Meal Prep
Buffalo Chicken Gouda Mac & Cheese
Buffalo Chicken Gouda Mac and Cheese is bold, rich, and absolutely feral in the best way. Shredded buffalo chicken, gooey gouda mac, and just the right amount of heat come together in a dish that demands to be eaten hot and without hesitation. It’s heavy-hitting comfort food for bulks, hard weeks, and anyone craving something that actually delivers.
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 25 min
- Makes
- 4 servings
High protein
Buffalo Chicken Gouda Mac & Cheese
76.8g protein890 calories per serving
- Prep Time
- 20 mins
- Cook Time
- 25 mins
- Total Time
- 45 mins
Equipment
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Ingredients
Ingredient links open Walmart products from our grocery planner. Links marked “Walmart search” need your product choice. Confirm package details and local availability at Walmart.
For the Chicken:
For the Mac & Cheese:
For Garnish (optional):
Instructions
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions. Drain and set aside.
8 oz pasta shells
Toss the cubed chicken with garlic powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, and salt.
2 lb raw boneless skinless chicken breast, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp smoked paprika, ½ tsp onion powder, ¼ tsp salt
Heat the olive oil in a 12-inch cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the chicken cubes for 3- 4 minutes per side until golden brown and cooked through. Reduce heat to low and stir in the buffalo sauce, coating the chicken evenly. Remove from heat and set aside.
2 tbsp olive oil, ½ cup buffalo sauce
2 tbsp unsalted butter, 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, 2 cup 2% milk
1 cup shredded Gouda cheese, 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, ½ tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp black pepper, ¼ tsp cayenne pepper
Divide into four meal prep containers. Garnish with green onions and drizzle each portion with 1 tablespoon of the finishing buffalo sauce (1/4 cup total). Enjoy immediately or refrigerate for up to 4 days.
¼ cup green onions, ¼ cup Buffalo Sauce
Nutrition
Per servingEstimates for one serving. Changing the recipe yield scales the ingredients and keeps these per-serving amounts the same.
- Calories
- 890 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 55.6 g
- Protein
- 76.8 g
- Fat
- 38.6 g
- Saturated Fat
- 17.34 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2.93 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 12.9 g
- Trans Fat
- 0.91 g
- Cholesterol
- 249 mg
- Sodium
- 1,820 mg
- Potassium
- 1,257 mg
- Fiber
- 2.7 g
- Sugar
- 9 g
- Added Sugar
- 0 g
- Vitamin A
- 323 mcg RAE
- Vitamin C
- 33.31 mg
- Vitamin D
- 1.68 mcg
- Calcium
- 576 mg
- Iron
- 3.61 mg
Estimated ingredient cost
$2.67 per serving · $10.68 for this batch
Estimated US grocery prices for the amounts used, including purchase waste and discarded marinade. Your store, brands, and package sizes may cost differently. Buying full packages can cost more. Price sources and methodology.
Ingredient costs and assumptions
Quantities without exact weights use the nutrition library’s portion estimates. Purchase yields are estimates. Separate citrus ingredients are costed independently; reusing the same fruit for juice and zest can lower your cost. Labor, utilities, and delivery are excluded.
- raw boneless skinless chicken breast: $5.14
907.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Variable-weight pack priced per pound, raw boneless skinless breast.
Walmart: Freshness Guaranteed Boneless Skinless Chicken Breast · Price checked 2026-09-21
- olive oil: $0.36
27 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 13.5 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Extra Virgin Olive Oil, 17 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- buffalo sauce: $0.78
112.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 4.7 g; Rounded measures agree within 5%. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Sweet Baby Ray's® Buffalo Wing Sauce 16 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.03
3.1 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 3.1 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- smoked paprika: $0.09
2.3 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.3 g Four 2 oz jars; full multipack weight is 8 oz.
Walmart: (4 pack) Great Value Smoked Paprika, 2 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.01
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.4 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- salt: $0.00
1.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 6 g Iodized table salt reference; not a kosher salt price.
