Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad (Easy + DELICIOUS!)

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad recipe in a bowl.

5 from 3 votes

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad (Easy + DELICIOUS!)

A bold and creamy pasta salad loaded with spicy buffalo chicken, crisp veggies, and a tangy blue cheese dressing. It’s quick to make, easy to customize, and the perfect side—or main—for BBQs, lunches, and potlucks.

Prep Time10

Cook Time10

Course: Salad

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

Servings:

Author: Jennifer Pallian BSc, RD

Ingredients

8 oz penne pasta
2 cups cooked chicken shredded or chopped
¼ cup buffalo sauce
1 cup cherry tomatoes quartered
½ cup finely-chopped celery
¼ cup finely-chopped red onion
2 tbsp fresh parsley minced
⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese

For the dressing:

¼ cup sour cream
2 tbsp mayonnaise
½ tsp kosher salt plus more to taste
¼ tsp black pepper

Instructions

Cook the Pasta

Cook the pasta in well-salted water (2 tbsp kosher salt per quart of water) until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool quickly. Chill in the fridge if prepping ahead.

For Dressing

In a bowl, whisk together sour cream, mayo, salt, and pepper until smooth.

Toss Chicken with Buffalo Sauce

Coat the chicken with buffalo sauce in a large bowl.

Assemble Salad

Add cooled pasta, tomatoes, celery, red onion and parsley to the bowl with the chicken.
Drizzle with the dressing and mix until everything is coated. Taste and add additional salt if needed (if you use seasoned rotisserie chicken + well-salted pasta water, it's perfect, but otherwise it might need more).
Top with crumbled blue cheese just before serving.

Notes

Pasta options: Rotini, bowties, or shells all work well in place of penne.

Make-ahead tip: Prep up to 24 hours in advance. Add the blue cheese just before serving to keep it from getting soggy.

Protein shortcut: Rotisserie chicken works great here—just shred and toss with sauce.

Serving idea: Great cold, but also good slightly warm if you’re not using mayo-heavy dressing.

Nutrition