Creamy Buffalo Ranch Chicken Pasta (Print)

A rich, spicy baked pasta with chicken, buffalo wing sauce, ranch spices, and gooey melted cheeses.

# Ingredients:

→ Pasta

01 - 12 ounces penne or rotini pasta

→ Chicken

02 - 2 cups cooked chicken breast, shredded or diced

→ Sauces & Seasoning

03 - 1 packet (1 ounce) ranch seasoning
04 - 1 cup buffalo wing sauce, mild or hot
05 - 1/2 cup sour cream
06 - 1/2 cup cream cheese, softened
07 - 1/4 cup whole milk

→ Cheese

08 - 1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
09 - 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

→ Garnish

10 - 2 green onions, sliced
11 - 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese

# Instructions:

01 - Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish and set aside.
02 - Cook pasta in salted boiling water until al dente according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
03 - In a large mixing bowl, combine ranch seasoning packet, buffalo wing sauce, sour cream, softened cream cheese, and milk. Whisk until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Add cooked pasta and shredded chicken to the sauce mixture. Stir thoroughly until all pasta and chicken are evenly coated with sauce.
05 - Fold in 1 cup mozzarella cheese and 3/4 cup cheddar cheese, mixing gently until combined.
06 - Pour the pasta mixture into the prepared baking dish. Distribute evenly and top with remaining mozzarella and cheddar cheese.
07 - Bake uncovered for 25 to 30 minutes until the top is golden brown and edges are bubbly.
08 - Remove from oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Garnish with sliced green onions and crumbled blue cheese if desired. Serve immediately while hot.

# Pro Tips:

01 -
  • It tastes like you spent hours in the kitchen when you really spent fifteen minutes prepping.
  • The spicy-creamy-cheesy combo hits different—tangy ranch playing against buffalo heat while mozzarella keeps everything silky.
  • One dish means one cleanup, which means more time doing literally anything else on a weeknight.
02 -
  • Don't use boiling hot cream cheese straight from the fridge—soften it first or you'll spend ten minutes whisking lumps instead of making sauce.
  • Pasta cooked perfectly al dente is crucial because it's getting another 25 minutes in the oven and will go mushy if you start with overcooked noodles.
  • The sauce might look thin before baking, but the pasta absorbs liquid and the cheese melts, so trust the process and don't add extra milk.
03 -
  • If your kitchen runs cold or your oven bakes unevenly, rotate the baking dish halfway through cooking so the top browns evenly instead of one side burning while the other stays pale.
  • Don't overthink the cheese ratio—the amounts given work perfectly, but if you're a maximum-cheese person, add an extra half cup of mozzarella and nobody's going to complain.
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