Stovetop Buffalo Chicken Shells + Cheese.
Can Mondays be decadent?
Because I think this one is.
It’s like velveeta shells and cheese on drugs. In a good way. And ten thousand times better.
Speaking of, those darn boxed shells are one of my guilty pleasures. I haven’t had them in years because I constantly feel forced to grab the organic whole wheat version from Trader Joe’s which tastes NOTHING like the old-school ones, but still. I kinda want some 1995 squeezy-cheese pack pasta in my life.
Not today though. Not today. We are making something a leeeetle more extravagant. But still easy. With lots of flavor pop.
Last summer I made a stovetop BBQ chicken mac and cheese and went nutso for it. In a sense, this recipe is a giant copout considering it’s not entirely different but it’s just so, so good. I’ve been wanting to create a buffalo version for at least a year and in my current buffalo infatuation, I’ve found my perfect combination of flavors for all things buffalo.
Somebody stop me.
But don’t.
So. This buffalo chicken mac isn’t TOO different from the baked version I shared a few years ago, but I personally find it a little simpler and ummm… you don’t have to turn on your oven in the 500 degree heat of summer!
At least I don’t exaggerate things at all.
Stovetop Buffalo Chicken Shells + Cheese
Ingredients
- 4 cups whole wheat pasta shells
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into cubes
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 cup buffalo wing sauce
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 2 1/4 cups whole milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons dijon mustard
- 6 ounces freshly grated fontina cheese
- 4 ounces freshly grated sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces crumbled gorgonzola cheese
- 1/4 cup finely grated parmesan cheese
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1/3 cup freshly torn cilantro
Instructions
- Bring water to a boil for the pasta and cook according to the directions. While it’s cooking, prepare the sauce and chicken below, but when pasta is finished, make sure to drain it and set aside.
- Heat a large stock pot over medium heat. Add in the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of the butter. Season the chicken with the salt, pepper, onion powder and smoked paprika. Add to the pot, stir and cover. Cook until the chicken is browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Toss with 1/2 cup buffalo wing sauce and cook for another minute. Pour the chicken mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- Keep the same pot over medium heat and add the remaining butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour to create a roux. It will be an orangey color after picking up the chicken/buffalo wing bits. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until it’s thickened and fragrant. Pour in the milk and whisk constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and stir in the mustard, fontina, cheddar, 2 ounces of the gorgonzola and the parmesan. Stir until the cheese melts completely.
- Add in the cooked shells and the chicken mixture and toss to coat. Drizzle in remaining buffalo wing sauce. Serve immediately with green onions, gorgonzola and cilantro on top!
Notes
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Dig in.
94 Comments on “Stovetop Buffalo Chicken Shells + Cheese.”
I love it! I can’t get enough Bufflao Chicken recipes! This just looks incredible! That’s one thing I miss about living in Buffalo, are the wings! In California, they don’t have a clue what real Buffalo style food tastes like. Love, love, love this recipe!! Making this one this week! :)
Simpler, not turning the oven on, and lots of cheese – triple win!
There is nothing that involves buffalo chicken that I don’t like! This looks so delicious!!
Mac and cheese should be an everyday occurrence! Too Many Mondays are filled with lifeless food. That is no way to start a week!! It can not be simpler than this; great recipe
That look so good.
Wow, this is one gourmet mac and cheese! I think we need to get you a bumper sticker that says something like ‘bacon and buffalo make the world better’. I don’t mind your obsession one bit – keep em coming! :)
OMG. I want. I need. I must have it!
Mondays should always be decadent! Looks delicious!
Velveeeeta! OK, so I totally love the one with the fake bacon. Is that terrible? And yes forever to decadent Monday. Why deprive ourselves when starting the work week is already sad enough and now we can make ourselves ultra happy with the mac n cheese goodness instead?
omg, i never had that one… i don’t even think i know about it!?
My husband would die if I made this! Another amazing recipe :) I agree that Monday’s should always be decadent. I guess I followed that rule today on my own blog without even thinking twice!
xoxohannah
This is calling my name! And you are totally right about the Velvetta boxed shells. Soooo good. Every now and then I do it just because I gotta. Worth it.
Yes!
I have a pinterest board titled Buffalo Sauce For All The Things. I think this would fit nicely in there. Because really. Everything needs to be buffalo chickened.
Love this!
agreed!
This is fueling my mac & cheese obsession. Pinning!
I’m pretty much game for anything cheesy, pasta-y, or cilantro-y:) And we all deserve a little 1995 cheesy squeeze pack pasta in our life…maybe that’ll be on Tuesday.
craving buffalo sauce at this time of day is unnatural, yet here I am, wanting to dive in face first!!! love this :)
you don’t have to tell me twice… I love yummy and easy meals
Oh. Yes. This is THE perfect way to start a week. Mondays should always be decadent :)
This sounds serious!! Will need to make soon!
