spicy do you like your recipes? Start out with 1/2 cup of buffalo sauce and then just keep adding more until you get it to taste how you like it.
Save Time With Store-Bought Cheese Sauce
If you are really crunched for time, you can always use store-bought cheese sauce. Believe me, making it from scratch tastes a million times better.
Don’t Overcook Your Noodles
One of the most frequent mistakes with this recipe is overcooking the noodles. If you do this, they will be mushy and there won’t be enough cooking liquid left over.
Cook your noodles just to al dente – when they are still slightly firm.
Make Cheese Sauce While Pasta Cooks
Speed up your cooking time by making the cheese sauce while the pasta is boiling. Two things at once!
Optional Toppings for Mac and Cheese
There are lots of things you can add on top. Have fun and add your favorite herbs and garnishes.
Try topping it with some blue cheese crumbles and parsley. Yum!
What To Serve With It
Serve this pasta dish with a green Garden salad. Since this has such an overpowering flavor, serve it with other light ingredients.
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Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 lb Boneless Chicken
- 2 cups chicken broth Organic Preferrably
- 1/2 cup Buffalo Sauce Either Franks Red Hot Buffalo or Sweet Baby Rays Buffalo Sauce
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 12 oz Pasta Shells Small or Medium
- 3 Tablespoon butter
- 2 Tablespoon flour
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups shredded cheese mild cheddar or your choice
Instructions
- Add chicken, broth, buffalo sauce and seasoning to crockpot.
- Cook on high for 3-4 hours or low for 6-8.
- Shred fully cooked chicken with forks inside the crockpot.
- Add uncooked pasta and stir to combine.
- Cover and cook pasta on high for 30-45 minutes until fully cooked add additional water 1/4 cup if needed during this time and stir.
- In a saucepan over medium-high heat melt butter and Whisk in flour.
- Pour in milk while whisking continuously until smooth.
- Bring to simmer for 4-6 minutes until sauce thickens enough to stick to a spoon.
- Remove from heat and whisk in cheese until melted and smooth.
- Add cheese sauce to crockpot and stir to combine.
Notes
- Make sure your chicken is completely thawed.
- Try using a crockpot liner for easy cleanup.
- Be sure to cook your pasta to al dente so it doesn’t get soggy in the crockpot.
Nutrition
Looking for More Crockpot Meal Ideas
- Crockpot Breakfast Recipes
- Crockpot Bacon Ranch Chicken
- 25 Easy Crockpot Dinner Recipes
- Crockpot Chicken and Broccoli Soup
- Buzzfeed 33 Paleo Slow Cooker Dinners
Tips for Using Your Crockpot
There are lots of products out there that make using your slow cooker so much more fun and easier. I suggest all of these tips, hacks, and products.
- Slow Cooker Liners Makes Clean up a Breeze
- Crockpot Travel Carrier Take your favorite crockpot with you and keep it safe from spills.
- Digital Thermometer Perfect for checking the temperature of your meats in the crockpot.
- Shredding Claws Makes pulled pork and pulled chicken easier to shred without burning your hands.
- Bowls for Storage Makes leftovers and clean-up easier.
- Baggy Rack Bag openers to hold bags open as you pour in ingredients.
- Crockpot Trio 3 1.5 crocks for side dishes and dips.
- Pioneer Woman 7 Quart Programmable Crockpot
- 13 Crockpot tips and uses
Order these additional 31 recipes as an Instant Download recipe book: 31 Slow Cooker Recipes for Breakfast, Dinner, Desserts and Side Dishes.
This sounds really tasty! I often add ketchup to macaroni and cheese but never thought of trying buffalo sauce. Such a great idea. Yum!
If Buffalo is involved I’m there with my fork in hand. And I love that this can be made in a slow cooker!
Wow! Everyone loved this so much! A keeper 🙂
Oh my husband would LOVE this! He loves anything buffalo!
The Mac and Cheese with buffalo sauce looks incredible. Such an easy and delicious recipe
I wasn’t sure how I’d feel about Buffalo sauce, but this one looks amazing. I’ll have to try it for sure!
I love the addition of buffalo sauce – it adds such a great flavor!