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 (Click HERE to get up to 40% off produce)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided (get 10% off Graza Olive Oil)
- Sea salt and ground black pepper
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into bite-sized pieces Click HERE to get FREE steak, chicken, or ground beef for a year)
- 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**
Karen says
I finally got around to trying this. I always seemed to be missing something important every time I thought about making it. I wanted to make it with original recipe because my daughter loves buffalo wings and blue cheese. I personally prefer other flavored wings and only the tiniest amount of blue cheese. I was tempted to cut the blue cheese down, but I didn't because before I make it for her I wanted to know what it would taste like. I loved it with the full amount of blue cheese and glad I didn't cut it done. For a minute I forgot there was cauliflower in it which is a good thing because my daughter isn't a fan of cauliflower.
I'm wondering if I could freeze individual portions? Has anyone tried that?
I do plan to try some variations in the future.
Carrie T says
Great flavor and didn’t miss the pasta! This is a now a staple in my house!
Lynda says
Making this again today! So delicious and saves well for lunch during the week.
Robin Bell says
This was so delicious and is now one of my favorites. It came out perfect. I can't wait to make it again. Thank you for the yummy recipe!
Marsha says
This is simply scrumptious. I had to wait for cooler weather to turn my oven on and it was so worth the wait. I had slightly more chicken and cauliflower so I added slightly more cheese. And I agree on using another rib of celery. Only change I made was using 5 cloves of fresh garlic as you can never have too much. Thanks for an awesome recipe. It will be a monthly recipe for a week of lunches. My only question was once you turn the cheese sauce to low how long do you cook it?
Teresa says
This was really good! I enjoyed it very much!
Cairn says
This recipe has turned out great every time I’ve made it. I love the suggestion of changing up the cheese and have done just that to be able to use the cheeses I have on hand.
Heather says
This recipe was so easy and delicious! Can't wait to make it again! I was in a time crunch so I used rotisserie chicken. LOVE Peace, Love Low Carb recipes.
Katie says
My family loves this casserole! Great Buffalo flavor, and the cheese sauce is just delicious. Have to make this a couple of times a month.
Susan says
This recipe is delicious! I used the garlic flavored wing sauce. (You can never have too much garlic!). I did not use the blue cheese because I don’t like but husband sprinkled on top before eating. It keeps well and leftovers are just as good as when first out of oven. This recipe is a keeper!