Satisfy your weeknight comfort craving with this Lightened Up Buffalo Chicken Pasta. It can easily be made gluten and dairy-free!
Buffalo chicken just blesses my soul. Can I get an amen?
Despite my dislike for all things spicy, one spicy indulgence I can get behind is buffalo chicken. My mom is originally from Buffalo and can make a mean hot wing. My other favorite way to have buffalo chicken is in the form of dip. In case you want to take a little journey through TBB archives, I made an awesome dairy-free buffalo dip way back in the day. I definitely recommend checking out that recipe!
If you had to pick one food to eat for the rest of your life, what would you pick? For me, it would easily be pasta – hands-down. I just love it so much because it is comforting, delicious and incredibly versatile. I actually asked the boyfriend that same question a little while back, and his answer was “Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches.” God bless him.
Being the huge pasta lover that I am, I’m so excited to see there are now healthier pasta options available. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good spaghetti squash recipe (check out my favorites here and here), but let’s just not pretend spaghetti squash is actually the same as pasta. We are just lying to ourselves.
One of my favorite pasta brands is Banza, which is made out of chickpeas. Yup, you heard that right – chickpeas. That means the pasta is naturally gluten-free and is high in protein and fiber. I don’t know about you, but I feel much better scarfing down a bowl of pasta when I feel like I’m getting more bang for my nutritional buck. Banza recently came out with spaghetti noodles, and when I first got them my mind immediately went to buffalo chicken pasta. I think I just instinctively knew it would be a match made in heaven.
In addition to being gluten-free, I also made this dish dairy-free with the addition of dairy-free cream cheese (I used Kite Hill brand). The recipe comes together in minutes and makes a filling, protein-packed, zesty dish combining some of the best comfort foods. Let me know if you give it a try!
- 6 oz. Pasta of Choice (I used
Banza ) - 1 Tablespoon of Oil
- 8 oz. Cooked Chicken, Shredded
- ¼ Cup Dairy-Free Cream Cheese (I used Kite Hill)
- ½ Cup Onion, Diced
- 2 Cloves of Garlic, Minced
- ⅓ Cup Buffalo Sauce (I used Tessemae's)
- ¼ Cup Vegetable or Chicken Broth
- Pepper to taste
- Green onion for garnish
- Cook the pasta per package instructions. Drain and set aside.
- In a skillet over medium heat, heat the oil and add the diced onion and garlic. Sautee until fragrant and the onion is translucent.
- Add the cream cheese, buffalo sauce and broth. Stir until combined and a thick sauce forms.
- Add in the chicken and pasta. Toss to coat until the chicken and pasta are warmed through.
- Garnish with green onion and serve immediately.
Your Turn:
- What is your favorite pasta dish?
- If you could eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Please don’t say Jimmy Dean breakfast sandwiches…
Disclaimer: Banza sent me some of their spaghetti pasta to try. All opinions are my own.
Yummy!! Love anything that has buffalo sauce on it! 🙂
Oh my god Les, I just made spaghetti squash with kite hill mixed in and nutritional yeast… game changer. Then I saw this. Another game changer. Making ASAP