Superbowl Buffalo Chicken Casserole with Blue Cheese
Submitted by happyzhangbo
Buffalo chicken meets baked pasta in this crowd-feeding casserole loaded with tender chicken, veggies, tangy hot sauce, and crumbled blue cheese. A one-dish game day hero that’s lighter than it tastes.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
20 minCOOK
50 minREADY
95 minAll the flavors of buffalo wings, none of the sticky fingers.
This casserole layers elbow macaroni with cubed chicken breast, carrots, celery, and onion in a creamy milk-based sauce spiked with your favorite hot sauce.
Crumbled blue cheese on top gets bubbly and golden in the oven, giving you that classic wing-night tang in every forkful.
It feeds a crowd of eight, so it’s built for Super Bowl parties, potlucks, or any weeknight when you want comfort food that doesn’t weigh you down.
Pro Tips
- Undercook the pasta by two minutes. It finishes cooking in the oven and won’t turn mushy.
- Use Frank’s RedHot or a similar cayenne-based sauce for that authentic buffalo flavor. Sriracha will work but changes the profile.
- Let the casserole rest for 5 to 8 minutes after baking. It sets up and slices more cleanly.
- Swap in whole wheat pasta for extra fiber without sacrificing any of the comfort factor.
Ingredients
Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Bring big pot of water to a boil.
Boil pasta until barely tender, about 2 minutes less than package directions.
Drain, rinse and set aside.
Heat oil in the pot over medium heat.
Stir in carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until starting to soften, 4 to 6 minutes.
Stir in chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside, about 6 minutes.
Whisk cornstarch and milk in a medium bowl, pour into the pot along with salt to taste.
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until bubbling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 5 minutes or longer.
Remove from the heat and stir in hot sauce.
Spread the pasta in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish .
Arrange the chicken mixture over the pasta, sprinkle blue cheese on top.
Bake the casserole until it is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes.
Allow to stand for 5 to 8 minutes.
Serve warm.
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