This Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese is a grown-up version of your favorite kid comfort dinner. It's super simple to make and is loaded with flavor and spice. The whole family will love this cheesy easy dinner!
Table Of Contents
Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is the perfect comfort food to make as an easy dinner. With its rich and spicy homemade cheese sauce tossed with hearty pasta and seasoned rotisserie chicken, it's sure to be a crowd pleaser!
This is a one-pot, dump and go recipe. The pasta is cooked right in the crockpot rather than separately on the stovetop. Which means less dishes to clean and fast and easy preparation! My crockpot buffalo chicken mac is similar to this creamy pressure cooker buffalo chicken pasta, just a little more hands-off and cheesy.
While buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese makes a great family dinner, it's also a wonderful side dish or appetizer for parties and game days. Buffalo-inspired dishes like Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip, buffalo chicken poppers and buffalo cauliflower bites are always present at parties we throw.
Ingredients
To make crockpot buffalo chicken mac and cheese you need:
- Pasta: elbow macaroni is traditionally used for mac and cheese recipes, but any short pasta works here. Some other options are shell pasta, ziti and rigatoni.
- Rotisserie chicken: this recipe is made easy by using an already cooked and seasoned rotisserie chicken. You can use leftover buffalo chicken if you have that already from another meal.
- Buffalo wing sauce: use your favorite brand of buffalo sauce for a flavor that you know you'll love.
- Cheese: this recipe uses a combination of 4 cheeses, cream cheese, extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese, white cheddar cheese and monterey jack cheese. This blend makes a very flavorful combination that compliments the buffalo perfectly. Pepper jack and colby jack are also great options if you'd like to change it up a bit.
- Milk: I use a combination of evaporated milk and whole milk for the richest and creamiest sauce.
- Seasonings: paprika, salt and black pepper.
- Roux: a roux made of melted butter and flour is added to the sauce to thicken it.
Step-By-Step Instructions
This buffalo macaroni and cheese cooks quickly in your slow cooker, in just about 2 hours.
STEP 1: Add the uncooked elbow macaroni to the slow cooker.
STEP 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine the evaporated milk, whole milk, ½ cup of buffalo sauce, paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk until ingredients are combined well. Pour over the macaroni.
STEP 3: Using a wooden spoon, push the macaroni into the liquid so that it's covering as much of the pasta as possible. Cut cream cheese into small pieces and put into the crockpot.
STEP 4: Add the shredded rotisserie chicken on top of the macaroni and pour remaining buffalo sauce over the chicken. Top with shredded white cheddar, yellow cheddar and monterey jack cheese.
STEP 5: Cook on LOW for 1 hour. While cooking, make the roux by melting the butter in the microwave and mixing with the flour until a thick paste forms.
STEP 6: Open the lid and stir the macaroni and cheese. Add the roux and whisk until its incorporated into the sauce. Change the temperature to HIGH and cook for 1 more hour, or until the pasta is fully cooked.
STEP 7: Serve sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles, chopped green onions and an extra drizzle of buffalo sauce.
Tips from the Chef
- Don't overcook the pasta! You don't want to cook it for longer than about 2 hours to prevent the macaroni from being overcooked and mushy.
- For best results and the creamiest, smoothest sauce use blocks of cheese and shred them. Don't use the pre-shredded bags as the cheese in them is coated to prevent it from sticking and therefore it does not melt smoothly.
What To Serve With Buffalo Mac and Cheese
Buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese is a flavorful and hearty dish on its own, but you can enhance the meal by pairing it with complementary sides. Here are some side dish ideas:
- Celery sticks or carrot sticks
- Mixed green salads
- Garlic bread or breadsticks
- Roasted vegetables, such as broccoli, asparagus, green beans and cauliflower.
- Sweet potato fries
- Roasted baby potatoes
Recipe FAQs
Yes! That's what makes this recipe so easy. The uncooked pasta gets cooked right in the liquid that makes the cheese sauce. There is no need to cook the pasta on the stove first.
Yes! If you'd prefer to use uncooked chicken, add it to the crockpot with all of the ingredients. Dice the chicken into small pieces and make sure it's pushed down into the milk so that it's covered in liquid while cooking. Always used thawed chicken, never frozen.
Store leftovers in a covered container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Reheat in the microwave until warmed through. To freeze, divide mac and cheese into portions and put in freezer safe storage bags. It can be kept for up to 6 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight, then reheat in the microwave.
Recipe
Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese
Equipment
- slow cooker
Ingredients
- 16 oz uncooked macaroni or short pasta
- 1 ½ cups evaporated milk
- 2 ½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup buffalo sauce divided
- 4 oz cream cheese
- 2 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 ½ cups shredded rotisserie chicken
- 2 cups extra sharp yellow cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 1 cup white cheddar cheese freshly shredded
- 1 cup monterey jack cheese freshly shredded
- 4 tablespoon butter
- 4 tablespoon flour
Instructions
- Add the uncooked elbow macaroni to the slow cooker.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine the evaporated milk, whole milk, ½ cup of buffalo sauce, paprika, salt and pepper. Whisk until ingredients are combined well. Pour over the macaroni.
- Using a wooden spoon, push the macaroni into the liquid so that it's covering as much of the pasta as possible. Cut cream cheese into small pieces and put into the crockpot.
- Add the shredded rotisserie chicken on top of the macaroni and pour remaining buffalo sauce over the chicken. Top with shredded white cheddar, yellow cheddar and monterey jack cheese.
- Cook on LOW for 1 hour. While cooking, make the roux by melting the butter and mixing with the flour until a thick paste forms.
- Open the lid and stir the macaroni and cheese. Add the roux and whisk until its incorporated into the sauce. Change the temperature to HIGH and cook for 1 more hour, or until the pasta is fully cooked.
- Serve sprinkled with blue cheese crumbles, chopped green onions and an extra drizzle of buffalo sauce.
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