Crockpot Chicken Pasta

This Crockpot Chicken Pasta is creamy, cheesy, and full of garlic parmesan flavor! Just a few simple ingredients, including a storebought sauce (how easy is that?), is all it takes for this dinner idea, that will become a new favorite.

 

Crockpot recipes are such a great way to make dinnertime easy. Some of my favorite crockpot recipes for my family are these slow cooker pork steaks, crockpot enchiladas, and this crockpot chicken and stuffing.

If you’re looking for another crockpot recipe to make an easy, delicious dinner, this is the one you’ll want to make next. Pour ingredients like the raw chicken breasts, garlic parmesan sauce, cream cheese, cheeses, and a few spices; allow it to cook, shred the chicken right in the slow cooker, and then toss in the cooked pasta, stir, and enjoy. It doesn’t get much easier than that!

Ingredients Needed

So much creaminess in just a few ingredients! Here are a few notes on some of the key ingredients to make this crockpot chicken pasta. See the recipe card below for the measurements.

• Buffalo Wild Wings Parmesan Sauce – Any brand of garlic parmesan sauce will do but this is my favorite.
• Shredded parmesan cheese – You can use grated parmesan instead.  
• Red pepper flakes – If you’re not a spice person, leave out the red pepper flakes. 
• Heavy cream– Whole milk will also work.
• Boneless skinless chicken breasts – Chicken breast tenderloins would also be great, or boneless skinless chicken thighs would be good too.
• Rotini pasta – Feel free to use a different pasta shape. Any short pasta will do. I also like macaroni, bowtie, and penne. I love using penne too, as it locks in the sauce on to the noodle, like in this recipe for Marry Me Chicken Pasta.
• Fresh parsley – The parsley is optional, but I love the vibrant color it brings to the finished dish. 

How to Make Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Here’s an overview of how to make this crockpot chicken pasta but you can skip to the recipe card for the instructions too.

1. Make the sauce. With a spoon or spatula, mix the parmesan sauce, cream cheese, parmesan, cheddar, red pepper flakes, garlic, onion powder, and heavy cream in the bottom of your crockpot basin.

2. Add chicken. Nestle the chicken breasts into the cheesy garlic parmesan mixture and spoon some of it over the chicken to cover it. 

3. Cook. Seal the crockpot and cook on low for 4 hours or on high for 2 hours. At the end of the cooking time, check the chicken with a meat thermometer before removing it from the crockpot. You’ll know it’s done when the thermometer reads that the chicken is 165°F.
4. Cook the pasta. 20 minutes before the cooking time for the chicken is up, cook the pasta per the package’s instructions. Drain the pasta and set aside. 
5. Shred. When the chicken is cooked, use two forks to shred it while still in the crock pot. Give everything a good stir to coat the chicken in sauce.

6. Put it all together. Add the cooked pasta to the crockpot and stir once more to coat the pasta. 

Add the fresh parsley if desired, and enjoy!

Recipe Pro Tips:

• No crockpot? No problem. You can make this creamy chicken pasta in the oven. Mix up the sauce and load a baking dish up just as you would the crockpot. Bake, uncovered, for 30 minutes or until a meat thermometer inserted into the largest chicken breast reads 165°F. 
• What size crockpot is best? A 6 quart crockpot was used here. If your crockpot is larger, you can scale the recipe up for proper cooking. If it is smaller than 6 quarts, scale the recipe down. 
• Can I add the pasta to the crockpot raw? Do not try to add the pasta to the crockpot raw. While it might be tempting, there is not enough liquid in this dish to hydrate the pasta without drying the chicken out. Plus, the pasta will get mushy if you add the liquid with it. 
• Pasta turn out too thick? If you like a thinner pasta sauce you can add ¼ cup more of heavy cream and mix it well. This will thin it a bit without losing flavor. Add it after the chicken is cooked. The chicken will release juices when cooked so the thickness of the sauce will change by the time it’s ready to serve. 
• Add vegetables? You can definitely add vegetables to this dish! I love adding broccoli florets, sliced carrots, cubed potatoes, peas, or some combination. Just mix the veggies in with the sauce before adding the chicken to the crockpot. 

How to Store Crockpot Chicken Pasta

• To store: Once the chicken pasta has cooled completely, seal it in an airtight container. You can store it in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. 
• To reheat: Allow the leftovers to thaw in the fridge (if applicable) before transferring them to a baking dish. Cove the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 20 minutes or until heated through. 
• How to Freeze in advance: Mix up the sauce, place the chicken in a large freezer bag, pour the sauce over the chicken, and mix it around a bit to coat the chicken. Seal the bag and freeze for up to 3 months. When you are ready to enjoy, allow the chicken and sauce to thaw in the fridge before loading everything into the crockpot and cooking as you normally would and then place in the crockpot to cook.

What to Serve with this Crockpot Chicken Pasta:

Some of my favorite side dishes to go with this crockpot recipe are this creamy cucumber salad (to keep the cooking to a minimum), these cheddar biscuits, and this garlic roasted broccoli. Or check out these side dish recipes that are newer here:

Recipe