Buffalo Chicken Casserole
by Sommer Collier — last updated on Feb 10, 2025 
One-Pan Buffalo Chicken Casserole – A zesty skillet chicken recipe loaded with cheesy rice, buffalo sauce, and blue cheese!
Buffalo Chicken Recipes
Buffalo Chicken. These are two words that fill my family’s heart with joy.
If I incorporate chicken and buffalo sauce in any kind of recipe, they will come running to the kitchen in a short time.
Today’s recipe, Buffalo Chicken and Rice Skillet, combines our family’s beloved dynamic duo of ingredients with my personal childhood comfort food, chicken and rice.
Chicken and rice is a simple dish my mom made regularly. An old-school one-pot hero!
Mom would slow-cook a whole chicken with onions, celery, and carrots, then add in the rice to cook the last hour or so.
When she pulled out the chicken, the meat was so tender it fell off the bones, making it easy to fold into the rice.
Spiced Up Chicken and Rice
In this Buffalo Chicken Casserole, I’ve made a quickie version of my mom’s recipe, adding buffalo sauce to the broth to cook the rice.
Then at the end, I stir in shredded cheddar, blue cheese crumbles, and some chopped green onion.
Simple, right?
Yet you will be amazed at the praise this dish receives… And the battle over the last few scoops of rice in the skillet.
Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole not only makes a cozy dinner, but it is also a fabulous leftover to pack in school or work lunch boxes.
Try it with brown rice, or alternative cheeses as well!
Buffalo Chicken Casserole Ingredients
- Boneless Chicken Breast
- Butter
- Chopped Onions
- Chopped Celery
- Long Grain Rice – (a type of white rice)
- Frank’s RedHot Sauce
- Water or Chicken Broth
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese
- Crumbled Blue Cheese
- Chopped Green Onions
How to Make Buffalo Chicken and Rice
Instructions…
- Cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces and chop all the vegetables.
- Heat butter in a large skillet on medium-high heat. Add the chopped onions and celery. Saute them for 3 to 5 minutes, or until they are soft.
- Add in the chicken, rice, hot sauce, chicken broth/water, and a little salt (about a teaspoon salt).
- Stir it all together and then put the lid on top and allow it to come to a boil. Then lower the heat and let it simmer for 15 minutes, or until all the broth has been absorbed and you can see air vent holes in the top of the rice.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and stir in the cheddar cheese, blue cheese, and green onions. Season with salt and pepper to your preference.
- Garnish and serve in a bowl.
See The Recipe Card Below For How To Make Buffalo Chicken and Rice Casserole. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
You can swap the blue cheese with chevre (goat cheese) or simply omit it.
Try stirring the chicken pieces in 30 minutes after you start cooking the rice. In most cases, brown rice takes 45 to 60 minutes to cook.
The leftover chicken casserole should be stored in an airtight container, and can last in your refrigerator for 3 to 5 days. You can reheat the leftovers in the microwave, on the stovetop, or even bake it in the oven for a few minutes. I would not suggest storing this dish in the freezer. The thawing process would change the consistency.
You could use many types of rice in this recipe, and each one has a different cooking time. Regular long-grain rice should only take about 15 minutes to cook, but other types of rice could have a longer cooking time.
More One-Pan Easy Dinner Recipes
- Hawaiian BBQ Chicken Skillet Recipe
- Skinny Chicken A La King Recipe
- Skillet Shrimp Fra Diavolo Recipe
- Stuffed Mexican Cornbread
- Shrimp Mozambique
- Mexican Chicken Fried Rice
- Cozy Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
- Tuscan-Style Beef Cassoulet
- Chori Pollo
- Italian Chicken Sausage and Roasted Fennel
- American Goulash with Mushrooms
- Chicken Cacciatore with tender chicken thighs
- Chicken Pasta with light Basil Creamy Sauce
Check the printable recipe card below for nutrition information including calories, carbohydrates, protein, cholesterol, sodium, potassium, fiber, vitamin c, and calcium percentages.
Buffalo Chicken Casserole Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pound boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup chopped onions
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1 1/2 cups long grain rice
- 1/2 cup Frank’s RedHot Sauce
- 2 1/2 cups water or chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1/4 cup chopped green onions
Instructions
- Cut the chicken into 1-inch bite-size pieces. Chop all the vegetables.
- Place the butter in a large skillet or sauté pan, with a lid. Set over medium heat. Add the chopped onions and celery. Sauté for 3-5 minutes to soften.
- Add the chicken pieces, rice, hot sauce, broth, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Stir, then cover the skillet. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the broth has absorbed and there are air vent holes in the top of the rice.
- Fluff the rice with a fork. Stir in the cheddar, blue cheese, and green onions. Taste, then salt and pepper as needed.
I’ve made this so many times. Definitely a favorite!
I have made this twice now and it is a family favorite. Everyone gets excited for dinner when I tell them that I am making Buffalo chicken and rice! I substitute our local pizza shop’s wing sauce or Wild Wings Medium wing sauce for the Frank’s. Not everyone is a fan of blue cheese in my house, so I just sprinkle cheddar on at the end and put the lid back on for a few minutes to let it melt. I also serve it with a little more wing sauce and our favorite blue cheese dressing for drizzling! I have also left out the celery and onions in a hurry, but it is so good with that extra step!
Wow wow wow. This is going to be my new go-to rice dish. I’m in love. I only had 1/4c buffalo sauce on hand, but it was perfectly spicy and delicious. My mom loved it as well. I also used vegetarian chicken strips that I had in the fridge and they worked great. I would recommend this recipe to everyone.
Just made this and it was delicious! Ironically, I do not like Buffalo sauce but have found I like it in certain things such as Mellow Mushroom’s Buffalo Chicken pizza. This is definitely a recipe that the Buffalo sauce gives it just enough flavor and kick to be very tasty. I cooked the onions and celery a little longer as my family is not huge fans of onions or celery. I also used mostly chicken broth with about 1/2 cup of it being water. This is a great one-pan recipe that cooks on the stove top. You can have all the ingredients cut up and measured the night before so when you come home from work it only takes about 30 minutes to prepare. Definitely going in the keeper recipe box!
I love how flavorful this is! Adding this to our menu for next week!
So easy to make and the flavors are spot on! This will definitely be a new go-to for dinner!
This is one of our go-to family dinners. It’s easy, filling, and delicious. Thank you!!!
What could I use to replace the blue cheese?
Hi Nikki,
You can swap the blue cheese with chevre (goat cheese) or simply omit it. :)
Hello, I cannot seem to get the broth to simmer so it’s very liquidy I have no clue what I did wrong.
Sounds delicious and just what I was looking for. I only have brown rice which has much longer cook time. Suggestion on how I can best work it into the recipe in place of the long grain?
Hi Michelle,
Try stirring the chicken piece in 30 minutes through cooking the rice. In most cases, brown rice take 45-60 minutes to cook.
Also this meal is super easy for busy weeknights & reheats nicely. I make a double batch so there are plenty of leftovers for easy tasty lunches. We are a family of 4 – mom, dad, 18 yr old son who’s 6’3” & an 11 yr old girl who is in too many sports & is currently eating us out of house & home.
My family is huge on buffalo wing so they LOVED this meal! It’s now on our go-to meals rotation. Made just as written with the exception of adding extra franks buffalo sauce