Buffalo Chicken anythingis usually a big hit in our house, so I was excited to try out this recipe for the entire family. It’s a tasty and healthy buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese!
The great thing about making this spicy cauliflower mac and cheese with chicken is that it’s got a boost of protein and no carbs so it’s also approved for a 2B Mindset lunch or dinner recipe!
I love that it’s a full meal in one pot, ready to go before I know it! This recipe can be made in the Instant Pot, which I love, but it can also be done on the stove or in the crockpot.
You can use whatever you have on hand and it’s still just a quick and easy as ever! You can make this quick and easy buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese for dinner, meal preps for lunch, and everything in between.
Similar Recipes To Try:
- Healthy Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Instant Pot Buffalo Chicken Bites
- Instant Pot Mac and Cheese
- Spanish Cauliflower Rice with Chicken
- Mashed Cauliflower Recipe
21 Day Fix | 2B Mindset Info For Buffalo Cauliflower Mac and Cheese:
Recipe Info:
Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 3/4 cup (1 cup vegetables and 3/4 cup protein)
Entire Recipe:
6R
4G
1tsp (negligible)
4B
2T brown rice flour (negligible)
Per Serving:
4 servings, 1 3/4C servings
1.5R
1G
1B
2B Mindset Info:
This is a great dinner option for the 2B Mindset nutrition plan because it’s got lean protein and veggies! Pair it with an FFC choice at lunch and you can use it there as well!
Instant Pot Instructions
1) Turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Add the oil and allow it to heat up. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sauté until the chicken is browned.
2) Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, dill, and parsley over the Instant Pot. Mix up the chicken so that the seasoning is evenly distributed.
3) Add the cauliflower to the Instant Pot and cover with the hot sauce. Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing.
4) Cook the chicken and cauliflower on high pressure using the manual setting for 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally.
5) In a blender mix together the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to create a creamy sauce. Blend the sauce until smooth. Pour the sauce over the chicken and cauliflower. Add the cheese and brown rice flour. Carefully fold the sauce and cheese in so that the cauliflower holds its shape.
6) Garnish and serve while still warm or pack up for lunch through the week.
Note: For this buffalo cauliflower mac and cheese to work you must cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces and brown the chicken. If you skip this step the chicken will not have enough time to cook. Plus, it keeps the chicken from cooking in a solid lump.
Stovetop Instructions
1) Heat a skillet on the stove and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot sauté the chicken until it is browned.
2) Add the seasoning, hot sauce, and cauliflower to the skillet. Mix it up so the cauliflower is covered in hot sauce. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium low heat.
3) Allow the cauliflower to cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is tender.
4) Turn off the stove and blend together the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to make a cream sauce. Stir the sauce, cheddar cheese, and brown rice flour into the skillet until the cheese melts. Garnish and serve.
Crock Pot Instructions
*Do not cube the chicken before cooking in the slow cooker.*
1) Add the whole chicken breast, cauliflower, seasoning, and hot sauce to the slower cooker.
2) Cover and let cook for 2 1/2 to 4 hours on low heat or until the chicken is done.
3) Remove the chicken, chop it into cubes, then add it back into the slow cooker.
4) Blend together the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to make a cream sauce. Add the cream sauce, cheddar cheese, and brown rice flour to the chicken and cauliflower and mix until the cheese is melted. Garnish and serve.
Can I make this with fresh riced cauliflower?
Yes! I’d quick release the pot instead of natural release. Just know it won’t have the same macaroni and cheese texture that the whole cauliflower florets have.
Can I use noodles instead of cauliflower?
Absolutely! I’d make the chunks of chicken a little bigger and cook it for half the amount of time that is listed on the back of the box. If you do this and are on the Fix, don’t forget to recalculate your containers.
Do you have Weight Watchers counts for this buffalo cauliflower macaroni and cheese?
Using lowfat cottage cheese and Greek yogurt, the counts for this recipe are 6 Blue Points | 8 Green Points |6 Purple Points.
Trim Healthy Mama
You can! This is an S recipe and you’ll need to make these changes: for thickening options, Xanthum Gum or Glucomannan Powder, although, or possibly even Oat Fiber could be used to thicken! Finally a Trim Healthy Mama buffalo chicken mac and cheese recipe that you’ll actually enjoy!
Buffalo Cauliflower Mac And Cheese
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 head cauliflower cut into bite sized pieces
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 3/4 cup cottage cheese
- 3/4 cup Greek yogurt plain, 2%
- 3/4 cup hot sauce Frank's ORIGINAL, not Buffalo
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp dill dried
- 1/2 tsp parsley dried
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 tbsp brown rice flour or whole wheat flour
Instructions
Instant Pot:
- Turn the Instant Pot to sauté. Add the oil and allow it to heat up. When the oil is hot, add the chicken and sauté until the chicken is browned.
- Sprinkle garlic powder, onion powder, pepper, dill, and parsley over the Instant Pot. Mix up the chicken so that the seasoning is evenly distributed.
- Add the cauliflower to the Instant Pot and cover with the hot sauce. Close the lid and turn the pressure valve to sealing.
- Cook the chicken and cauliflower on high pressure using the manual setting for 1 minute. Let the pressure release naturally.
- In a blender mix together the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to create a creamy sauce. Blend the sauce until smooth. Slowly pour the sauce over the chicken and cauliflower. Add the cheese and brown rice flour. Carefully fold the sauce and cheese in so that the cauliflower holds its shape.
- Garnish and serve while still warm or pack up for lunch through the week.
- Note: For this recipe to work you must cut the chicken into small bite sized pieces and brown the chicken. If you skip this step the chicken will not have enough time to cook. Plus, it keeps the chicken from cooking in a solid lump.
