This rich and cheesy Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Mac and Cheese is the ultimate in gluten free keto comfort food. With the spiciness of the buffalo sauce and the cooling blue cheese, it is perfectly balanced. Best of all, it has minimal ingredients and can be on the table in under an hour.
Ingredients in Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Buffalo sauce - For this recipe I used Franks Buffalo Wing Sauce, but you can use any brand of buffalo sauce you prefer. Primal Kitchen makes a delicious one also. Be sure to also check out my Buffalo Chicken Wedge Salad, and Buffalo Chicken Jalapeno Popper recipes
- Chicken - You can use boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs for this recipe. You can also make things even easier by using shredded rotisserie chicken (more keto chicken recipes)
- Blue cheese - If you are not a fan of blue cheese, this recipe is also delicious with feta or goat cheese
- Cauliflower - Roasting the cauliflower keeps it dry and imparts a beautiful flavor and texture. When you steam cauliflower or even simmer it directly in water, it absorbs all the moisture like a sponge and can turn your dish into a soupy mess.
Recipe tips and variations
- Swap the buffalo sauce for pesto sauce, add some spinach, and use goat cheese instead of blue cheese for a pesto chicken mac and cheese
- Use keto taco sauce instead of buffalo sauce, shredded Mexican cheese instead of blue cheese, and ground beef or pork instead of chicken for a keto taco mac and cheese
- If you are not concerned with keeping things low carb, use your favorite gluten free pasta in place of the cauliflower to make this a true buffalo chicken Mac and cheese recipe
- Substitute shredded rotisserie chicken to make this recipe even quicker
- Use roasted vegetables instead of just cauliflower - mix up broccoli, cauliflower, peppers, onion, zucchini etc.
- Have fun and combine your favorite protein, sauce, and veggies for a custom keto mac and cheese
- Omit a protein option and double the cauliflower for a vegetarian keto mac and cheese recipe recipe
Frequently asked questions
This is because you likely steamed or boiled your cauliflower. When you steam cauliflower or simmer it directly in water, it absorbs all the moisture like a sponge and can turn your dish into a soupy mess. I recommend roasting your cauliflower to avoid this. (check out all the keto cauliflower recipes on my site)
Honestly, go nuts! You can use any combination of your favorite cheeses in this recipe. Another one of my favorite combos is cream cheese, goat cheese and sharp white cheddar.
Some of my favorite low carb pasta substitutions are spaghetti squash, cabbage noodles, vegetable noodles, zucchini noodles, Shirataki noodles or even egg noodles.
More Keto Recipes
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Keto Buffalo Chicken Cauliflower Mac and Cheese
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 8 servings 1x
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This rich and cheesy keto mac and cheese recipe is the ultimate in comfort food. The spiciness of the buffalo sauce, the cooling blue cheese, paired with the crunchy celery and tender, juicy chicken, make it perfectly balanced in flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 large head cauliflower (about 2 ½ pounds), trimmed and cut into small florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided (I use this brand) code kyndraholley for $5 off
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces (I get my chicken here)
- ½ cup buffalo wing sauce
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cup heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese
- ½ cup crumbled blue cheese, divided
- ⅓ cup cream cheese, softened
- ¼ cup finely Parmesan cheese
- 1 rib celery, diced
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Line the cauliflower in a single layer across a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over top and season generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes or until tender and golden brown.
- While the cauliflower is roasting, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chicken to the pan and cook until it is golden brown and cooked all the way through, about 8 minutes. Add the buffalo wing sauce to the chicken and toss to coat.
- In a large sauce pan, heat the butter and garlic over medium heat. Cook until the butter starts to brown slightly and the garlic is fragrant. Then add the heavy cream, 1 cup of the mozzarella, ¼ cup of the blue cheese, cream cheese, and parmesan cheese. Stir to melt and mix in the cheeses and then reduce the heat to low.
- Transfer the cauliflower to a large casserole dish. Layer the chicken over top and then pour the cheese sauce over top. Use a rubber spatula to mix the layers together just slightly.
- Sprinkle the remaining mozzarella, blue cheese and celery on top. Transfer the casserole dish to the oven and bake for 15 minutes or until it is bubbling and golden brown on top.
Notes
- Roasting the cauliflower keeps it dry and imparts a beautiful flavor and texture. When you steam cauliflower or even simmer it directly in water, it absorbs all the moisture like a sponge and can turn your dish into a soupy mess.
- If you are not a fan of blue cheese, this recipe is also delicious with feta or goat cheese
- Net Carbs Per Serving: 6.6g
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Category: Casseroles
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: ⅛th of the recipe
- Calories: 416
- Fat: 33.7g
- Carbohydrates: 8.8g
- Fiber: 2.3g
- Protein: 22.2g
**Recipe originally posted 5/9/2019**
Amanda Miller says
Yum! This is comfort food at its best. My husband and I both loved it.
OLIVIA says
Can I use frozen Cauliflower?
Michelle says
Hi instead of heavy cream can I substitute almond milk? I have a bit of a lactose issue. Thanks
Kyndra Holley says
The sauce will be a little runny, but it would otherwise work
Chloella says
Unfortunately, I don’t like Buffalo Sauce . . . so I did adapt this recipe a bit. I used Marinara Sauce, and added some SourCream to the cheese sauce instead of the Blue cheese - I sprinkled Asiago on top of the casserole as well. Turned out really, really well! I also added some bite size shrimp with the chicken tenders.
Lynda says
I just love this one. My favorite of all your recipes.
Lynda says
Made this again today. Such a great recipe for dinner tonight and lunches for work the week of Thanksgiving. Thanks Kyndra.
Butterflykisses says
Such a wonderfully tasting and easy recipe to make!
Butterflykisses says
Easy to make and super delicious!!!