Easy Buffalo Chicken Alfredo is a protein-packed meal that brings the heat with ingredients such as Cajun seasoning and Franks Red Hot Sauce! Ready to eat in just 25 minutes!
Kick dinner time up a notch by sliding this Buffalo Chicken Alfredo onto the table! The 4-ingredient buffalo alfredo sauce makes it a deliciously unforgettable meal that everyone will be begging to have again before they’ve even finished eating!
And while this does make for a filling, satisfying meal, it’s also a terrific meal prep choice as well! Especially if you count macros or are focusing on high protein-rich foods.
This Buffalo Chicken Recipe is packed with protein, coming in at around 50g per serving! Making it an easy yet tasty way to get my protein in for the day with a meal that I actually get really excited about!
Taking A Bite Of This Buffalo Chicken Alfredo
Taste: Your palate will be stimulated with this mouthwatering buffalo chicken dish! Ingredients like buffalo sauce, garlic paste, alfredo sauce, and Cajun seasoning combine in this recipe for a cheesy, spiced dish that’s deliciously savory!
Texture: That creamy hot alfredo sauce then coats perfectly cooked al dente pasta and tender, moist chunks of chicken. Making it a texture-rich meal that’s satisfying to eat!
Key Ingredients For A Kick Of Heat
- Boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
- Barilla Protein+ Pasta or pasta of choice
- Avocado oil
- Cajun seasoning
- Garlic paste
- Frank’s Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
- Rao’s Alfredo Sauce
- Parmesan cheese for garnish
- Parsley for garnish
This easy-to-make dish boasts a big, delicious kick of heat by using simple ingredients. After all, would it even be Buffalo Chicken Alfredo if it didn’t leave a trace of heat on your taste buds?
To achieve the kick of heat with buffalo flavor, there are two key ingredients. The first is buffalo sauce; we love using Frank’s Red Hot as we found it to be the most flavorful.
The second key ingredient is Cajun seasoning. This is where you can control the dish’s heat, tailoring it to your liking.
For less heat, use less Cajun seasoning. And if you want an even less spicy dish, you can just season the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika instead of Cajun seasoning.
The buffalo sauce will still bring some heat, but it does get tamed down a bit since it combines with Alfredo sauce.
How To Make Buffalo Chicken Alfredo Step-By-Step
Step 1: Cook pasta in a large pot according to package direction for al dente. We like using penne but also enjoy this recipe with spaghetti.
Step 2: Cut up the chicken into bite-sized pieces.
Step 3: Cook the chicken in avocado oil with Cajun seasoning over medium-high until cooked through. Add in the garlic paste and cook for one more minute, stirring frequently.
Step 4: Reduce to medium heat and add in the alfredo sauce and buffalo sauce and stir to combine. Let it simmer and thicken for a few minutes.
Step 5: Add the cooked and drained pasta to the skillet with the buffalo chicken alfredo.
Step 6: Mix everything together and garnish with parmesan cheese and parsley before serving.
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Recipe Tips
- Pasta – For this dish to remain a protein-packed dish, I would suggest sticking with the Barilla Protein+ Pasta. However, if you’re not in this dish for the protein value, then feel free to skip the protein pasta and replace it with your favorite noodles. Penne pasta, fettuccini, and even spaghetti are all great options for this dish. You can even serve the buffalo chicken sauce over rice instead of pasta!
- Brands – To tailor this easy meal to your taste buds, you can use other brands of buffalo wing sauce or alfredo sauce. Just keep in mind that doing so will impact the overall nutritional value of this recipe.
- Oil – We recommend avocado oil because it has a higher smoke point than olive oil. But in a pinch, olive oil can be used.
- Chicken – When cutting up the chicken breast into chunks, try to keep the pieces close to the same size. This way, all of the chicken will cook evenly in the skillet without some overcooking and drying out while others remain uncooked.
- Serving – If you’ll be serving the whole dish right away, go ahead and combine all of the sauce and all of the pasta together. If you’re meal prepping, I’d suggest only combining what you’ll be eating.
- Add Veggies – I love steaming up vegetables like broccoli or sauteeing some red peppers with the chicken too.
- Garnishes – We love enjoying our Buffalo Chicken Alfredo garnished with parmesan cheese and fresh parsley!
Be prepared with another protein-packed meal prep recipe by cooking up this Juicy Chicken 101! Make a batch at the beginning of the week to use on salads, in wraps, or enjoy it as is served up with veggies.
