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It’s hard to beat this One Pot Buffalo Chicken “Helper”. Think spicy buffalo chicken meets cozy weeknight casserole. It’s made entirely in one pot and comes together in less than an hour. Made with chicken, spices, buffalo sauce, short-cut pasta, herbs, and plenty of broccoli. Cook everything together in a big skillet, add cheese, and finish this off in the oven. Simple, but so delicious. This is the perfect weeknight casserole that’s fun for game night too.
OK, so this casserole or hamburger “helper” style dinner is very different, but so delicious. This time of year I really love to incorporate cozier, more homestyle family dishes. It’s the beginning of fall, back-to-school season, and football just kicked off a new season. There are many nights of staying in ahead!
Creighton, my oldest brother, loves a hamburger helper-style dinner situation. I recreated the store-bought favorite a couple of years ago. He now asks me to make that dish on a regular basis. It’s one of his favorites.
With that in mind, I wanted to share a new spin on this old-school retro recipe.
As mentioned, it’s football season, and another favorite family dinner is buffalo chicken. Therefore, I thought it could be delicious to bring the two recipes together.
I wanted to add a vegetable to this version so I threw in some broccoli. I also added cheese on top and baked the whole dish in the oven until it was nice and melty. It then became more casserole-like.
It’s different, fun, easy to create, and a meal that everyone really does enjoy!
Details for you
Step 1: find the right size pan
First of all, find yourself a nice big pot or braiser to cook this in. I love this one and think it’s the perfect size for this recipe.
Don’t use anything too small or it’s just going to be a mess.
Step 2: cook the chicken
Now, start cooking! Simply add the onion and chicken to your pot and brown it all over. Next, add some spices, and then the pasta and broccoli.
I love adding broccoli to pasta dishes like this, especially one with cheddar cheese. It’s a favorite combination. Not only does the broccoli incorporate a vegetable into the recipe, but it also adds great flavor. I love it with the spicy buffalo sauce too.
Step 3: Let the pasta cook
Once the pasta and broccoli are both added, pour over a mix of water and milk. Add a squeeze of ketchup (sounds weird, but trust me), then cook everything together until the pasta is al dente.
It’s important to stir the pasta frequently to ensure that nothing is sticking. But other than that, everything is EASY.
Step 4: add the buffalo sauce
When the pasta has cooked, mix in the hot sauce, butter, and pickled jalalpeños. Hot sauce + butter equals homemade buffalo sauce.
The final step is to stir in a handful of cheddar cheese, then bake until the cheese is melted. Serve topped with fresh green onions or parsley (it needs a little color!). Then enjoy!
As I always like to say – homemade is best!
I’m excited to have this recipe on hand for cozy fall and winter dinners to come. As expected, Creighton loved every bite. If you like buffalo mac and cheese, you can’t beat this!
Looking for other easy family dinners? Here are a few ideas:
Healthier Homemade One Pot Hamburger Helper
Broccoli Cheddar Chicken and Rice Casserole
One Pan Autumn Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
Easy Southern Style Baked Mac and Cheese
Pumpkin Cheese Stuffed Pasta Bolognese Bake
One Skillet Cheesy Broccoli Cheddar Orzo Bake
Lastly, if you make this One Pot Buffalo Chicken “Helper” be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
One Pot Buffalo Chicken “Helper”
Servings: 6
Calories Per Serving: 649 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Watch the How-To Reel
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2-3 chicken breast or thighs, cubed
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- kosher salt and black pepper
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 pound short cut pasta
- 2 cups chopped broccoli florets
- 1 1/2 cups milk (use what you drink)
- 1 tablespoon ketchup
- 1/4 cup pickled jalapeños
- 1/2 cup hot sauce
- 1/3 cup salsa verde
- 1 1/2-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- green onion and cilantro, for serving
Instructions
- 1. Preheat the oven to 425. In a large pot set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, onion, and chicken. Season with salt and pepper. Cook until lightly seared all over, about 10 minutes. Stir in the chili powder, paprika, and garlic powder, cook for another minute.2. Add the pasta and broccoli. Mix gently, then pour over 1/2 cup water and the milk. Add the ketchup and stir to combine. Season with salt.3. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 5 minutes until the pasta is al dente, stirring often. Stir in the jalapeños, salsa, hot sauce, and butter. 4. Stir in the 1 1/2-2 cups cheese. Cook another few minutes until very creamy. Remove from the heat, top with 1/2 cup cheese. Bake at 425 for 5-10 minutes, until the cheese is melted. 5. Divide the pasta among bowls and top with green onions and cilantro.
