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rotini pasta and cooked skinless chicken breast cubes in an orange Buffalo cream-cheese sauce with very small cooked celery pieces in a plain bowl
Andre Lewis

Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Hot sauce brings plenty of seasoning, so keep the added salt modest and let the cream cheese soften its edge without making the pasta taste flat. The chicken cooks in small pieces before the sauce comes together. A little finely diced celery gives the dish the familiar crunch-adjacent flavor without putting raw sticks on top of dinner. Toss until the orange sauce reaches inside the rotini, then stop heating once the cheese is smooth. A hard boil won't make the coating any better.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients Method

Ingredients
  

  • 8 oz dry rotini
  • 1 tbsp fine salt for pasta water
  • 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1 tbsp neutral oil
  • 1/4 tsp fine salt for chicken
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 celery rib finely diced
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
  • 1/4 cup cayenne pepper hot sauce
  • 3 oz cream cheese cubed
  • 2 oz Monterey Jack cheese grated

Method
 

  1. Cook rotini in water with the tablespoon salt until 1 minute short of the package time. Reserve 1 cup pasta water before draining.
  2. Meanwhile, season chicken with its salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet and cook chicken and celery for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring, until the meat reaches at least 165°F.
  3. Stir in garlic for 30 seconds, then add broth, hot sauce and cream cheese. Reduce heat to low and stir for 2 to 3 minutes until the cream cheese melts smoothly.
  4. Add rotini and 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and toss over low heat for 1 to 2 minutes until the pasta is tender.
  5. Remove from heat, stir in Monterey Jack and add more reserved water if needed for a light coating. Serve while the sauce is smooth.