Creamy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Pasta (Printable)

A bubbling blend of buffalo chicken, pasta, and melted cheese brings bold comfort to the table in under an hour.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or rotini pasta

→ Chicken

02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced

→ Sauces & Seasoning

03 - 1 oz ranch seasoning packet
04 - 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
05 - 1/2 cup sour cream
06 - 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
07 - 1/4 cup milk

→ Cheese

08 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
09 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

→ Garnish

10 - 2 green onions, sliced
11 - 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish
02 - Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente, then drain and set aside
03 - In a large bowl, combine ranch seasoning, buffalo sauce, sour cream, cream cheese, and milk. Whisk until smooth
04 - Stir in cooked pasta and chicken until well coated with sauce
05 - Fold in 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 3/4 cup cheddar cheese
06 - Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish and sprinkle remaining mozzarella and cheddar over the top
07 - Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until bubbly and golden brown
08 - Remove from oven and let rest 5 minutes. Garnish with green onions and blue cheese if desired. Serve hot

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like restaurant comfort food but requires zero special skills—just mix, pour, and bake.
  • The buffalo-ranch combo hits that perfect balance between creamy and spicy that makes you reach for seconds without thinking.
  • Feeds a crowd easily, and leftovers somehow taste even better the next day when the flavors settle.
02 -
  • Don't use hot water to drain pasta or rinse it—the starch is your friend here and helps bind everything together in the bake.
  • If your sauce looks too thick after mixing, it means your cream cheese wasn't soft enough; add milk a tablespoon at a time until you reach a pourable consistency that still clings to the pasta.
03 -
  • Use freshly shredded cheese if you can manage it; it melts smoother and browns more beautifully than pre-shredded varieties.
  • Don't skip the 5-minute rest after baking—it lets everything set so the first person to eat doesn't get a pool of sauce on their plate.
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