Name: Baked Buffalo Chicken Rigatoni
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 1 lb rigatoni pasta (penne or ziti will work too); 2 tablespoons butter; 1 onion, diced; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 2 cups 1% or 2% milk; 2 oz cream cheese (I use reduced fat – can’t tell the difference!); ½ cup buffalo hot sauce, plus more for serving; ¼ cup ranch dressing (or blue cheese dressing), plus more for serving; ¼ cup blue cheese crumbles, plus more for serving; 2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken for this); 1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese; 1½ cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese; Scallions, for garnish

Description

This Baked Buffalo Chicken Rigatoni is a hearty and comforting pasta dish that is bursting with the flavors of buffalo chicken! Spicy, tangy, and downright delicious! It’s like buffalo chicken dip meets cheesy baked pasta. YUM.

Ingredients

Scale

1 lb rigatoni pasta (penne or ziti will work too)
2 tablespoons butter
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups 1% or 2% milk
2 oz cream cheese (I use reduced fat – can’t tell the difference!)
1/2 cup buffalo hot sauce, plus more for serving
1/4 cup ranch dressing (or blue cheese dressing), plus more for serving
1/4 cup blue cheese crumbles, plus more for serving
2 cups shredded cooked chicken (I use a rotisserie chicken for this)
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups part-skim shredded mozzarella cheese
Scallions, for garnish

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Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375°F and set a large pot of water on the stove to boil. Once the water is boiling, season liberally with salt and add your pasta. Cook your pasta until it is al dente, according to the package directions.
While the pasta water is coming up to boil, make the cream sauce: heat a large oven-safe casserole or skillet over medium heat.
Add the butter to the pan. Once the butter is melted, add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes or until the onion is soft. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
Slowly stream in the milk and then stir in the cream cheese. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until the mixture thickens and is creamy and smooth.
Stir in the buffalo sauce, ranch dressing, blue cheese, and shredded chicken. Stir to combine.
At this point, your pasta should be done. Drain and add to the cream sauce mixture, stirring to evenly combine everything.
Dollop the ricotta evenly over the pasta and top with the shredded mozzarella.
Transfer the pan to the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the edges are bubbly and the cheese is melted and golden in spots.
Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, and garnish with additional blue cheese and chopped scallions. I like to serve this with extra buffalo sauce and/or ranch on the side for drizzling.

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
Category: buffalo chicken