Bold, creamy, and just the right amount of spicy, this buffalo chicken pasta salad is a crowd-pleasing summer side or main that comes together fast with simple ingredients.

Buffalo chicken pasta salad served in a white bowl with rotini pasta, shredded chicken, carrots, celery, and a creamy buffalo ranch dressing.

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Easy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

You know those recipe ideas that sound a little wild at first, but end up being total genius? This is one of them. Buffalo chicken pasta salad combines two favorites, crockpot buffalo chicken and pasta salad, into one irresistible summer meal.

The flavor hits all the right notes: tangy buffalo sauce, creamy, cool ranch dressing and even a little sweet from carrots. It’s a great choice year-round, but especially in the summer when you want something you can prep ahead to bring to a BBQ and serve cold.

Save my baked buffalo chicken dip for game day, this one’s made for sunny weekends and backyard cookouts.

Cooked rotini pasta, shredded chicken, celery, and carrots in a bowl.

Recipe Tips

  • Cool your pasta before mixing so the sauce stays creamy.
  • Rotini holds the dressing well, but penne or bowtie work too.
  • Use rotisserie chicken for a quick shortcut or make shredded chicken.
  • Adjust the spice to your liking, start small and add more buffalo sauce to taste.

Variations

  • No blue cheese? Swap in mozzarella or cheddar.
  • Gluten-free? Just sub with GF pasta—rotini, penne, or elbows all work.
  • Make it vegetarian by skipping the chicken and adding extra veggies like bell pepper or tomato.
  • Serving to kids? Leave out the hot sauce and toss with ranch only.
Cooked rotini pasta, shredded chicken, ranch dressing, hot sauce, celery, and carrots in a bowl.

Make-Ahead Friendly

This buffalo chicken pasta salad is perfect for prepping the night before. Since it’s served cold, you can cook the pasta, chop the veggies, and have everything ready in the fridge. When you’re ready to serve, just toss everything together with the ranch dressing.

Storage Instructions

Since this is a creamy pasta salad made with ranch, it will need to be kept refrigerated in an airtight container. It holds up very well and will stay fresh for up to 3 days. The carrots and celery stay crispy and crunchy, while the sauce remains thick and flavorful. No soggy vegetables or watery sauce! Just make sure to give it a big stir before enjoying.

Buffalo chicken pasta salad served in a white bowl with a fork and topped with green onions and blue cheese.

Love recipes with a hint of spice? Try my baked buffalo cauliflower recipe, Instant Pot buffalo chicken dip or bang bang shrimp with pasta!

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Buffalo chicken pasta salad served in a white bowl with rotini pasta, shredded chicken, carrots, celery, and a creamy buffalo ranch dressing.

Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

4.96 from 21 votes
Recipe by: Jamielyn Nye
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 6
Bold, creamy, and just the right amount of spicy, this buffalo chicken pasta salad is a crowd-pleasing summer side or main that comes together fast with simple ingredients.
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Ingredients 

  • 2 cups rotini pasta , cooked to al dente and chilled
  • 1 chicken breast , cooked and shredded (about 1 cup)
  • 4 stalks celery , chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • ½ cup ranch dressing
  • 2 Tablespoons buffalo sauce , more to taste (I used Frank's Red Hot)
  • 2 Tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

Instructions

  • Mix together the ranch, blue cheese and buffalo sauce in a small bowl and set aside. Test the spiciness of the dressing and add more hot sauce to taste.
  • Toss the cooked and cooled rotini, shredded chicken, celery and carrots together in a large bowl.
  • Pour dressing over the pasta and stir until evenly coated.
  • Divide into bowls and serve!

Last step: Please leave a comment and rating after you make the recipe.

Notes

Gluten-free: Make gluten free by subbing regular pasta for your favorite gluten free. I’d recommend using gluten free rotini, penne or macaroni noodles for best results.
Cheese: You may also use shredded or crumbled mozzarella in place of blue cheese. 
To make-ahead: Pre-cook your noodles and have all ingredients chopped and ready to go in the fridge. A few minutes before serving, dump all ingredients in one bowl and top with dressing.
To store: Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days. 

Nutrition

Calories: 235kcal, Carbohydrates: 19g, Protein: 12g, Fat: 12g, Saturated Fat: 2g, Cholesterol: 32mg, Sodium: 486mg, Potassium: 340mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugar: 3g, Vitamin A: 3715IU, Vitamin C: 3.2mg, Calcium: 42mg, Iron: 0.6mg

Nutrition provided is an estimate. It will vary based on specific ingredients used.