Serving up an easy pasta dish like this Buffalo Chicken Alfredo at dinner time is an easy way to fill bellies while still making a flavor-packed dish! Another chicken and pasta dish that has a kick of heat is this UNO copycat Rattlesnake Pasta that’s ready in only 35 minutes!
Though for more pasta recipes that have little to no heat but still have lots of flavor, you don’t want to miss my One-Pot Creamy Tomato Pasta or Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta!
Storage Instructions For Leftover Buffalo Chicken Alfredo
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Leftovers can then be enjoyed for up to 5 days.
What To Serve With This Dish
Since this Buffalo Alfredo is packed with protein, I usually fill up on this dish alone. Though a fresh, crisp garden salad, garlic bread, or even just raw celery and carrots on the side with ranch dressing or blue cheese dressing would pair well with it.
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
While this recipe was developed as a quick and easy shortcut dinner that is macro-friendly and protein-packed, if those aren’t priorities of yours, that’s totally fine! If you’d prefer to make homemade alfredo with butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese, feel free to do so, and then add the buffalo sauce until your desired flavor is reached.
Buffalo Chicken Alfredo FAQs
Can I Make The Buffalo Alfredo Sauce Ahead Of Time?
Yes, you can make this sauce ahead of time to make for the easiest meal prep. When you’re preparing the fresh pasta, just reserve a little bit of the pasta water to loosen the sauce back up when you reheat it.
Is A Serving Size Of Pasta The Best Ratio For This Buffalo Alfredo?
The protein+ pasta serving size is 56g. However, I do find that 75-80g of pasta makes for the best ratio in this buffalo chicken dish.
Can I Make This Recipe With Shredded Chicken Instead Of Chunks Of Chicken?
Absolutely! Just be sure to use about 1 pound of shredded chicken to keep the recipe ratios nicely balanced. You can even grab a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store to use!
Can I Make This Recipe Into A Casserole To Bake In The Oven?
Yes, to do so, I’d reserve a bit of the starchy water from the boiled pasta water to add to the sauce. This way, the buffalo chicken pasta bake won’t come out dry!
I’d also suggest topping the casserole with pre-shredded cheese, such as mozzarella, to give it a nice cheesy top. Just keep in mind this addition will alter the nutritional value!
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Buffalo Chicken Alfredo
INGREDIENTS
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts cubed
- 12 ounces Barilla Protein+ Pasta or pasta of choice
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil
- 1-2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste
- ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce
- â…” cup Rao's Alfredo Sauce
- Parmesan cheese for topping
- fresh parsley for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
- Cube 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces on a cutting board and set aside.
- Bring salted water to a boil and cook 12 ounces Barilla Protein+ Pasta (or pasta of choice) according to package directions.
- Add 2 tablespoons avocado oil to a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Add in the cubed 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breastshicken and sprinkle all over with 1-2 teaspoon Cajun seasoning. I like to go a little heavy, but if you prefer a more mild flavor, go ahead and do less.
- Cook the chicken stirring frequently, for about 5 to 6 minutes, until cooked through.
- Add in 1 tablespoon garlic paste and stir constantly while cooking for 1 minute.
- Add ¼ cup Frank's Red Hot Buffalo Sauce and ⅔ cup Rao's Alfredo Sauce and stir until combined. Let simmer for 2 to 3 minutes.
- Serve over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.
NOTES
- I eat this dinner every week as part of my meal prep. It’s great for counting macros; if you use the Barilla protein+ pasta, this dish packs in around 50g of protein per serving!
- You can use other brands of hot sauce or Alfredo sauce, but it will impact the overall nutritional value.Â
- This dish has a kick, and you can control the amount of heat slightly by adjusting the amount of Cajun seasoning used. If you prefer, you can just season the chicken with salt, pepper, and paprika instead of cajun seasoning.
- This will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, making it a great meal prep option. I usually prepare my pasta fresh and reserve a little bit of pasta water to loosen the sauce back up and stretch it further.
- For the Protein+ pasta, 56g is a serving size, but I usually find that 75-80g of pasta makes for the best ratio for this dish.
- If you are serving the whole dish right away, you can add the sauce and pasta together right after cooking and stir to combine.Â
- We like to use penne for this recipe, but spaghetti or fettuccine are other great options.
- This would also be delicious served over rice.
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