Creamy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Pasta (Printable)

Hearty chicken pasta with buffalo sauce, creamy ranch, and melted cheese baked until bubbly.

# What You'll Need:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 oz penne or rotini pasta

→ Chicken

02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced

→ Sauce & Dairy

03 - 1 packet (1 oz) ranch seasoning mix
04 - 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce
05 - 1 cup heavy cream or half-and-half
06 - 1/2 cup sour cream
07 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
08 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

→ Aromatics

09 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
10 - 1/4 cup finely sliced green onions, plus extra for garnish

→ Extras

11 - Salt and pepper to taste
12 - Nonstick cooking spray or butter for greasing

# Directions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with nonstick spray or butter.
02 - Cook pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions until al dente. Drain and set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, whisk together ranch seasoning, buffalo sauce, heavy cream, and sour cream until smooth.
04 - Fold in the cooked chicken, half of the mozzarella cheese, all of the cheddar cheese, minced garlic, and green onions into the sauce.
05 - Add the drained pasta and gently toss until evenly coated with the sauce mixture.
06 - Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish. Top with the remaining mozzarella cheese.
07 - Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes, or until bubbly and golden on top.
08 - Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with extra green onions before serving.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • It's basically a hug in a baking dish—creamy, spicy, and impossibly comforting without feeling heavy.
  • The prep work is genuinely fifteen minutes, making it perfect for weeknight dinners when you're too tired to think.
  • One pan means minimal cleanup, which honestly might be the best part of the whole experience.
02 -
  • Don't cook the pasta all the way to package directions—it will absolutely turn to mush once it bakes, something I discovered the hard way on my second attempt.
  • If your sauce looks too thick before baking, it's still fine; the pasta will release moisture and things will loosen up in the oven, so resist the urge to panic-add cream.
  • Stir the sauce mixture completely before folding in the chicken so the ranch seasoning doesn't leave any powdery pockets that taste weird on the bite.
03 -
  • The night-before factor is real—make it completely, cover it, refrigerate it, and just pop it in the oven the next day, adding five extra minutes to the baking time.
  • If you want extra heat without making it aggressively spicy, sprinkle a tiny pinch of cayenne into the sauce mixture rather than drowning it in hot sauce.
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