This creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta recipe includes tender shredded buffalo chicken and pasta tossed in a cheesy and creamy buffalo sauce. It comes together in the Instant Pot (or another pressure cooker) using fresh, pre-cooked, or frozen chicken. Learn how to make an easy dinner for the whole family with simple ingredients using this recipe.

cheesy Buffalo Chicken Pasta in a small bowl placed beside a wooden spoon

Why Make Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta

Easy Recipe: this easy buffalo chicken pasta recipe comes together with less than 10 ingredients. Plus, by using an Instant Pot, you can use raw, pre-cooked, or frozen chicken.
Delicious Pasta Dish: whether you love pasta or buffalo chicken wings, this creamy, cheesy pasta dish is for you! Though I’ll admit that the combination seems odd, you’ll find yourself returning back for more! The cheesy sauce is the perfect balance for the tangy buffalo sauce.

Ingredients Needed

Making this buffalo ranch chicken pasta is easy. Here’s what you’ll need to gather:

Chicken thighs: I’m using raw, boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Ranch Dressing Spice Mix: ranch seasoning is really just a mixture of garlic powder, onion powder, and herbs like parsley, chives, and dill. With that, I love to use it as an easy full flavor seasoning option in some recipes.
Smoked paprika: this gives the chicken a slightly smoky flavor and is a staple in my pantry (highly recommend it for yours too!)
Hot sauce: your favorite brand of hot sauce works. I prefer to use Frank’s Red Hot Sauce (Original or Buffalo Wing Sauce) since it includes peppers, vinegar as well as spices like garlic powder. You can also use your favorite homemade buffalo sauce.
Chicken broth: any low sodium chicken broth will work in this recipe. You can also do what I do, which is mix water with better than bouillon (chicken flavor).
Boursin cheese: this helps to make the sauce creamy. I also love that it comes with additional herbs and spices. You can substitute this and make buffalo chicken pasta with cream cheese, vegetable cream cheese, or cream cheese with onions and chives.
Italian blend cheese: I get this shredded cheese blend from the grocery store. They usually include a mixture of at least three of unsmoked provolone cheese, parmesan cheese, mozzarella cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, and asiago cheese.
Cooked Pasta: I’m using cavatappi pasta that I cooked according to the package directions for al dente in salted water. But, you can also make this dish with another type of pasta like elbow macaroni noodles, penne pasta (as I do with creamy chicken and chorizo pasta), bowtie pasta, and more.

Be sure to check out the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact ingredient amounts and full instructions.

ingredients to make buffalo chicken pasta: Chicken thighs, Ranch seasoning, Smoked Paprika, Hot sauce, Chicken broth, Boursin cheese, Italian blend cheese, Pasta on separate bowls

How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta in an Instant Pot

Add the chicken thighs, ranch seasoning, smoked paprika, hot sauce, and broth to the bottom of the pot. Mix to incorporate.
Pressure cook the chicken on High for 10 minutes. Use the Quick release setting to remove the steam.
Remove the chicken thighs from the cooking pot (leave all cooking liquid inside) and shred the meat. Set aside.
Turn on the sear/saute function to medium-low. Add the boursin cheese and Italian cheese blend to the cooking liquid.
Stir to melt the cheese and make the spicy cheese sauce (about 10 minutes).
Return the chicken and pasta to the pot and stir to incorporate. Turn off the heat.

Top Cooking Tips & FAQs

Add more heat if you wish: the buffalo sauce creates the right amount of spice for my family. But, you can increase the spice level of this dish with a dash of cayenne pepper if you wish.
For best results: use fresh, raw chicken thighs
Save time by using rotisserie chicken: you can see my tips for how to do that below.

Crock Pot Buffalo Chicken Pasta

You can make the shredded buffalo chicken in a slow cooker as well. The cooking time is just a lot longer (2.5 hours).

I recommend that you make the sauce in a large skillet or dutch oven with all of the contents of the cooking pot after the chicken is cooked.

Substitute Leftover or Rotisserie Chicken

You can also make this recipe with leftover chicken. To do this, you’ll need to:

Shred the meat: you’ll need about 3 cups of shredded chicken
Make the cheese pasta sauce in your Instant Pot with all other ingredients

Using Frozen Chicken

Though I’m using raw chicken, this recipe can also work with frozen chicken thighs (without thawing) if you have those instead.

Simply adjust the pressure cooking time to 12 minutes instead of 10. Follow the other directions as listed.

Storage and Leftovers

Store your leftover buffalo chicken pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for the next day (up to 4 days for best flavor).

cheesy, creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta in a large bowl topped with sliced green onions

Best Side Dishes

Serve your buffalo chicken pasta with these easy side dishes:

More Buffalo Chicken Recipes