Updated

An easy and delicious one-dish meal that’s ready in about half an hour is my go-to recipe for those busy work days or just when I want to spend more time outside in my garden and not in my kitchen. My buffalo chicken bowtie pasta is a creamy and spicy dish that tastes like chicken wings combined with a rich Alfredo pasta. It’s the best of both worlds and a meal the whole family loves. With the weather turning beautiful, this dish will give you a flavorful dinner along with keeping you out of the kitchen and enjoying this beautiful spring weather.

Belle’s Buffalo Chicken Bowtie Pasta1 pound boneless skinless chicken (thighs or breasts)

1 cup buffalo-style sauce, divided

1 packet ranch seasoning mix, divided

1 stick of butter

1 (8-ounce) package low-fat cream cheese

1 ¼ cup milk

½ pound of bowtie pasta

2 tablespoons sliced green onions

Place the chicken in a gallon-sized zip-lock plastic bag. Add ¼ cup of the buffalo sauce and ½ of the packet ranch seasoning. Close the bag and massage to combine and coat the chicken. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the chicken until no pink remains- about 6 to 8 minutes per side. In a saucepan, melt the butter and then add ½ cup of the buffalo sauce and the cream cheese, whisking to combine. Slowly add in milk, whisking constantly. Add the remaining ranch seasoning and keep whisking until a sauce has formed. (It will thicken as it cools.) In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the pasta for about 7 minutes or just until tender. Drain, then toss in sauce. Dice chicken into bite-sized pieces and toss into the pasta mixture. Garnish with green onions before serving.

Brenda Stanley is the mother of five children, including two sets of twins, and a grandmother of eight. She is a cookbook author and novelist. For more recipes and information, visit her website www.talesofthedinnerbelle.com.