Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad

By jenlin

Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• 1 pound rigatoni noodles
• 1 pound cooked chicken, diced (I love using leftover wing meat)
• 4 stalks celery, cut into small dice (about 2 cups), plus chopped leaves, for garnish
• 1/2 bunch green onions, green parts only, sliced (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 1/2 cups mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 2 to 4 tablespoons hot sauce
• 2 tablespoons dark, dark, DARK beer
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne (or togarashi if you have it!)

Preparation

Step 1

In a large pot of heavily salted boiling water, cook the rigatoni according to the package directions for al dente. Drain and (once cooled) add to a large bowl along with the chicken, celery and green onions. Toss well.

In a medium bowl, combine the mayonnaise, blue cheese, lemon juice, mustard, hot sauce, beer, honey, black pepper, cayenne and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir until smooth, then add to the bowl with the rigatoni. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.

Refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours to allow the flavors to meld. Garnish with chopped celery leaves before serving.