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Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Bowls

These Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Bowls combine two of the best comfort foods in one seriously delicious dinner. Tender pieces of skillet-cooked white meat chicken are chopped into bite-sized chunks, tossed in tangy Buffalo sauce, and piled over tender macaroni coated in a rich, creamy homemade cheese sauce.

Every forkful gives you creamy mac and cheese with spicy, buttery Buffalo chicken—and the combination is ridiculously good.

I especially love serving this as a bowl instead of stirring all of the Buffalo chicken into the macaroni. You get that beautiful layer of creamy mac and cheese underneath with plenty of saucy chicken piled right on top.

It’s an easy family dinner, game day meal, or cozy comfort food recipe when plain mac and cheese just isn’t going to cut it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Tender skillet-cooked chicken
• Creamy homemade mac and cheese
• Plenty of Buffalo flavor
• Easy weeknight dinner
• Made with simple ingredients
• Easy to adjust the spice level
• Perfect for game day
• Great way to turn mac and cheese into a complete meal
• Ready in about 30 minutes

Ingredients

For the Buffalo Chicken

• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 cup Buffalo wing sauce, plus more if desired
• 1 tablespoon butter, optional

For the Mac and Cheese

• 12 ounces elbow macaroni
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
• 1 cup freshly shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Optional Toppings

• Extra Buffalo sauce
• Chopped green onions
• Chopped parsley
• Ranch dressing
• Blue cheese dressing
• Crumbled blue cheese
• Extra shredded cheddar cheese

For the Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Bowls:

• Servings: 6
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 25 minutes
• Total Time: 35 minutes

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Bowls

Step 1: Cook the Macaroni

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the elbow macaroni and cook according to the package directions until just al dente.

Drain the macaroni and set it aside while you prepare the cheese sauce.

Don’t overcook the pasta. It will continue to soften slightly when you stir it into the warm cheese sauce.

Step 2: Cook the Chicken

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the chicken.

Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels.

Season both sides with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, and black pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat.

Add the chicken breasts and cook for approximately 5–7 minutes per side, depending on thickness, until golden on the outside and the thickest part reaches 165°F.

Transfer the cooked chicken to a cutting board.

Let it rest for about 5 minutes before chopping it into bite-sized chunks.

Step 3: Toss the Chicken in Buffalo Sauce

Place the chopped chicken into a bowl.

Pour the Buffalo sauce over the chicken and toss until every piece is generously coated.

For a slightly richer Buffalo sauce, melt 1 tablespoon of butter and stir it into the Buffalo sauce before adding it to the chicken.

Set the Buffalo chicken aside while you finish the macaroni.

Step 4: Make the Cheese Sauce

In a large saucepan or the same pot you used for the macaroni, melt the butter over medium heat.

Sprinkle in the flour.

Whisk continuously for approximately 1 minute.

Slowly pour in the milk while whisking to prevent lumps.

Add the heavy cream.

Continue cooking and whisking for several minutes until the sauce begins to thicken.

Reduce the heat to low.

Add the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack a handful at a time, stirring until the cheese has melted before adding more.

Stir in the garlic powder, salt, and black pepper.

The sauce should be creamy, smooth, and cheesy.

Step 5: Add the Macaroni

Add the cooked macaroni to the cheese sauce.

Gently stir until every piece of pasta is coated in that creamy cheese sauce.

If the sauce becomes thicker than you’d like, add a small splash of milk and stir until creamy again.

Step 6: Assemble the Bowls

Spoon a generous amount of creamy macaroni and cheese into each bowl.

Pile the Buffalo chicken chunks right over the top.

Drizzle with a little extra Buffalo sauce if you like things spicy.

Finish with your favorite toppings and serve immediately.

Jennie’s Thoughts

Buffalo chicken and mac and cheese just belong together.

For this recipe, though, I didn’t want to stir everything together and end up with orange Buffalo-flavored macaroni.

I wanted to be able to taste both parts.

So I cooked the chicken in a skillet first, let it rest, chopped it into nice bite-sized pieces, and then tossed those pieces in Buffalo sauce.

Then I made a really creamy macaroni and cheese and put that in the bottom of the bowl.

The Buffalo chicken goes right on top.

I like it so much better this way.

You get a forkful of creamy, cheesy macaroni and then one of those spicy pieces of chicken with it.

Plus, it looks so much prettier in the bowl.

You can see the creamy macaroni underneath and all that glossy Buffalo sauce coating the chicken on top.

Add an extra drizzle of Buffalo sauce and you’ve got the kind of dinner that looks like something you’d order at a restaurant but is actually really easy to make at home.

What Kind of Chicken Should I Use?

I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe because I wanted tender chunks of white meat chicken.

I cook the chicken breasts whole in a skillet and chop them after they’re cooked.

Cooking the chicken before chopping it helps keep it juicy instead of having lots of tiny pieces drying out in the skillet.

