Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese

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4.1 of 5 (129)

Nutritional Info

Servings Per Recipe: 8
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 172.5

Total Fat: 4.2 g
Cholesterol: 34.6 mg
Sodium: 185.1 mg
Total Carbs: 18.3 g
Dietary Fiber: 3.7 g
Protein: 15.4 g

View full nutritional breakdown of Buffalo Chicken Mac n Cheese calories by ingredient

Introduction

All the flavor you crave, in macaroni and cheese form to keep your fingers clean! All the flavor you crave, in macaroni and cheese form to keep your fingers clean!

Minutes to Prepare: 15

Minutes to Cook: 30

Number of Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 cups whole wheat pasta shells

1 cup finely chopped cauliflower

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery (about 1 cup), finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2-3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, depending on desired heat levels

1 cup petite diced no salt added tomatoes

1 tablespoon whole wheat flour

2 cups skim milk

12 ounces cooked chicken breast, diced

2 tablespoons buffalo sauce

1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

Tips

Top with chopped green onions, parsley, or celery. Serve with additional hot sauce and a dollop of Greek yogurt.

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Coat a 13 x 9 inch baking dish with cooking spray.
Cook pasta according to directions.
While the pasta is cooking, continue with the rest of the dish.
Place the cauliflower into a microwave safe dish, and cook on high 2 minutes.
Add the butter to a large saucepan set over medium heat. Once the butter melts, add the onion and celery to the pan.
Cook for about four minutes, until the vegetables are soft, then add the garlic. Cook for one minute.
Add the cayenne pepper and tomatoes to the pan, stir to combine, then add the flour.
Stir constantly for one minute, then slowly pour in the milk while stirring.
Drain the pasta.
Add the pasta, chicken and buffalo sauce and stir to combine.
Pour into the baking dish, then top with the cauliflower and blue cheese.
Bake uncovered for 15 minutes, until bubbly. Serve immediately.

Makes 8 servings; 1 cup per serving.

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Member Ratings For This Recipe

CD13790765

Incredible!

34 of 35 people found this review helpful

We really liked this. Because of the comments that it was runny, I only used 1 cup of skim milk and with the calories saved I added 1/3 cup reduced fat mozzarella cheese. It was not runny at all and creamy. This felt like real comfort food. - 5/8/13

Reply from CHEF_MEG (5/17/13)
Great swap!
Chef Meg
CD13427468

27 of 41 people found this review helpful

Im trying to figure out how 1/4 cup of cheese crumbles makes 8 servings of "mac n cheese". looks tasty but I think the title (and picture) might be a bit deceiving - 1/1/13
CD12463350

26 of 26 people found this review helpful

Buffalo Sauce (by SparkPeople)
Number of Servings: 7
Ingredients
Hot Pepper Sauce, 1/2 cup
Butter, salted, 1/3 cup melted
Directions
Melt butter in pan, add hot sauce to blend and serve or use to coat chicken, wings, etc.

- 1/1/13
MARTI1LL

Incredible!

21 of 21 people found this review helpful

I love it. Mine turned out thick but I drained my tomatoes. I have been eating leftovers for lunch. I pair it with a small side salad with light blue cheese dressing and a piece of fruit. YUMMO and filing. - 2/7/13
CD13464565

20 of 20 people found this review helpful

Are the two cups pasta shells two cups before or after cooking? - 1/13/13

Reply from CHEF_MEG (1/24/13)
Two cups dry. :) Chef Meg
DIANA3BANANA

Very Good

15 of 16 people found this review helpful

When I saw the title of this recipe, I envisioned a bubbly and cheesy dish. This is not the case. Tthis is not a cheesy dish at all as you would expect a mac and cheese to be. That being said, I did like it and will probably make again, and try to make it a bit thicker, the sauce was runny. - 1/11/13
PAULAMMAY

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

Green onions, parsely and celery are mention in "Tips". Use 1/4 cup gorgonzola instead of bleu cheese for stronger chesse flavor. Buffalo sauce usually refers to Frank's Hot Sauce - no butter or fat content would be much higher. - 1/1/13
PYNETREE

15 of 15 people found this review helpful

There are several brands of bottled Buffalo Sauce...all with different calorie, nutritional counts. Just read the labels, some are more Spark Friendly. - 1/1/13
BEINGCAUSE

12 of 38 people found this review helpful

photo has green onions and parsley - not mentioned in the recipe -- once agin photo does not match recipe - 1/1/13
GRAMMAJUDY1

11 of 11 people found this review helpful

May I make a suggestion. Dredge the celery and onions in the flour and then cook the vegetables in the butter. The flour will cook thoroughly and will thicken the dish more evenly.
- 4/29/13
SH9719

10 of 11 people found this review helpful

I found this recipe on-line

1/2 cup butter or use Smartbalance 50/50 butter blend
1 cup Frank's red hot sauce
2 teaspoons cayenne
For a creamier sauce I add 2 tablespoon mayo tones down the spice too if your not a fan
- 1/1/13
CD12981010

9 of 9 people found this review helpful

For the benefit of your "non-US" readers - what is "buffalo sauce"? What would be a reasonable substitute?
Thanks,
Des - 1/1/13

Reply from CHEF_MEG (2/11/13)
Glad to help- you could make your own Buffalo sauce with a couple of shots of red hot sauce/tabasco and tomato juice. Chef Meg
PENNEYV

Incredible!

