Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad solves your craving for something spicy and is ready in a jiffy thanks to pre-cooked chicken (psst, grab a rotisserie bird from the grocery store!)
If you love Buffalo chicken, you're going to love this pasta salad. It's super flavorful, of course, but it's also DEAD EASY because you start with pre-cooked chicken. Don't have any lying around in the fridge? Grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store. Done and done! And need to make it gluten-free? Change out the pasta. You'll love how easy this is and the fact that it's a great addition to any barbecue, picnic, or outdoor gathering. It's a super quick healthy meal prep.
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta
- ½ cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup buffalo-style hot sauce
- 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise
- 2 Tbsp. ranch seasoning
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- ¾ cup thinly sliced celery
- ½ cup sliced green onion
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
Start with cooking some rotini pasta and setting it aside. You can do this ahead of time if you like.
In a large bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, along with the Buffalo-style hot sauce, mayonnaise, and ranch seasoning. So much flavor! Then add the carrots, celery, green onion, cheddar cheese, and cooked chicken. Toss it all together so it's evenly distributed and eat immediately. Or chill it.
How to Serve and Store Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
Once this Buffalo chicken pasta salad comes together you can meal prep it like we've shown in the photo. There's something especially nice about packing this up with strawberries; the sweetness is a delicious contrast. Store this in the fridge for up to 4 days. The best part of this meal prep is that you can eat it cold right out of the fridge. We love this for lunch, for that very reason!
You can certainly serve this as it is, or alongside a green salad instead of the strawberries. Or maybe split the difference and add strawberries to a salad, and top it with some blue cheese or ranch dressing.
Substitutions and Alterations
This Buffalo chicken salad pasta is easy to adapt. You can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts, no problem there. Feel free to substitute any other short stubby pasta, such as penne, fusilli, or even cavatappi (which is a pretty fun shape).
Swap the cheddar cheese for Monterey Jack. If you can't get enough heat, up the spice level and use cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno in it. Or, take a total detour from the cheddar/jack situation and go classic by mixing in some crumbled blue cheese.
You can add other veggies to this pasta salad, but it will take it out of the territory of a traditional Buffalo chicken profile. Finely chopped bell peppers would complement the other flavors, however. In some cases, it's often best to keep it simple. Right?
You can turn this whole dish vegan by using vegan mayo, yogurt, and cheeses, and changing it to tofu instead.
Want ALL the Buffalo Chicken Dishes? Read ON!
- Whole30 Baked Buffalo Chicken Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Sweet Potato Skins
- Buffalo Chicken Stuffed Pepper Meal Prep
- Minute Rice Buffalo Chicken Meatballs Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces rotini pasta gluten free if needed
- ½ cup whole milk plain Greek yogurt
- ¼ cup Buffalo-style hot sauce
- 2 tablespoon mayonnaise
- 2 tablespoon ranch seasoning
- 1 cup matchstick carrots
- ¾ cup celery thinly sliced
- ½ cup green onion thinly sliced
- ½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 cups diced cooked chicken breast
Instructions
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain in a colander, rinse under cold running water, and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the yogurt, hot sauce, mayonnaise, and ranch seasoning. Add the cooked pasta to the bowl, along with the carrots, celery, green onion, cheese, and chicken. Toss well to combine.
- Divide into meal prep containers and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
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