This post was originally published on September 14, 2023
Great recipe, came together quickly & family loved it.
Thank you Cyndi! xT
My son plays college football and lives in an apartment. He asked me to make a one dish meal that he just needed to heat to eat. I brought this to him and he loved it. Easy to make. I cooked the pasta an additional 5 minutes to get to al dente.
Awesome! Love to hear this! xT
Made this last night… absolute bomb meal! Thank you for a quick one pot, delicious dinner yet again!
Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Have an amazing week! 🙂 xT
This was really good. Very easy to make kid-friendly. You definitely need more milk. I used about 2 cups.
Thanks Brynne! xT
This was a delicious recipe! I would definitely make it again, but would probably cook the broccoli and pasta first. I followed the recipe, but those were still too al dente for us. But an absolutely delicious recipe! My husband loved it, too!
Thank you for the feedback Jill! xT
Delicious!!!! I added smoked Gouda for the cheese- added the perfect combo to the flavor. I used protein pasta. I had to add 1/2 milk and 1 cup water in addition- turned out creamy/perfect
Hi Beth! Thank you so so much! So glad you enjoyed this recipe! xT
Oh my this was delicious! And as a frequent wing-eating person from Buffalo, I approve of this recipe! LOL
Like others said, I added considerable more amount of liquid for the pasta. Other than that, didn’t and wouldn’t change a thing! I always love trying out your recipes! My family loves it when I do too!
Thank you Lori! xT
Just made this! Thank you for all of the suggestion of adding more liquid so the pasta can get tender. I stirred a lot, added mushrooms and spinach to it too. I did double the spices. It was wonderful. Thanks
Love to hear this! Thank you so so much! xT
So. I made the recipe and liked it, but didn’t love.
The next afternoon, I got the idea to roll Mac and cheese balls, coat with panko, and air fry. OMG. Those are dying to be served during a football game. Perfection. The extra bit of texture puts it over the top. Thank you for the recipe and inspiration!
Oooh yummy! Love that idea! xT
It must be stressed (as in step one here) that choosing the right pan is crucial. I printed the recipe and read “pot”, then chose my usual pot I use to boil pasta….not a good choice. I should have used my large pan/skillet. I ended up adding more milk as others had suggested and you really need to stir frequently while the pasta is cooking. The flavors did come out good.
Thank you for the feedback! xT
This turned out well in the end, with some adjustments based on quite a few other reviewers’ comments. I simply couldn’t understand how you could cook an entire pound of pasta in only 2 cups of liquid, so I used 2 cups of milk and about 2 cups of water, and it turned out perfectly. I thought the addition of the hot sauce and salsa verde was a great idea, making it pleasantly spicy. Will be making my amended version of this one again!
Thanks for the feedback Helen! xT
I was in a rush when I first read the recipe and decided to double it for lunch leftovers. I was pretty far in before I realized what I had thought read 1c of pasta was 1lb of pasta 😂 I was committed, so I got a bigger bowl and made a huge batch. I found 3 neighborhood teenage boys to help eat, in addition to my fam of 4. Another 5 star recipe! We all loved it. Great amount of heat. Cozy fall meal. Like the other reviews, I did add more liquid as the pasta was cooking.
Haha awesome! Love to hear that!! xT
This was very yummy! I also had to add extra milk, sorry I didn’t measure. I just added more until the pasta cooked and it was creamy. I did sub in gluten free pasta, and it still came out great! I also added more hot sauce, which it needed probably because I had added milk. Thanks for another great recipe!
Thank you so so much for trying out the recipe! Hope you have a great fall season! xT
This was very good! I added an extra 1/2 cup milk (so 2 cups milk total), and an extra 1/2 cup water (so 1 cup water total). I just added the extra liquid when it seemed to be drying out while the pasta cooked, but honestly I think the key is to just keep stirring constantly so all the pasta stays wet. Delicious recipe, definitely felt just like a “helper” dish except actually really flavorful. I think next time I’ll add an extra cup or two of broccoli, I thought that part was really great!
Amazing! Added about 1/2 cup more milk and stirred half way through baking. Perfect! We put blue cheese on it when serving and was a delicious addition! Will definitely make again.
Thank you so so much for giving this recipe a try! Hope you’re having a lovely week! xT