You can also use chicken tenderloins if that’s what you have.

How Do I Know When the Chicken Is Done?

The safest and easiest way is to use an instant-read thermometer.

Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F at the thickest point.

The exact skillet cooking time will depend on how thick your chicken breasts are.

If you have very thick chicken breasts, you can slice them horizontally into thinner cutlets before cooking so they cook more quickly and evenly.

What Buffalo Sauce Should I Use?

Use your favorite bottled Buffalo wing sauce.

A traditional Buffalo sauce gives you that combination of tangy, buttery, slightly spicy flavor that works perfectly with creamy macaroni and cheese.

If you don’t like a lot of heat, start with less sauce.

You can always put extra Buffalo sauce on the table so everyone can add more to their own bowl.

Shred Your Own Cheese

This is one recipe where shredding your own cheese makes a noticeable difference.

Pre-shredded cheese is convenient, but it’s typically coated with ingredients that help prevent the shreds from sticking together.

Freshly shredded cheese usually melts more smoothly into a homemade cheese sauce.

For really creamy mac and cheese, buy blocks of cheddar and Monterey Jack and grate them yourself.

Don’t Add Cheese Over High Heat

Once your milk mixture has thickened, turn the heat down before adding the cheese.

Very high heat can cause cheese sauce to become grainy or oily.

Add the cheese gradually over low heat and stir until smooth.

What Cheese Is Best for Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese?

I like a combination of sharp cheddar and Monterey Jack.

Sharp cheddar gives the macaroni plenty of classic cheesy flavor.

Monterey Jack melts beautifully and helps make the sauce extra creamy.

You could also try:

• Mild cheddar
• White cheddar
• Colby Jack
• Pepper Jack
• Gouda

Pepper Jack is especially good if you want even more heat.

Make It Extra Creamy

Mac and cheese thickens as it sits.

If you’re not serving it immediately, keep a little extra milk nearby.

Stir in a splash before serving to loosen the cheese sauce and bring back that creamy texture.

Ranch Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Bowls

If you’re a ranch-and-Buffalo person, drizzle ranch dressing over the finished chicken.

You can also sprinkle chopped green onions over the top.

The cool, creamy ranch is especially good against the spicy Buffalo sauce.

Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese With Blue Cheese

For more traditional Buffalo wing flavor, crumble blue cheese over the chicken right before serving.

You can also drizzle a little blue cheese dressing over the finished bowl.

You get spicy Buffalo chicken, creamy cheddar macaroni, and tangy blue cheese all together.

Make It Spicier

Want more heat?

Add extra Buffalo sauce to the chicken or drizzle additional sauce over the finished bowls.

You can also add:

• Crushed red pepper flakes
• Cayenne pepper
• Sliced jalapeños
• Pepper Jack cheese
• Hot sauce

Make It Mild

If you’re serving kids or someone who doesn’t like spicy food, use a mild Buffalo sauce and don’t completely coat all of the chicken.

You can also leave some of the skillet chicken plain and let everyone add Buffalo sauce to their own bowl.

That makes this an easy family dinner when everyone has a different tolerance for spicy food.

What to Serve With Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

This is already a pretty hearty dinner, so I like simple sides.

Try serving it with:

• Celery sticks
• Carrot sticks
• Green salad
• Roasted broccoli
• Steamed green beans
• Garlic bread

Celery and carrots are especially fun because they continue the Buffalo chicken theme.

Can I Use Leftover Chicken?

Absolutely.

If you already have cooked chicken in the refrigerator, chop it into bite-sized pieces and warm it gently in a skillet.

Toss the warm chicken with Buffalo sauce and serve it over the macaroni and cheese.

Rotisserie chicken is another easy shortcut.

How to Store Leftovers

Store leftover macaroni and cheese and Buffalo chicken in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.

If possible, keep the chicken and macaroni separate.

That makes it easier to recreate the original bowl when you reheat everything.

How to Reheat Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese

Mac and cheese naturally thickens in the refrigerator.

Place the macaroni in a saucepan over low heat and add a splash of milk.

Stir gently as it warms until the cheese sauce becomes creamy again.

Warm the Buffalo chicken separately and spoon it over the macaroni before serving.

You can also reheat individual portions in the microwave, adding a splash of milk to the macaroni first.

Easy Buffalo Chicken Dinner

These Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Bowls are exactly the kind of dinner to make when you’re craving serious comfort food.

You have tender macaroni covered in a rich homemade cheese sauce on the bottom and juicy chunks of skillet chicken coated in spicy Buffalo sauce on top.

It’s creamy.

It’s cheesy.

It’s a little spicy.

And you can get both flavors together in every bite without losing what makes either one so good.

Whether you’re making an easy weeknight dinner, looking for game day food, or just trying to turn ordinary mac and cheese into something much more exciting, this Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese Bowl is one you’ll want to make again.