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing! Just your cheesy shells by themselves look awesome. Nothing quite like that gooey orange Velveeta cheese, is there? xD
Pinned this!
This looks VERY decadent! Your photos make it look even better, but I’m pretty sure it would look tasty in a burlap sack! I need to try this.
Jessica I love you and your blog. Your recipes are amazing!
I don’t see why you’re complaining about using your oven in the summer?
I live in LA where it’s warm year round and particularly hot in the summer. I even braise items in the oven all summer long and never complain about using my oven.
my kitchen (and house) are pretty small – even with my AC set at 68 degrees, using my oven raises that temperature at least 10 degrees. i also live in PA where it is insanely humid, so 90 degrees can feel like 100.
I live in CT in a second floor apartment. We avoid the oven at all costs in the summer because heat strokes make us sad.
I have to get on this buffalo chicken train! Looks delicious.
This looks amazing!! I am not a huge fan of gorgonzola, do you have a suggestion for a cheese substitute for this dish?
i would just leave it out!
I don’t think I’ve salivated more over a recipe than I am right now – this looks ridiculously good!! :)
I’m completely obsessed, thanks for that! :)
I only use my stovetop in the summer months and reserve my oven for the winter. This mac and cheese recipe looks insane!
Mm I love the cheeses you used in this!! Fontina and Gorgonzola….the best!!!
I haven’t had velveeta shells in forever! Probably since I was poor in college and used my “poorness” as an excuse to eat mac and cheese on a regular basis. God that stuff is good!
This seems like such a fun meal for a cozy dinner at home.
Want it – looks amazing! Agree on leaving off the hot oven sometimes – It’s HOT outside!!!
I loved the BBQ chicken one – so I’m sure I’ll love this one too!
Oh man, this looks good! I’m gonna make this next week. I know my hubby will love it.
Oh SWEET baby Jesus! I wanna die this looks so good. DIE.
This is LITERALLY the perfect meal, in my opinion. It has everything delicious. It’s not missing a single thing. I will not be able to stop thinking of this all day now.
Ahh, I need this in my life! I already have dinner for the next few nights planned out, but I kind of want to scrap it all, and just have this every night instead. Overkill? Absolutely not.
YES. This would make any day better! I’d like to gobble up that big bowl of it right away.
Shells and cheese is my favorite! Love the buffalo chicken twist:)
This looks AMAZING! Too bad I don’t have a functional stovetop to cook it on. I think the universe hates me.
I haven’t found a whole wheat pasta that isn’t,,, well ahhhh, gross. Now I have to admit I have not searched very hard as the first few just kind of turned me off to the stuff and I figured they were all well just healthier. Sorry I forgo health for taste any day; sorry I know my family’s poor arteries. Well this recipe has given me thought to renewing the search with some of your suggestions and who knows maybe a healthier tomorrow. Thanks.
Christine
I will have to make this for my husband who loves all things buffalo chicken.
Looks like a great recipe!
This is only like the third or fourth blog recipe my husband and I’ve made a special trip to the grocery store and cooked the day it was posted. And it’s the first recipe he’s ever chosen over banh mi sandwiches, which was scheduled for tonight. And it was totally, totally worth the stomach ache I have now from eating waaaaay too much. It was amazing. Just flat out amazing. If I didn’t feel like I would explode, I’d go sneak cold bites from the fridge, it is that good.
Your buffalo chicken recipes always temp me! Fortunately I have some GF pasta shells on hand and could make this easily… such a tease when I’m trying to eat healthy!
That is one amazing recipe! Since it feels like fall this week it might be time to bust out some fall recipes! I will be saving this one!
This looks insanely delicious and I love that you used smoked paprika. Definitely not a copout in my booK!
this looks delicious, but is there any substitue you could suggest for the blue cheese?!
you can just leave it out!
I am totally drooling over this recipe right now. My husband will go nuts for this!
I literally drool over all of your recipes. I think my boyfriend would actually fall over and die if I made him a bowl of this amazingness. I LOVE anything buffalo…can’t wait to whip this up!
So I looked for this recipe on Sunday and realized you hadn’t made it yet so I was going to adapt your BBQ chicken mac and cheese and your baked buffalo mac and cheese. Then, on Monday morning, I see that you did it for me!! Weird timing but I’m very excited to make this tonight.
Update- I made this tonight, it was delicious and I now have a food baby. The only thing I did differently was I cooked the chicken in buffalo sauce w/ other spices in the oven last night while baking other chicken (oven had to be on anyway) but otherwise made as written and my husband was pretty thrilled. Easy, delicious and not time-consuming? Thank you so much Jessica!
oooh can we talk about that lovely bowl for a second? Anthropologie? So cute.