Creamy Garlic Buffalo Chicken Pasta
Tender chicken and rigatoni are tossed in a rich, creamy garlic Buffalo sauce with mozzarella, Parmesan, crisp celery, and blue cheese. This easy 35-minute pasta dinner has all the bold flavor of Buffalo chicken wings in one cozy skillet meal.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner, DINNER | PASTA
- Method: STOVETOP
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Scale
- 12 ounces rigatoni pasta
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened and cubed
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup Buffalo wing sauce, plus more to taste
- ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
- 2 celery stalks, finely diced
- ½ cup blue cheese crumbles
- Blue cheese or ranch dressing, for serving, optional
- Celery leaves or sliced green onions, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook the rigatoni until just al dente according to package directions. Reserve ½ cup of pasta water, then drain.
- Season the chicken with ½ teaspoon salt and the black pepper. Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through. Transfer the chicken to a plate.
- Reduce the heat to medium. Add the butter to the same skillet. Once melted, add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds, just until fragrant.
- Pour in the chicken broth, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the skillet. Stir in the cream cheese until fully melted and smooth.
- Add the heavy cream, Buffalo wing sauce, remaining ½ teaspoon salt, Parmesan, and mozzarella. Stir until the cheeses melt and the sauce is thick, smooth, and creamy.
- Add the cooked rigatoni, chicken, and diced celery to the skillet. Toss until everything is generously coated in the creamy Buffalo garlic sauce. Stir in a splash of reserved pasta water if the sauce needs loosening.
- Remove from the heat and fold in half of the blue cheese crumbles. Top with the remaining blue cheese, celery leaves or green onions, and a drizzle of blue cheese or ranch dressing, if desired. Serve warm.
Notes
- For the smoothest sauce, shred the mozzarella and grate the Parmesan from a block.
- Use rotisserie chicken to make this even faster. Add 2 to 3 cups shredded cooked chicken with the pasta in Step 6.
- For a milder pasta, begin with ¼ cup Buffalo wing sauce and add more to taste.
- Leftovers will thicken in the refrigerator. Reheat gently with a splash of milk, cream, or chicken broth.
- For a gluten-free version, use gluten-free pasta and verify that your Buffalo wing sauce is gluten-free.
Find it online: https://www.firsthomelovelife.com/buffalo-chicken-pasta/