Turn up the heat on boring pasta salad with this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad recipe! Bold blue cheese, spicy buffalo sauce, tender chicken, and al dente pasta - what could be better? Plus we have gluten-free, vegetarian, and low-fat options!
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If you love buffalo chicken wings, then you won't want to miss this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad. It takes all of the flavors of your go-to game day dish and elevates it into a fantastic summer side dish.
All of your favorite ingredients are here - blue cheese, celery, chicken, buffalo sauce - with the added tang of sour cream and green onions. It's soooo good!
Wing fans will also love this creamy, cheesy Crockpot Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese. Make it in the slow cooker or on the stovetop!
Not a meat eater? We have a vegetarian version too. Watching your weight? Try the low-fat version. Can't eat gluten? We've got one for you too! Do not miss out on how delicious this dish is.
Ingredients
- pasta - I used rotini but penne, elbows, or even bowties all work fine)
- cooked chicken - you can use a rotisserie chicken from the store, or leftover Slow Cooker Buffalo Chicken
- green onions and celery
- crumbled blue cheese - you can use mozzarella or cheddar cheese if you prefer
- Buffalo wing sauce
- mayonnaise
- sour cream
- granulated garlic
- onion powder
- kosher salt and black pepper
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
This is meant to be a brief overview of the recipe. For step-by-step instructions and a full printable recipe card with ingredients, please scroll down to the teal box below or Jump to Recipe.
- Boil the pasta according to package instructions. Drain in a colander and rinse for several minutes with cold water to cool.
- Chop the chicken into bite-size pieces and place it in a large mixing bowl. Pour in the buffalo wing sauce and stir.
- Add the rest of the wet ingredients and spices to the mixing bowl. Add more buffalo sauce to taste.
- Fold in cooked pasta, blue cheese, green onions, and celery until well incorporated.
- Covered and refrigerate until ready to serve.
What can you add to Pasta Salad?
Personalize this pasta salad! Here are a few ideas recipe variations you might like:
- Swap out the blue cheese for mozzarella or cheddar
- Add 1 teaspoon of smoked paprika for a smokier flavor
- Substitute the mayonnaise and sour cream for Ranch dressing
Recipe Variations
- Low Fat: Omit the mayonnaise and sour cream and use nonfat plain Greek yogurt instead.
- Gluten-Free: Use gluten-free pasta.
- Vegetarian: Omit the chicken and add ½ cup of diced red and green bell peppers, 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes, and add ½ cup of diced red onion.
- If you like, you can substitute the mayo for blue cheese dressing or ranch dressing.
More Amazing Side Dishes
Grilled Corn on the Cob always makes a great side dish, of course, but if you're looking for something a little more out-of-the-box, give one of these tasty recipes a try:
- Loaded Potato Salad
- Rainbow Grilled Vegetable Kabobs
- Ham and Pasta Salad
- BLT Pasta Salad Recipe
- Asian Purple Cabbage Slaw
Related: Salads with Chicken - enjoy as entrees or small portions as side salads. So many tasty choices!
More Spicy Buffalo Recipes
Find loads more amazing buffalo chicken recipes, including Easy Buffalo Chicken Crescent Ring and Best Buffalo Chicken Dip Recipe which are great for game day.
You'll also love our Buffalo Chicken Soup, Buffalo Chicken Salad, and Buffalo Chicken Puff Pastry for a fabulous dinner option.
Not ready to make this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe yet?
Don’t forget to pin this recipe for later! When you do make it, please be sure to tag me on Instagram @jugglingactmama or #jugglingactmama – I’d love to see your pictures! And finally, if you get a chance, please comment and leave me a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below!
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
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Ingredients
- 1 Box of Rotini or other pasta
- 3-4 Cups Chicken cooked
- ½ Cup Green Onions sliced
- ½ Cup Celery diced
- ½ Cup Blue Cheese crumbled
- ¼- ½ Cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
- ⅓ Cup Mayonnaise
- ⅓ Cup Sour Cream
- ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder
- ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- kosher salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Boil the pasta in lightly salted water according to package directions. When done, drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.1 Box of Rotini
- As the pasta cooks, chop your chicken into bite-size pieces. In a large mixing bowl, combine some buffalo wing sauce and the chicken. Stir to coat.3-4 Cups Chicken, ¼- ½ Cup Buffalo Wing Sauce
- Add in the mayonnaise, sour cream, onion powder, and garlic powder. Add more buffalo wing sauce to taste and mix thoroughly.⅓ Cup Mayonnaise, ⅓ Cup Sour Cream, ½ teaspoon Garlic Powder, ½ teaspoon Onion Powder
- Toss in the pasta and stir to coat thoroughly. Then fold in blue cheese, green onions and celery. Season with kosher salt and black pepper to taste.½ Cup Green Onions, ½ Cup Celery, ½ Cup Blue Cheese, kosher salt and black pepper
- Cover and refrigerated until ready to serve.
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