Grilled Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese uses that spicy hot Smoked Nashville Whole Chicken to make mac and cheese with some zing!
Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese
Grilled Nashville chicken gets the superheat from being coated in a cayenne-infused hot oil. The hot oil helps the cayenne seep into every single taste bud and makes them scream for mercy.
With Spiceology’s Nashville Hot Chicken rub, you can easily create the flavors of Nashville chicken and keep the heat. But you don’t have to worry about creating hot cayenne-infused oil to dunk the chicken in.
I recommend using my Smoked Nashville Hot Chicken recipe. You can also bake the chicken with the Nashville Spiceology rub if you prefer the convenience, or you can grill chicken breasts with the spicy rub.
This mac and cheese recipe is basically the same as my one-pot creamy noodle recipe. The big difference comes in using Spiceology Nashville rub on everything! This spicy rub seasons the sauce, it seasons the chicken, and it even seasons the crumbs on top!
The triple play of this wonderfully spicy rub brings the heat. Of course, if you want to cut the heat a notch or two, then sprinkle less in the sauce or the bread crumbs for the top. You can let the spice rub on the chicken do all the work, adding heat if you want.
Just don’t be surprised to find yourself sprinkling some of it on anyway.
Why You’ll Love This Dish
- One-Pot Pasta Start – The noodles cook right in the seasoned liquid for extra flavor.
- Creamy And Spicy – Ranch and cheese smooth out the Nashville heat.
- Crunchy Baked Top – Buttery breadcrumbs add the perfect texture.
- Great For Leftovers – Reheats well and stays flavorful.
- Easy Chicken Upgrade – Perfect use for leftover or rotisserie chicken.
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Recipe Shopping List
Wondering if you have to hit the store? Here's the list of items you'll need to make this recipe. For specific amounts, please refer to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Water – Cooking liquid that becomes part of the sauce, so don’t drain the pasta.
- Milk – Builds the creamy base; whole milk makes it richer, 2% still works.
- Salted Butter – Adds richness and seasoning; unsalted works if you bump the salt slightly.
- Salt – Seasons the pasta as it cooks; taste the final sauce before adding more.
- Ranch Seasoning Mix – Tangy, savory flavor boost that plays great with heat.
- Rotini Pasta – Holds sauce in the spirals; use a sturdy pasta that cooks in 8–10 minutes.
- Half-And-Half Or Heavy Cream – Makes the sauce richer and smoother; heavy cream is extra decadent.
- Shredded Cheddar Or Colby Jack – Melts well and tastes classic; shred your own for the smoothest melt.
- Spiceology Nashville Hot Chicken Seasoning – Brings the heat and that Nashville-style spice profile; adjust to your spice level.
- Cooked Cubed Chicken – Rotisserie, grilled, or smoked chicken all work; keep cubes bite-sized.
- Plain Breadcrumbs – Crunchy topping; panko works for a lighter, crispier crust.
- Melted Butter (For Topping) – Helps breadcrumbs brown and toast evenly.
- Extra Nashville Hot Seasoning (For Topping) – Adds a spicy finish right on the crunchy crust.
- Ranch Dressing (To Serve) – Cooling drizzle that balances the heat and makes it extra craveable.
Try with some Protein Ranch!
How To Make This Recipe
This is just the overview so you can see what you're actually getting into here. When you are cooking, you'll want to use the full recipe at the bottom of the page.
- Simmer Pasta In Seasoned Liquid: Combine water, milk, butter, salt, ranch mix, and rotini in a large pot over medium heat. Simmer 7–8 minutes, stirring now and then, until noodles are tender.
- Make It Creamy: Remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half or cream, then add shredded cheese and stir until fully melted.
- Build The Bake: Spoon mac into an oven-safe dish. Stir in Nashville hot seasoning and scatter cooked chicken over the top.
- Add Crunchy Topping: Mix breadcrumbs with melted butter and sprinkle over the mac. Dust with the final Nashville seasoning.
- Bake: Bake at 325°F for 20–25 minutes until hot, bubbly, and the topping is toasted.
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Recipe FAQ
In my one-pot creamy noodle recipe, I recommend using parmesan or mozzarella. About half and half of each of those is ideal. The parmesan adds a bit of funky umami and a bit of saltiness. Then mozzarella comes through with the creamy goodness.
