Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Pasta
3 Comments Jul 11, 2023
Updated Dec 09, 2023
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Get ready to spice things up with this Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Pasta recipe. Chicken breasts, two types of cheese, buffalo sauce, and a few other ingredients come together to make the best-tasting creamy buffalo chicken pasta. This is a meal your family is sure to love!
Add this delicious meal to your meal plan along with my Slow Cooker Chicken Spinach Artichoke Pasta and Olive Garden Chicken Pasta.
Table of Contents
Why this buffalo chicken pasta recipe works
When it comes to meal prep and prep time for cooking, this chicken pasta recipe is one to try. It calls for just a few ingredients that can all be found at your local grocery store. And once everything is added to the crockpot, you’ll be ready to serve a bowl in as little as 4.5 hours.
If you want to switch things up a bit, you can easily do so with a few quick swaps (see recipe FAQs). This buffalo-flavored meal is easy to cook and will be a yummy-tasting casserole dish. Keep reading to see how easy it is to make this pasta dish!
Recipe Ingredients
- Chicken: Boneless skinless chicken breasts are the best cut for this recipe and will cook to tender perfection.
- Penne Pasta: This will be cooked al dente according to package instructions toward the end of the chicken cooking time.
- Ranch Dressing Mix: Using ranch adds a nice twang and balance to the spiciness of the buffalo sauce.
- Buffalo Sauce: Be sure to use buffalo wing sauce not just regular hot sauce. I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce. It does add a spicy flavor but can easily be dialed down.
- Cream of Celery Soup: This adds a hint of a celery taste along with a warm and creamy texture.
- Yellow Onion: You’ll only use half of a large onion, diced. You can always add more if you prefer.
- Cheese: Cream cheese is cut into cubes and added at the beginning while shredded cheddar cheese will be added toward the end with the pasta.
- Diced Tomatoes: These are added for both texture and a hint of tomato flavor.
Step-by-Step Directions
Step One – Add diced onion, buffalo wing sauce, cream of celery soup, diced tomatoes, and ranch dressing mix to a crockpot that has been lightly sprayed with cooking spray. Stir well to combine.
Step Two – Add chicken breasts to the crockpot.
Step Three – Spoon the buffalo sauce mixture over each chicken breast and add the cubes of cream cheese around the chicken. Cover and cook on HIGH for 4-5 hours or on LOW for 6-7 hours.
Step Four – Remove cooked chicken from the crock pot and shred it with two forks. Return shredded chicken to crockpot. Add cheddar cheese on top.
Step Five – Cook the pasta according to package directions. Then, add pasta to the chicken mixture and stir well. Cover and cook an additional 20-30 minutes or until cheese has fully melted.
Step Six – Top with green onions for garnish and serve hot. Enjoy!
Recipe FAQs
Store any leftover buffalo chicken pasta in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. Reheat it over medium heat. This pasta dinner can also be turned into a buffalo chicken dip!
No. You will want to defrost the chicken ahead of time. This will make sure it is cooked completely.
Sweet Baby Rays does make a Mild Buffalo Wing Sauce if you want your dish to be a little less spicy. If you want the dish to be even more spicy you could add more hot sauce (2-3 tablespoons) with the buffalo wing sauce.
You can always serve it as is or garnish it with diced green onion. It may even taste good with bacon bits, blue cheese crumbles, kosher salt, black pepper, extra shredded cheese, a dash of red pepper flakes, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Yes. Cream of Chicken Soup can be substituted for the Cream of Celery Soup if desired.
To make this recipe a little healthier use reduced fat light cream cheese (instead of regular cream cheese) and low-fat (made with 1% milk) shredded cheddar cheese and substitute whole grain penne pasta. You can also consider using gluten free pasta.
Yes. Just turn it to the WARM setting, stirring occasionally so it doesn’t stick.
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Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast
- ½ large yellow onion, diced
- 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 10.5 oz. can cream of celery soup, undiluted
- 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained
- 1 oz. packet Ranch dressing mix
- 8 oz. block cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 16 oz. penne pasta, uncooked, (going to cook on the stove-top)
- green onions for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Lightly grease a 6-quart crockpot with cooking spray.
- Add diced onion, buffalo wing sauce, cream of celery soup, diced tomatoes, and ranch dressing mix to the crockpot. Stir well to combine.
- Add chicken breasts to crockpot and spoon buffalo sauce mixture over each chicken breast.
- Add cubes of cream cheese around the chicken.
- Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or on low 6-7 hours.
- Remove cooked chicken from crockpot and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to crockpot.
- Cook penne pasta al dente according to package instructions.
- Add cheddar cheese and cooked penne pasta to chicken mixture and stir well.
- Cover and cook an additional 20-30 minutes or until cheese has fully melted.
- Top with green onions for garnish and serve hot.
Sarah’s Notes
- Be sure to use buffalo wing sauce not just regular hot sauce. I used Sweet Baby Ray’s Buffalo Wing Sauce. They do make a Mild Buffalo Wing Sauce if you want your dish to be a little less spicy.
- If you want the dish to be even more spicy you could add 2-3 tablespoons of hot sauce with the buffalo wing sauce.
Cream of Chicken Soup can be substituted for the Cream of Celery Soup, if desired. - To make this recipe a little healthier use reduced fat cream cheese and low-fat (made with 1% milk) shredded cheddar cheese and substitute whole grain penne pasta.
- Store leftovers in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I live in Phoenix and was raised on traditional, spicy Mexican food… this is hot using a full cup of buffalo sauce! So if you have a sensitive stomach limit the buffalo sauce to half cup. Otherwise, really good flavor and easy to prepare.
Can I use uncooked shredded chicken for the chicken breasts in the Buffalo Chicken Pasta. If so, how many cups should I use?
I would use 4 cups.