Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

An uncanny union of our ultra-creamy stovetop mac and cheese with the classic flavors of Buffalo chicken wings.

Updated June 08, 2024

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Closeup of buffalo chicken mac and cheese, served in a bowl with a sprinkle of crumbled blue cheese. A bottle of Frank's Red Hot sauce lurks in the background. — Serious Eats / J. Kenji López-Alt

Why It Works

A combination of several thickeners and emulsifying agents—cornstarch, evaporated milk, eggs, and American cheese—ensures an extra-gooey texture with real cheese flavor.
In addition to the hot sauce and chicken folded into the pasta, topping each serving with crumbled blue cheese and sliced scallion helps recreate the classic flavor of Buffalo-style chicken wings.

Some folks will eat buffalo-flavored just about anything. You can count me out of that camp, with a few notable exceptions. I'll pop back some Buffalo-flavored Combos when the mood strikes. Crispy fried Buffalo cauliflower is a smashing alternative to its more chicken-y brethren.

Somewhere in the middle of my list: Buffalo chicken macaroni and cheese. My personal jury is still out on it. Sure, it's creamy, gooey, salty, hot, and all those other good things. Everything I want in a bowl of mac and cheese. Yet the idea still seems a little... odd to me.

Buffalo chicken just shouldn't be part of mac and cheese. I don't know why. The two ideas create a strange sort of cognitive dissonance that makes me feel uncomfortable in the same way that I get uncomfortable when I have to admit to myself that OK, not every Beatles song is great.

Maybe I'll get over it. I mean it's delicious enough that if I force myself to eat it enough, perhaps my discomfort at the concept will disappear. If such psychological woes don't trouble your minds, then you will probably have a better time of it all. I should stop feeling sorry for myself and just go drown my fears in Frank's.

March 2013

Recipe Details

Buffalo Chicken Macaroni and Cheese Recipe

Prep 5 mins

Cook 25 mins

Active 30 mins

Total 30 mins

Serves 4 servings

Ingredients

2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
2 large eggs
1/2 pound elbow macaroni
6 ounces block American cheese, roughly grated or diced
6 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, roughly grated or diced
1/4 cup Frank's hot sauce
1 to 2 cups shredded cooked chicken meat (from 1 rotisserie or leftover chicken)
1/2 cup sliced scallion greens
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese

Directions

Combine cornstarch, evaporated milk, and eggs in a medium bowl and whisk until homogenous. Set aside.
Cook pasta in a large stock pot in salted water according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup pasta cooking water. Return to stock pot and add cooking water, evaporated milk mixture, cheeses, and hot sauce. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy and smooth. Stir in chicken and scallions, reserving some scallions for garnish. Transfer to serving bowl, top with blue cheese and scallions, and serve immediately.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
745	Calories
46g	Fat
35g	Carbs
46g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	745
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 46g	59%
Saturated Fat 26g	130%
Cholesterol 246mg	82%
Sodium 1758mg	76%
Total Carbohydrate 35g	13%
Dietary Fiber 1g	5%
Total Sugars 13g
Protein 46g
Vitamin C 15mg	74%
Calcium 1338mg	103%
Iron 3mg	14%
Potassium 717mg	15%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.