This Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Pasta is creamy, cheesy, a little spicy, and very easy to make. The slow cooker does most of the work, so you get tender buffalo chicken without standing in the kitchen all day. Add pasta and plenty of cheese at the end, and dinner is ready.
Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 4 hours 20 minutes on LOW, plus pasta cooking time
Total time: About 4 hours 40 minutes
Why I Love This Recipe
- The crockpot does most of the cooking.
- The chicken comes out tender and easy to shred.
- Buffalo sauce gives the dish plenty of flavor without a long spice list.
- Cream cheese makes the sauce thick and creamy.
- Ranch balances the tang and heat of the buffalo sauce.
- Cooking the pasta separately gives you much better control over its texture.
- It makes six filling servings, so it works well for an easy weeknight meal.
Recipe and Instructions
What You’ll Need
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into cubes and softened
- 12 ounces dry rotini pasta
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup ranch dressing
Step 1: Start the Buffalo Chicken
Place 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts in the bottom of a black oval crockpot. Pour 1 cup buffalo wing sauce and 1 cup chicken broth over the chicken. Sprinkle in 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.
Cover the crockpot. Cook on LOW for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F in the thickest part.
Step 2: Add the Cream Cheese
Once the chicken is cooked and tender, place 8 ounces softened cream cheese, cut into cubes, over the hot chicken and buffalo cooking liquid. Cover and cook on LOW for 15 minutes, or until the cream cheese is very soft.
Step 3: Shred the Chicken
Remove the cooked chicken from the crockpot and shred it with two forks. Stir the softened cream cheese into the buffalo liquid until the sauce looks smooth and creamy. Return all of the shredded chicken to the crockpot and stir well.
Keep the crockpot on LOW while you cook the pasta.
Step 4: Cook the Pasta
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add 12 ounces dry rotini pasta and cook according to the package directions until just al dente. Do not overcook it because the pasta will soften a little more when mixed with the hot sauce.
Drain the cooked rotini well in a colander. Do not rinse it.
Step 5: Make It Cheesy
Add all 12 ounces drained, cooked rotini pasta to the crockpot with the creamy shredded buffalo chicken. Add 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese and 1/2 cup ranch dressing.
Stir gently until the pasta is evenly coated. Cover and cook on LOW for 5 to 10 minutes, just until the cheddar melts. Turn the crockpot to WARM or turn it off once the cheese has melted.
Step 6: Stir and Serve
Give everything one final gentle stir. Spoon the hot pasta into round bowls and serve right away.
Why This Recipe Works (Quick Science)
The chicken cooks slowly in broth and buffalo sauce. This gentle, moist heat helps the meat become tender enough to shred.
Softened cream cheese melts more easily than cold cream cheese. Stirring it into the hot cooking liquid helps the fat, cheese, and liquid come together into a creamy sauce.
The pasta is cooked separately because pasta keeps soaking up liquid as it sits. If dry pasta cooks in the crockpot for too long, it can become very soft or steal too much liquid from the sauce.
Cheddar goes in near the end. It only needs enough he