Of course, you could also use a variety of other cheeses as well.
With the super spicy Nashville rub, don’t be afraid to use a bit of blue cheese and some cheddar. The English cheese called Stilton is essentially a sharp cheddar-style cheese that has veins of blue cheese in it.
You could also use Mexican Oaxacan-style cheese, which is similar to mozzarella, and some cotija cheese, which is similar to parmesan.
The key is balancing the creaminess with a little funk, since those will play off the hot spices nicely.
The point is, you can customize this with whatever cheese you have on hand, really, so experiment a bit!
Ideally, the best pasta for Mac and Cheese can easily coat and hold a bit of cheese sauce in it. I like penne noodles myself, but if you want to use macaroni or shells, that is fine too. I do recommend using the larger-sized shells if you are going to go that route.
Penne is the tube-shaped noodles, and they come in several sizes as well. If you are shopping for them, then I recommend the mid-sized ones.
You want the pasta to be sized sort of equally to the bits of spiced chicken you are adding in.
If you do have any leftovers handy, then keep them in a plastic container that is microwave-proof. That way you can conveniently serve them easily with quick zap in the mic.
The noodles will keep up to a week.
If you want to keep that crunchy top you can also reheat in the oven or the air fryer.
While you can freeze them, I don’t highly recommend it. The noodles lose their texture and don’t do well with freezing, defrosting, and reheating. It won’t taste bad, but it just won’t be as “wow” as when you first served it, or if you just ate the refrigerated leftovers.
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Serve This With
You can do grilled Nashville hot chicken mac and cheese as an entree or a side no problem. If you serve it as a main course, then I can recommend a few salads to go with it.
And if you serve it on the side, then I recommend serving it with any of these hearty dishes that can stand up to the spicy chicken.
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Featured Review
“My 4th time making this by request. This mac & cheese is fabulous. Not spicy hot, just amazing flavor since you boil the pasta in the water, milk, butter and seasoning. Made it for a Christmas Eve gathering with hot roast beef sandwiches. Perfect combo. It's now one of my go-to recipes.”
– Lori from Pinterest
Nashville Hot Chicken Mac and Cheese
Creamy and delicious mac and cheese is turned into the best Nashville Hot Chicken dish, EVER. Spicy seasoned bread crumbs top this dish giving it that classic Nashville chicken crunch!
Ingredients
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup milk
- 1/4 cup butter, salted
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 packet ranch seasoning mix
- 1 pound rotini (high-quality stuff that takes 8-10 minutes to cook preferably)
- 1/2 cup half and half or heavy cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar or Colby jack cheese
- 2 tablespoons Spiceology Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning
- 2 cups cubed chicken
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1 tablespoon Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning
Instructions
- Put the water, milk, butter, salt, ranch mix, and rotini into a large pot over medium heat. Bring to a simmer and let cook for 7-8 minutes, or until the noodles are tender.
- Remove from heat and stir in the cream or half and half. Once that is combined, stir in the cheese and continue stirring until it is fully melted.
- Scoop the pasta into an oven-safe dish.
- Mix in the Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning, and place the cubed chicken on top.
- Combine the bread crumbs and melted butter, and sprinkle over the top of the mac and cheese. Sprinkle on the last 1 tablespoon of Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning.
- Bake at 325° for 20-25 minutes, or until hot, bubbly, and the bread crumbs on the top have had a chance to get toasty.
- Top with some ranch dressing and serve hot!
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 455Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 15gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 98mgSodium: 790mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 2gSugar: 2gProtein: 22g
Nutrition data provided here is only an estimate.
Cheryl Whightsel
Thursday 28th of December 2023
Is the cubed chicken uncooked or cooked?
Nicole Johnson
Thursday 28th of December 2023
It is cooked. It uses a smoked whole Nashville Hot Chicken. If you don't want to make a whole chicken you use use uncooked cubed chicken, season it with extra Nashville Hot Chicken seasoning, and saute it in some butter on the stovetop.
Janet
Friday 27th of October 2023
Did you mean for the instruction to put the chicken on top in step 3 to be in step 4, after spooning it into the dish?
Nicole Johnson
Friday 27th of October 2023
Yes! Good catch. I adjusted that in the recipe card. Thanks for letting me know!