Stove Top:
- Heat a skillet on the stove and add the olive oil. When the oil is hot sauté the chicken until it is browned.
- Add the seasoning, hot sauce, and cauliflower to the skillet. Mix it up so the cauliflower is covered in hot sauce. Cover the skillet and reduce heat to medium low heat.
- Allow the cauliflower to cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally until the cauliflower is tender.
- Turn off the stove and blend together the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to make a cream sauce. Stir the sauce, cheddar cheese, and brown rice flour into the skillet until the cheese melts. Garnish and serve.
Slow Cooker:
- * Do not cube the chicken before cooking in the slow cooker.
- Add the whole chicken breast, cauliflower, seasoning, and hot sauce to the slower cooker.
- Cover and let cook for 2 1/2 to 4 hours on low heat or until the chicken is done.
- Remove the chicken, chop it into cubes, then add it back into the slow cooker.
- Blend together the cottage cheese and Greek yogurt to make a cream sauce. Add the cream sauce, cheddar cheese, and brown rice flour to the chicken and cauliflower and mix until the cheese is melted. Garnish and serve.
Video
Notes
Serving Size: 1 3/4 cup (1 cup vegetables and 3/4 cup protein) 21 Day Fix:
4 servings, 1 3/4C servings
1.5R
1G
1B Weight Watchers: 6 Blue Points | 8 Green points | 6 Purple Points per Serving when using low fat cottage cheese and low fat greek yogurt.
In the video, what type of container did you store it in? Does it keep it warm?
This Buffalo Chicken Mac and Cheese is totally making my mouth water!
yay!
I have never made and had Buffalo chicken before. It is great to try the first one is a healthy one. Thank you for the recipe :D
Of course!
Ohhh I hope you love it!
We love buffalo chicken so much at our house and I love how you included directions for making this dish on the stovetop too. The flavors were terrific in this recipe, I will definitely be making it again and again.
Oh I’m so glad to hear this!
SO good!!!! Loved it! Wonder what would happen if carrots and celery were added? Might give that a shot sometime just to get in even more veggies.. this was awesome!
Ohhhh yummy!
I love this healthy version of my favorite comfort food! I love that spicy kick!
My sauce broke … I mixed the yogurt and cottage cheese and when I added it the cheese appeared to curdle and separate. What might have gone wrong?
Oh no!! I have no idea–this has never happened to me! Was one of them old?
How do you keep the cauliflower from dissolving? The flavor is great, but mine is a bit of a mushy mess. I made it in the Instapot & wondering if I should have quick released…
Julia, oh no! Did you use fresh cauliflower florets?
Looks yummy! Love cottage cheese, but not a fan of yogurt. Any suggestions on what to sub for yogurt ?
I am not a fan of cottage cheese OR yogurt, but the way it’s prepared in this recipe makes both of them undetectable. Promise.
Hey there — yummy, but my cauliflower (fresh) turned to mush (using IP). I ended up adding pasta (thank goodness I had a Y available). Next time I might try it on the stove top instead.
Oh no! I’m sorry this didn’t work out for you Lee!!
Amazing!! Really spicy, which my kids were not huge fans, but my hubby and I loved it!!
Delicious and also super easy!!! Definitely going into my weekly rotation!! I got lazy and left a lot of my cauli pretty bigger and they held up great.
I’ve made this once already using Peri-peri sauce and it was amazing. This time I bought buffalo hot sauce to try with it, but I see now the recipe states not to use buffalo. Is this because it will change the nutrition information of the recipe or will it not cook properly?
Hi there! Just because of the nutrition info/ingredients – it’ll cook just fine!
Great recipe overall! Definitely has a kick. Adjust the hot sauce if you are sensitive to heat.
TOTALLY LOVE THIS!!! I love that there are directions for different cooking devices. I had planned to use the trusty slow cooker but forgot to get it going when I left in the morning. After a slight panic, I realized I have an uber large pressure cooker that I haven’t really used. You are making me a believer in pressure cookers – this was SOOO easy to make. I didn’t cut the chicken into bite sized pcs because my chicken was still in the freezer, nice solid breasts. I also didn’t have cauliflower heads (yes it was a bad day) but had plenty of frozen riced cauliflower. So, I plopped the frozen chicken in, did the spices as listed and then put m riced cauliflower on top with Frank’s Red Hot. Instead of cooking for 1 minute on high, I did it for 10 minutes on high pressure. I let it release naturally and then took the forks to the to shred it. After adding the rest of the ingredients, I realized why I DON’T want to use frozen cauliflower. You want it to be fresh & crisp! We ended up spooning it on top of raw broccoli slaw which was perfect for a 2B dinner. If I had made it the right way, I’m positive it would have been phenomenal – next time I will back off on the hot sauce because of my youngest (but as a South Indian quite fond of the spiciest of spicy, it was a pleasant level for the rest of us!)
Oh YAY! I’m so glad you liked this, and congrats on breaking out that pressure cooker!
I want to make this recipe but I am confused about it. I don’t understand how the IP can come up to pressure without any liquid in it? And having it set for 1 minute does not seem long enough to cook the chicken and cauliflower?
Hi Kelly! The hot sauce acts as your liquid (and the cauliflower releases a bit of liquid,). The chicken is diced small and sautéed to brown it, so the time it takes the pot to come to pressure along with the 1 minute cook time are enough to cook the cauliflower and finish cooking the chicken :)
Hi ! Can I use frozen cauliflower when doing it in the crockpot ?
I haven’t tried that yet but I’d caution against it because the cook time will be different and it could turn out mushy. I’d cook the cauliflower separate and add it at the end :)
I wonder if there is too much cream mixture—mine was definitely brownish in color. Not very appetizing to look at but tastes ok. Mine also gave me a water warning while heating up.