Make this easy and creamy buffalo chicken pasta bake at home in less than 30 minutes! This baked pasta is made without cream cheese but yogurt instead for a meal that is cheesy, a little bit spicy, and topped with crispy breadcrumbs.
Why This Recipe Works
Great for whenever you want something to satisfy those cravings for pasta, this super easy buffalo chicken pasta bake is one of my very favorite things to make at home because it comes together in such easy steps.
To get the best flavors that are intertwined with smooth creamy yogurt, use your favorite type of hot sauce for this penne pasta recipe! You will love this baked pasta so much you will want to eat the leftovers for days!
Serve this yummy and tender buffalo chicken recipe with a variety of simple side dishes and salads that make this pasta perfectly complete. Or just enjoy it all on its own. Up to you!
Ingredients
- Yogurt: Use plain Greek yogurt for the creamy buffalo sauce! I like to use whole milk yogurt, but you can use any kind of unflavored and unsweetened yogurt you would like.
- Hot Sauce: What’s your favorite? I love Frank’s hot sauce because of its tanginess. The grocery store should have lots of hot sauce options. You can even buy hot sauce online!
- Seasoning: Onion and garlic powder are needed to make this pasta bake even more tasty in addition to a little bit of salt.
- Pasta: Penne pasta is great choice for the sauce of this recipe because of its ability to absorb sauce. Experiment with different pasta styles and keep in mind all different cooking times.
- Chicken: I used boneless and skiness chicken breasts for this recipe because they are easy to shred after they have been cooked. If you have leftover cooked chicken, you can use it for this recipe as well.
- Cheese: Shredded Mexican-style cheese is great because it creates a lot of different cheesy flavors, but you can use any kind of cheddar cheese blend. You can also grate your own cheese with a boxed grater.
- Mushrooms: Canned mushrooms are great to use because they are already sliced and seasoned, but you can certainly use fresh mushrooms.
How to Make This Recipe
Within minutes, you will have a comforting pasta dish ready for your next pasta night. Whenever you’re in the mood for a one-pan dish, this buffalo chicken pasta bake is a perfect option.
Step One: First, preheat the oven. Boil some water in a saucepan and cook the pasta according to the package’s instructions. Drain and set aside.
Step Two: Meanwhile, create the buffalo sauce by mixing the yogurt, hot sauce, and seasoning into a bowl.
Step Three: Next, combine the cooked chicken and cooled pasta, ½ cup of the shredded cheese, mushrooms, and the yogurt sauce. Mix well.
Step Four: Place the pasta mixture into an eight-by-eight dish that has been sprayed with nonstick spray. Lightly press the mixture down.
Top the pasta mixture with the remaining ½ cup of cheese and the bread crumbs. Top the casserole dish with aluminum foil or lid.
Step Five: Bake the pasta for 20 minutes with the foil on, and for the last five minutes, with the foil off.
Step Six: If you would like a slightly crispier topping, then broil the buffalo chicken pasta for a couple of minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and enjoy this recipe for lunch or dinner!
Recipe FAQs
Rumor has it the name, “Buffalo sauce”, was inspired by a family-owned restaurant that was located in Buffalo, New York.
I like to serve buffalo chicken with celery sticks, carrots, ranch, blue cheese crumbles or dressing, baked potatoes, etc. Mmm!
Make sure the chicken is fully cooked to 164 degrees Fahrenheit. Shred the chicken with two forks or you can place the chicken in a bowl and shred it with a hand mixer.
Expert Tips
- Instead of chicken breasts, feel free to use cooked chicken thighs or Rostisserie chicken.
- Use a non-spicy buffalo sauce for milder chicken pasta.
- Serve the leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days.
- Freeze this recipe by placing it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer for up to four months.
- For gluten-free pasta, use your favorite gluten-free noodle such as Barilla or Jovial.
If you love this recipe be sure to leave a star rating on the recipe card and a comment below!
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Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake
Ingredients
- 2 cups penne pasta dry (regular white pasta)
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cooked & shredded
- ½ cup plain greek yogurt I like whole milk yogurt
- ½ cup hot sauce like Franks
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup shredded mexican blend cheese divided
- 2 cans of mushrooms 6.5oz cans; ~1 cup total
- 3 tablespoons Panko bread crumbs
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions.
- In a small-medium sized bowl combine yogurt, hot sauce, onion powder, garlic powder and salt.
- Combine cooked pasta, chicken, ½ cup of the shredded cheese, mushrooms and the yogurt sauce. Mix it up well.
- Place pasta mixture into a ~8×8 casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray, pressing down lightly.
- Top with remaining ½ cup cheese and the bread crumbs.
- Top with aluminum foil or place casserole dish top on.
- When ready to bake preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and bake for 20 minutes with the foil on and 5 minutes with the foil off.
- I like to then set the broiler to high and broil for 2-3 minutes just to get the top a bit more golden! Watch it closely so it doesn’t broil too long- parts of the cheese should just begin to start to golden.
- Remove from the oven and enjoy!
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