This Buffalo Chicken Casserole is like a Buffalo Chicken Mac ‘N Cheese… with a creamy, spicy sauce, lots of carrots and celery, and melty blue cheese on top!
This is one of those drop-everything-right-now-and-make-this-immediately kind of recipes. As in, really really good.
I decided that casseroles are AWESOME, after having such success with my Tex-Mex Squash Casserole the other day. They’re kind of like yummy crock-pot recipes, but with a crispy baked crust. Uhm, yum! Plus they make a lot, and we like leftovers in this house.
I found the Tex-Mex Squash recipe in an email all about summer casseroles. So I returned to that email to see what else it offered. I found a couple that sounded good. I asked Nick if he’d like zucchini-rice casserole or buffalo chicken casserole. I don’t think there was even a millisecond of hesitation. As if I really needed to ask!
- 12 ounces small whole-wheat noodles (such as elbows, shells or rotini)
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 medium carrots, sliced
- 3 medium stalks celery, sliced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cut into 1-inch cubes
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 4 cups milk
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 5 tbsp hot sauce, preferably Frank’s RedHot
- ¾ cup crumbled blue cheese
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cook noodles until barely tender, about 2 minutes less than package directions. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- Heat oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add carrots, celery, onion and garlic and cook until beginning to soften, about 5 minutes.
- Add chicken and cook until no longer pink on the outside, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Whisk cornstarch and milk in a medium bowl; add to the pot along with salt.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring often, until bubbling and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in hot sauce.
- Spread the noodles in a 9-by-13-inch (or similar 3-quart) baking dish.
- Top with the chicken mixture; sprinkle with blue cheese.
- Bake the casserole until it is bubbling, about 30 minutes.
Original recipe from Eating Well.
This was amazing. It was kind of like a Buffalo chicken mac & cheese, except, there wasn’t really any cheese in it besides the blue crumbles. But it was creamy and tangy and just a tad spicy… a perfect combination. If you’re not a blue cheese fan, you could definitely top it with shredded cheddar or pepperjack.
I want to make this again already.
Note: Photos updated 4-24-16. Original photo below.
You should probably check out my other buffalo chicken recipes. Because it’s one of the best foods ever. Duh.
Buffalo Chicken Shepherd’s Pie
Did you cook the noodles before putting them in the pan?
Woops! Didn’t read the beginning of the directions! Got it! Thanks for the recipe 🙂