Uploaded January 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
This buffalo chicken Mac n' Cheese is a cosy, creamy, slightly spicy pasta dish with 3 cheeses, PLUS juicy pieces of buffalo chicken. No oven required – it's all done on the stovetop!
Ingredients
1 ½ tbsp oil
450 g (1lb) chicken breasts chopped into bitesize chunks
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Cajun spice mix
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
280 g (9.9oz) elbow macaroni
2.5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion finely chopped
1 Jalapeno sliced
2.5 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
400 ml (1 + 2/3 cups) full-fat milk
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4 tbsp hot pepper sauce – I use Frank's hot sauce (not sponsored!)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
125 g (1 + 1/4 packed cup) cheddar cheese grated
75 g (3/4 packed cup) Gruyere cheese grated
35 g (1/3 cup) mozzarella cheese grated
To finish:
2 tbsp chopped spring onions (scallions)
Instructions
✅Put a large pan of water on to boil ready for the macaroni.
✅Starting with the chicken, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken, salt, pepper, Cajun spice and Cayenne pepper. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring often, until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a bowl.
✅By now the water should be boiling. Add in the macaroni and cook as per the pack instructions. Then drain in a colander, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water.
✅Meanwhile, add the butter to the frying pan that you cooked the chicken in and heat on a medium heat until melted. Add the onion and Jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion has softened.
✅Stir in the flour until it coats the onion. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often, then a splash at a time, add the milk. Stir with a whisk between each addition of milk until all the milk is used and the sauce has no floury lumps.
✅Continue to stir whilst heating until the sauce starts to thicken. Then add cooked chicken and the cooked and drained pasta. Cook for a further minute to heat the chicken back through. Add in splashes of the reserved pasta cooking water if you want to loosen up the sauce.
✅Stir in the salt and pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, all three cheeses. Cook, while stirring, for a further 2 minutes, until the cheese melts.
✅Divide between bowls and top with sliced spring onions before serving.
This buffalo chicken Mac n' Cheese is a cosy, creamy, slightly spicy pasta dish with 3 cheeses, PLUS juicy pieces of buffalo chicken. No oven required – it's all done on the stovetop!
Ingredients
1 ½ tbsp oil
450 g (1lb) chicken breasts chopped into bitesize chunks
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
2 tbsp Cajun spice mix
1 tsp Cayenne pepper
280 g (9.9oz) elbow macaroni
2.5 tbsp unsalted butter
1 large onion finely chopped
1 Jalapeno sliced
2.5 tbsp plain (all purpose) flour
400 ml (1 + 2/3 cups) full-fat milk
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
4 tbsp hot pepper sauce – I use Frank's hot sauce (not sponsored!)
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
125 g (1 + 1/4 packed cup) cheddar cheese grated
75 g (3/4 packed cup) Gruyere cheese grated
35 g (1/3 cup) mozzarella cheese grated
To finish:
2 tbsp chopped spring onions (scallions)
Instructions
✅Put a large pan of water on to boil ready for the macaroni.
✅Starting with the chicken, heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat. When hot, add the chicken, salt, pepper, Cajun spice and Cayenne pepper. Cook for 7-8 minutes, stirring often, until the chicken is just cooked through. Remove the chicken from the pan and place in a bowl.
✅By now the water should be boiling. Add in the macaroni and cook as per the pack instructions. Then drain in a colander, reserving a cup of the pasta cooking water.
✅Meanwhile, add the butter to the frying pan that you cooked the chicken in and heat on a medium heat until melted. Add the onion and Jalapeno and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the onion has softened.
✅Stir in the flour until it coats the onion. Cook for 1 minute, stirring often, then a splash at a time, add the milk. Stir with a whisk between each addition of milk until all the milk is used and the sauce has no floury lumps.
✅Continue to stir whilst heating until the sauce starts to thicken. Then add cooked chicken and the cooked and drained pasta. Cook for a further minute to heat the chicken back through. Add in splashes of the reserved pasta cooking water if you want to loosen up the sauce.
✅Stir in the salt and pepper, hot sauce, Worcestershire sauce, all three cheeses. Cook, while stirring, for a further 2 minutes, until the cheese melts.
✅Divide between bowls and top with sliced spring onions before serving.
