This cold and creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad combines crunchy corn, celery, tender pasta, shredded chicken, green onions, and creamy avocado in a creamy mayonnaise-based buffalo sauce. If you love the bold and delicious flavors of buffalo sauce, you’ll love this easy pasta salad. It’s the perfect lunch or summer side dish!
If you love all things buffalo chicken, then wait until you try this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad! Like many cold pasta salads, this buffalo pasta salad is the perfect comforting main meal on a warm summer day – as is or accompanied by your favorite side dishes.
Make this creamy buffalo pasta salad from scratch in under an hour or save time by preparing various salad components a day or two ahead of time, ready for you to toss together just before serving.
It’s simple to double the recipe when serving a larger crowd and the spicy kick from the buffalo sauce can easily be adjusted to suit your own preference by using your favorite brand of buffalo sauce or by making your own homemade buffalo sauce.
What is Buffalo Sauce?
Buffalo sauce is a popular sauce originating from Buffalo, New York. It traditionally consists of butter, hot sauce, and cayenne pepper. This sauce is tangy and spicy and is used to flavor a variety of buffalo-style dishes and appetizers, such as dips, veggies, chicken breasts and wings, sandwiches, and even soup!
Key Ingredients and Substitutions
Find the printable recipe with measurements in the recipe card below.
- Corn on the cob – This recipe calls for 2 ears, husked and cleaned. Feel free to use frozen and thawed corn or canned and drained corn.
- Pasta – Use your favorite type of pasta for this dish. Common pasta favorites for cold pasta salads include penne, macaroni, rigatoni, bowtie, ziti, or rotini pasta.
- Buffalo sauce – Store-bought or homemade.
- Mayonnaise – Store-bought or homemade.
- Sugar – Granulated sugar or light brown sugar will work. The sugar helps to balance the tangy flavor in the buffalo sauce, but you can reduce it.
- Chicken – You’ll need cooked and shredded chicken. You can use pre-cooked whole chicken or rotisserie chicken for convenience. Leftover chicken from earlier in the week is also great. This pasta salad can also be made with leftover turkey from the holidays.
- Diced celery
- Sliced green onions
- Crumbled blue cheese – A classic cheese option for buffalo-inspired dishes. If you don’t enjoy blue cheese, try crumbled feta cheese or goat cheese.
- Cubed avocado
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
1. Cook the corn: Cook the corn in a large pot of boiling water for 10 minutes. Remove the corn and allow it to cool. Don’t discard the boiled water as it will be used to cook the pasta.
2. Prepare the corn: Slice the cooled corn off the cob and transfer to a large skillet set over medium-high heat. Cook the corn until lightly charred and sizzling. Set the corn aside.
3. Boil the pasta: Boil the pasta in the same pot of water that was used to cook the corn. Cook until al dente, approximately 1-2 minutes less than the packaging directions. Take care not to overcook the pasta, otherwise it will become soggy and fall apart in the salad. Drain the pasta and rinse with cool water, then set it aside to cool.
4. Mix the sauce: While the pasta cooks, whisk together the buffalo sauce, mayonnaise, and sugar in a large bowl.
5. Assemble and serve: Toss together the cooled pasta, corn, chicken, celery, green onions, and cheese. Just before serving, gently fold in the avocado and serve the pasta salad with minced chives, crumbled blue cheese, and additional buffalo sauce, if desired.
Storage and Leftovers
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. The cubed avocado may start to turn a brownish color while stored in the fridge. You may also notice that the pasta has absorbed some of the sauce and dressing. Mix a bit of mayo or buffalo sauce into the pasta if needed.
Freezing is not recommended.
Other Buffalo Chicken Recipes
- Creamy Buffalo Chicken Pasta
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Sandwiches
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Soup
- Buffalo Chicken Sliders
- Cheesy Buffalo Chicken Spaghetti Squash Recipe
- Baked Buffalo Chicken Wings
- The Best Buffalo Chicken Dip
If you try making this Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe, please leave me a comment and let me know! I always love to hear your thoughts.
RECIPE CARD
Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 ears corn on the cob - husked and cleaned
- 8 ounces pasta
- 1 cup buffalo sauce
- ½ cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon sugar
- 2 cups chicken - cooked and shredded
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup green onions - sliced
- ½ cup blue cheese - crumbled
- 1 large avocado - cubed
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add the corn and cook for 10 minutes. Remove and set aside to cool. Once cool enough to handle, slice the corn off the cob.
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add the corn to the skillet and cook, stirring often until lightly charged and sizzling. Remove and set aside to cool.
- In the meantime, cook the pasta in the same pot of boiling water that was used to cook the corn. Cook until al dente, approximately 1-2 minutes less than the package instructions. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buffalo sauce, mayonnaise, and sugar, then add the cooled pasta, corn, shredded chicken, celery, green onions, and cheese.
- Just before serving, gently toss in the avocado and serve with minced chives, blue cheese crumbles, and a dash of buffalo sauce if desired
Jessica’s Notes
- Transfer leftovers to an airtight container and keep stored in the refrigerator for up to three days.
Nutritional Information
(Nutrition information provided is an estimate and will vary based on cooking methods and specific brands of ingredients used.)
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