No-Boil Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake

Make this cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Bake in under an hour, with less than 10 minutes of prep. It's loaded with spicy buffalo sauce and hidden spinach, and comes out cheesy and delicious. An indulgent and easy meal for a weeknight!

Course Main Course

Cuisine North American

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 50

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 719kcal

Author Emmeline Kemperyd

Equipment

Baking dish - approximately 8x10'' (20x25 cm)
Frying pan
Chopping board*
Measuring cups (metric or US)*
Measuring spoons*

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 lb chicken thigh filets cut in bite-size pieces; or other boneless cut of chicken; see notes for using leftover/rotisserie chicken
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
½ teaspoon paprika powder
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
½ cup hot sauce see notes
10 oz cream cheese
3½ cups dry penne pasta
2 large handfuls spinach
2 cups shredded cheese
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
½ cup crumbled blue cheese divided

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
Melt butter in a pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and season with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika powder and ground black pepper. Sear for 3 minutes, until the chicken is cooked on all sides. It does not have to be cooked through at this point.
1 tablespoon butter, 1 lb chicken thigh filets, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon onion powder, ½ teaspoon paprika powder, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pour in hot sauce and mix with the chicken. Then add cream cheese and mix well while the cheese is melting. Simmer 1 minute.
½ cup hot sauce, 10 oz cream cheese
Bring out a baking dish and place the penne pasta in the bottom. Follow with spinach, half the shredded cheese, chicken and the rest of the shredded cheese. Pour over milk and cream.
3½ cups dry penne pasta, 2 large handfuls spinach, 2 cups shredded cheese, 1 cup milk, 1 cup heavy cream
Bake in the middle of the oven for 45 minutes, until browned on top. Remove the dish from the oven and top with half the blue cheese, then place it back in the oven for 5 more minutes, until the blue cheese is melted.
½ cup crumbled blue cheese
Top with the remaining blue cheese just before serving. Serve on its own or with a green side salad.

Video

Notes

Make it as spicy as you like it. It's not super spicy as written, but has a distinct kick. Add more or less hot sauce to suit your palate!

Keep an eye on it in the oven. If it browns too much, tent with foil and/or move it to a lower rack.

Using leftover / rotisserie chicken

Start by making the sauce from hot sauce and cream cheese, then mix in the chicken. Since it's already cooked it doesn't need to cook again.

What Hot Sauce to Use

I love Frank's RedHot for the perfect buffalo flavor - but Cholula and Louisiana Hot Sauce are also good options. If you can't find either, a generic hot sauce also works well - but stay away from super hot versions like Tabasco.

Meal Prep and Leftovers

This dish makes for great leftovers, it's even better the next day.

Prep ahead: Complete all steps except baking, then refrigerate well covered for up to 24 hours. Bake 50 minutes before serving, adding blue cheese for the final 5 minutes. Give it 10 minutes extra if baking it straight from the refrigerator.

If you want to prep it further ahead of time, you can freeze it before baking. Thaw in the refrigerator and then follow the instructions above.

Make ahead: Make it 1-2 days in advance and store well covered in the fridge. To reheat, cover the dish tightly with aluminium foil and bake in an oven preheated to 350°F (175°C) for 30 minutes. Don't add any blue cheese the first time you bake it, instead add it the last 5 minutes when reheating.

Storing: Store leftovers in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Freezing: Store leftovers in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Reheating in microwave: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 1 minute increments. Add a dash of milk or cream on top before heating, to avoid it drying out.

Reheating in the oven: Cover tightly with aluminum foil and reheat at 350°F (175°C). The time will depend on how much you're reheating - check after 15 minutes and add more time if needed.

Nutrition