6 of 6 people found this review helpful

Just used hot sauce instead of buffalo sauce. Everyone loved it. No leftovers for lunch. :( - 1/7/13
CD13637320

Very Good

5 of 5 people found this review helpful

I took on board the comments bel - drained the tomatoes and used 1 cup of milk. Increase the cheese flavor by choosing a reduced fat option - more for the same calories. You can also cut out the butter and use an oil spray. It works well too with extra cauliflower. - 9/9/13
TATTLETALEHEART

Very Good

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

This was very tasty after we baked it for quite a bit longer than the recipe called for, and added quite a bit more Frank's hot sauce after serving. I'll for sure make it again, but with more cheese (not blue cheese as we don't like it), and more hot sauce. Took me longer than 15 mins to prepare. - 7/6/13
CD13643617

Very Good

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Used rotisserie chicken, gorgonzola, a LOT of Franks Hot Sauce, and cilantro. Very good and filling! - 4/16/13
AUNTIELAURA

Incredible!

4 of 5 people found this review helpful

Yum, yum! I did add some lowfat cheddar cheese as a last step. I was more generous with all the veggies (I used the whole can of tomatoes, drained), only used one cup of milk since I added cheese and topped with parsley/green onions. I served it with a healthy salad. It looked just like the picture. - 2/28/13
CD13093258

Incredible!

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

Lovwd, loved, loved this! So did my teenage son. I used chipotle chili powder in place of cayenne, which gives is a nice smoky undertone. Will definitely be making it again. - 1/1/13
CD12140270

4 of 4 people found this review helpful

In general, Buffalo Sauce is equal parts butter (or margarine or whatever) and hot sauce. I don't know if there's a Spark-friendly version.... - 1/1/13
CD13178198

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

Pretty good, just have to add your own to match the picture. - 1/1/13
LEANJEAN6

Very Good

2 of 3 people found this review helpful

so tasty-- - 1/1/13
CD13935405

Very Good

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

My family really enjoyed this. I thought the cauliflower trick was brilliant-everyone thought they were eating lots of cheese because it looks just like blue cheese on top. This is very healthy compared to most mac and cheese recipes and we had lost of leftovers for lunches - it is great reheated. - 7/25/13
CD13311049

Very Good

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

I will make this again and thicken it up some with cornstarch or instant potato flakes. Or with some of the leftover cauliflower, cook and use blender to cream it in the milk. I used a can of Rotel hot diced tomatoes with habaneros.Next time I'll not use as much Franks hot sauce either. - 1/27/13
PATRICIAANN46

Very Good

1 of 1 people found this review helpful

The entire family liked this. Will make it again..... - 1/1/13
ELEANER

1 of 2 people found this review helpful

Is there a recipe for the Buffalo Sauce? - 1/1/13
TRAVELGAL417

Incredible!

got to try - 5/5/21
TERMITEMOM

Good

Very interesting recipe. The buffalo sauce (anoher recipe) is tasty. But even adding a lot of cayenne, I found the dish rather bland. - 4/16/21
POSEY440

Good

Great - 2/28/21
JUSTJ2014

Incredible!

This is a great way to spice up pasta - 2/18/21
PIZZA5152

Kids really like this, i am not a fan of Mac and cheese - 2/11/21
ROBBIEY

I can hardly wait to try this one. All my favorites in one place. - 12/10/20
SHERYE

Very enjoyable - 11/16/20
EOWYN2424

Incredible!

yum - 11/16/20
FISHGUT3

thanks - 9/6/20
TURQUROISE

Incredible!

I read the comments and I used the idea from LLTE40A. I used only ¼ tsp of cayenne pepper but added diced jalapeño peppers for the heat. Added fresh tomatoes, onion, basil, parsley and thyme from my garden. This was awesome
I am going to look for a recipe for buffalo sauce. - 8/6/20
REGILIEH

Good

ok - 7/22/20
CECTARR

Thanks - 6/6/20
LIBR@RYL@DY

Incredible!

YUM - 4/5/20
PATRICIAAK

:) - 4/5/20
KITTYHAWK1949

very good - 3/10/20
ETHELMERZ

Bad

Most will eat 2 cup servings..... used 1 cup jack cheese and a bit of bleu cheese. Do not use mozzarella, it is tasteless and like candle wax. - 3/2/20
WILDKAT781

Incredible!

wonderful! - 2/20/20
EVIE4NOW

Very Good

I cut back on the cayenne and omitted the buffalo altogether. No cauliflower on hand so I tossed in broccoli. - 1/20/20
2DAWN4

I added more cheese just because that is what I do! Very good! - 1/13/20
SRIVERS1

Incredible!