Walmart: Great Value Iodized Salt · Price checked 2026-09-21
- pasta shells: $0.49
226.8 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
Authored ingredient weight. Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Shells · Price checked 2026-09-21
- shredded Gouda cheese: $1.47
112 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (shredded) = 112 g; Editorial shredded hard-cheese estimate: 112 g/cup (four 28 g quarter-cup portions); loose packing varies. Block Gouda to shred at home; pre-shredded products may cost differently.
Walmart: bettergoods Block Gouda Cheese, 8 oz Original listing unavailable. This link searches Walmart for the product. · Price checked 2026-09-21
- shredded cheddar cheese: $0.91
105 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (shredded) = 105 g Full-fat mild cheddar reference; sharp cheddar uses this as a substitute estimate.
Walmart: Great Value Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese · Price checked 2026-09-21
- unsalted butter: $0.24
28.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tbsp = 14.2 g Salted butter reference; unsalted uses this as a substitute estimate.
Walmart: Great Value Salted Butter · Price checked 2026-09-21
- all-purpose flour: $0.02
15 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 120 g; King Arthur all-purpose flour reference: 120 g/cup; not a weight for all powders. Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value All-Purpose Enriched Flour · Price checked 2026-09-21
- 2% milk: $0.36
490 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup = 245 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value, 2% Reduced Fat Milk, Gallon · Price checked 2026-09-21
- garlic powder: $0.02
1.6 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 3.1 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Garlic Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- onion powder: $0.01
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 2.4 g Representative product; brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Onion Powder · Price checked 2026-09-21
- black pepper: $0.05
1.2 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp (ground) = 2.3 g; texture=ground Ground black pepper reference; cracked pepper may cost differently.
Walmart: Great Value Ground Black Pepper · Price checked 2026-09-21
- cayenne pepper: $0.03
0.5 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 1.8 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Great Value Cayenne Pepper, 2.25 oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
- green onions: $0.28
25 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 cup (chopped) = 100 g Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Fresh Whole Green Onion 1 Bunch, Fresh Produce · Price checked 2026-09-21
- Buffalo Sauce: $0.39
56.4 g purchased · Uses the reviewed ingredient quantity before cooking or marinade losses.
1 tsp = 4.7 g; Rounded measures agree within 5%. Representative product for this ingredient; your brand and package size may differ.
Walmart: Sweet Baby Ray's® Buffalo Wing Sauce 16 fl oz · Price checked 2026-09-21
Make it yoursRecipe notes & meal-prep tips
Macro breakdown
- Protein76.8g35%
- Carbs55.6g25%
- Fat38.6g40%
Per serving · Share of calories from macros
Calculated using 4 calories per gram of protein and carbs, and 9 for fat. Rounding and fiber can affect the listed calorie total.Triple B's Meal Prep Notes
The Gouda-and-cheddar sauce is the reason to make this version of buffalo mac. Keep the heat low when the cheese goes in and stir until it is smooth before adding the pasta and chicken. A sauce that starts out creamy gives you a better base for packed lunches than one that has already been boiled hard. Cook the shells while you work on the chicken so both are ready for the final mix. For meal prep, drain the shells while they still have some bite. The sauce and microwave will soften them further, and starting with very soft pasta leaves you nowhere to go.
Spread the buffalo chicken evenly through the pasta before portioning. It is easy for the first container to get mostly noodles and the last to get all the chicken if you scoop only from the surface. Pack the chopped green onions separately if you want their fresh bite after reheating, and add the measured 1-tablespoon buffalo drizzle per portion at the table. This is one of the richer choices in the mac-and-cheese archive, so use the current nutrition panel when deciding how it fits your plan.
A small splash of milk before reheating can help loosen the sauce as the pasta warms. For a refrigerated serving, microwave on high for 90 seconds, stir, then heat for another 45 seconds. Use that as a starting point and continue in short intervals as needed until the food reaches 165°F throughout. Stir thoroughly through the middle rather than only moving the top layer. If you want a different flavor with the same comfort-food approach, browse the chicken meal preps or American-inspired recipes.
Notes from your kitchen
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From the community
★★★★★
I made this recipe because I was struck with the idea, like an epiphany, one day sitting at my desk at work. Not just buffalo chicken mac... but buffalo chicken GOUDA mac. I took the classic combo... and made it even more indulgent. I'd rate this one 6 stars if I could. Try this one & leave a comment if I did as great of a job as I think I did!