Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake

Total Time

Prep: 30 min. Bake: 25 min.

Makes

8 servings

Updated: Apr. 24, 2022
Sure, 10-cent wing night at your local pub is a blast, but a night at home with a clever casserole can’t be beat. Not fond of blue cheese? Use ranch salad dressing on this buffalo chicken pasta bake instead. —Lindsay Sprunk, Noblesville, Indiana
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake Recipe photo by Taste of Home

Ingredients

  • 1 package (16 ounces) penne pasta
  • 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts, cubed
  • 1/8 teaspoon salt
  • 1/8 teaspoon pepper
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
  • 2 celery ribs, finely chopped
  • 3/4 cup finely chopped red onion
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 3/4 cup blue cheese salad dressing
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise
  • 1/2 cup Louisiana-style hot sauce
  • 1-1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
  • 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions

  1. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  2. Meanwhile, sprinkle chicken with salt and pepper. In a large skillet, saute chicken in 1 tablespoon oil until no longer pink. Remove from skillet. In same skillet, saute carrots, celery and onion in remaining oil until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Remove from heat.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°. Stir in salad dressing, mayonnaise and hot sauce into skillet. Drain pasta. Add pasta and chicken to skillet; toss to coat. Transfer to a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bread crumbs. Drizzle with butter.
  4. Bake, uncovered, 25-30 minutes or until heated through and cheese is melted.

Test Kitchen Tips
  • Unless otherwise specified, Taste of Home recipes are tested with lightly salted butter. Unsalted, or sweet, butter is sometimes used to achieve a buttery flavor, such as in shortbread cookies or buttercream frosting. In these recipes, added salt would detract from the buttery taste desired.
  • Common olive oil works better for cooking at high heat than virgin or extra-virgin oil. These higher grades have ideal flavor for cold foods, but they smoke at lower temperatures.
  • Check out the best 13x9 past casseroles you should be making tonight.
  • Nutrition Facts

    1-1/2 cups: 719 calories, 45g fat (12g saturated fat), 73mg cholesterol, 586mg sodium, 53g carbohydrate (6g sugars, 3g fiber), 27g protein.