This was so good. My son loves mac & cheese and he went crazy for this. - 1/10/20
DEEVIRGO72

Good

I understand this site is about healthy choices, but this dish needs a LOT more cheese. It has the potential to be amazing, but be prepared to do some tweaking. Also, I put the onion and celery in a food processor instead of chopping and the leftovers were nice and moist. Will make again! - 10/17/19
INGRAMNAT

Good

Would prefer for the recipe to be more creamy but it was good. It paired nice with carrot and celery sticks. Will try making again using some of the suggestions in the comments. - 10/2/19
AZMOMXTWO

thank you - 9/15/19
WHITEANGEL4

Incredible!

Hubby likes this one. We had it last week while we were waiting on Dorian to go by - 9/8/19
ALEPEQUIJADA

Yummy! - 8/20/19
JANTHEBLONDE

Incredible!

I love this Buffalo chicken mac& cheese recipe! Yummy - 8/18/19
DARLINGD1970

Incredible!

Yummy - 7/14/19
NELLJONES

I have no idea what buffalo sauce is. - 7/13/19
BONNIE1552

Grandsons would like this. - 7/6/19
JIACOLO

I wish I liked buffalo chicken - 6/25/19
ANHELIC

Great recipe to try. Looking forward to trying this as it seems really tasty and healthy. - 5/1/19
DMEYER4

great recipe - 4/23/19
RHOOK20047

Incredible!

Loved this recipe. Will make this often. - 4/18/19
PLATINUM755

Incredible!

I cooked the chicken separately along with a bean mix (vegetarian in the house)to go along with the rest of the dish. It's good! - 3/25/19
HOLLYM48

Incredible!

My family loves when I make this buffalo chicken mac& cheese recipe! Yummy! - 3/19/19
CD24382931

Incredible!

This is an awesome recipe, however, I did switch out the skim milk for 1% and used fresh tomato instead of canned. Great! - 3/19/19
HOTPINKCAMARO49

Tasty! - 2/21/19
MOMMY445

Good

good - 2/21/19
KACEYSW

Incredible!

I really enjoyed the flavors and the texture. It made for great leftovers, as well. - 2/17/19
1CRAZYDOG

LOVE the flavor! Thanks. - 2/8/19
NANCELLA65

This looks amazing and should be an easy make! - 1/28/19
CLAPP2

Incredible!

- 1/20/19
DEE107

looks good - 11/23/18
EGGBASKET1

Incredible!

Delicious - 11/23/18
BONDMANUS2002

Interesting - 9/24/18
THINCPL2004

Very Good

I too used less milk and it turned out 👍 - 9/16/18
JAMER123

Incredible!

We enjoyed this. I did cut the milk back and added some low fat cheese as well. Creamy and tasty. - 9/16/18
ARTJAC

NICE - 9/10/18
RDCAGAIN10

Incredible!

This looks like a kids fav - 9/10/18
DJ4HEALTH

good - 8/18/18
BABY_GIRL69

Very Good

Yummy - 6/30/18
TWEETYKC00

Wasn't sure if I would lie this, but not bad. - 6/15/18
BARCELONAME

awesome recipe - 6/13/18
NEPTUNE1939

tasty - 6/7/18
CD6913562

My hubby loves mac n cheese and this recipe is an excellent change with chicken being added. - 6/4/18
MBPP50

Interesting - 5/26/18
SISTERPRETTY

yummy.... - 3/20/18
PICKIE98

Good

I skipped the cayenne and used cominos and chili powder instead. - 3/20/18
CD1987279

Big mac and cheese fan - 3/5/18
TWOTONTESEE

Will try - 2/24/18
SUNSHINE99999

yummy - 2/6/18
CECELW

Incredible!

Very tasted. Make some adjustments with the skim milk - 2/6/18
GEORGE815

Great recipe and colorful. - 2/1/18
ALICIA19841

- 1/21/18
CD22562937

Very Good

I made this tonight and it was really good. Following the advice from some of the other reviews, I drained my tomatoes, reduced the milk to 1 cup and added some mozzarella cheese. I will be making this recipe again. - 1/15/18
TOMATOCAFEGAL

Very Good

Comfort food for sons family - 1/13/18
CD11442703

I want to try this. I have such a bad history with whole wheat pasta being palatable (is that a word?) Anyway, I'll have to give it a try. - 1/11/18
LOSER05

Incredible!

yummy. - 1/10/18
YANKEEBACKHOME

Very Good

Even better low carb! Use cream, not skim milk. Use only cauliflower and skip the pasta (whole wheat is only marginally better than white anyway). No flour needed, but if you DO need it thickend, add a dash of xanthan gum. All round better for diabetics and everyone, by skipping all those carbs. - 1/10/18
MERLECHRIS

Very Good

With the comments I used less milk and it was just the right consistency and so tasty. - 12/28/17
JIBBIE49

Sounds good. - 12/3/17
ROSSYFLOSSY

O.K.

Sounds delicious! - 11/19/17
KATHYJO56

Good

This is okay, but I doubt if I make it a second time - 10/16/17
JANIEWWJD

Good lunch!!! - 10/13/17
NASFKAB

sounds great must makeit - 9/21/17