This creamy Italian chicken pasta has only five ingredients and it is divine! PLUS, you just throw it all in the slow cooker and walk away. Can’t beat that!
I wish I would have discovered this recipe years ago. Even though I enjoy cooking, there are some days when it’s just really nice to come home to a meal that’s hot and ready to go after a long day at work. Creamy and flavorful and so satisfying, it definitely hits the spot. My husband took one bite, looked at me, and accused me of trying to derail his new diet. He definitely had a second helping, as did my children. So if you’re looking for a meal that checks the boxes of easy, tasty, and family approved, this is it!
Creamy Slow Cooker Italian Chicken Pasta
This recipe couldn’t be any easier. You can use your choice of boneless, skinless chicken, like breasts or tenderloin. Simply add the chicken, your choice of Italian dressing (I like the Olive Garden dressing), parmesan cheese, and cream cheese to your slow cooker and let it cook. The dressing will season your chicken and the cheeses will give an incredible creamy texture for this dish.
You can use your choice of short-cut pasta for this recipe. I used egg noodles in my version, but feel free to use rotini, spiral, elbows, fusilli, penne, or macaroni. If desired, sprinkle additional Parmesan cheese before serving, and pair with a vegetable side dish.
The Trick to Cooking Noodles for Slow Cooker Meals
If you’ve tried to slow cook noodles for any amount of time, you know they have a tendency to get soggy and turn to mush. Yuck! Or, worse they stick to the side of your slow cooker and no amount of scrubbing unsticks them. The trick is to cook the noodles separately and add them right before serving. This way, your noodles are always perfectly cooked.
More 5-Ingredient Recipes
Love easy recipes like this? Check out the ‘Incredibly Easy 5-ingredient Meal Plan and Cookbook’ with 59 simple recipes and weekly shopping lists for a 6-week meal plan.
Creamy Italian Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breast or tenderloins
- 1.5 cups Italian salad dressing I used olive garden brand
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese
- 8 oz cream cheese
- 16 oz pasta cooked (I used egg noodles)
Instructions
- Place chicken, Italian dressing, parmesan cheese, and cream cheese in the slow cooker.
- Cook on high for 4 hours.
- Shred chicken.
- Cook pasta according to directions. Add to slow cooker and mix. Add additional parmesan cheese and dressing as needed or to taste.
- Serve and enjoy!
Jenny is a wife and stay at home mother of two. She loves good food, and enjoys experimenting in the kitchen. When she’s not busy chasing kids, you can find her digging into a good book, enjoying the great outdoors, and trying not to kill her houseplants.