This Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is an easy, creamy dinner that’s perfect for busy weeknights. Tender shredded chicken is cooked low and slow with garlic, cream cheese, and seasonings, then finished with heavy cream, Parmesan, and pasta.
It’s creamy, cheesy, full of garlic flavor, and uses simple ingredients you can find at just about any grocery store. Let the crockpot handle the chicken during the day, then all you have to do around dinnertime is boil the pasta and stir everything together!
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Easy crockpot dinner: Get the chicken cooking earlier in the day, then finish the pasta right before dinner.
Simple ingredients: No fancy ingredients or jarred specialty sauces needed.
Family-friendly: Creamy pasta and tender chicken make this an easy dinner for both kids and adults.
Budget-friendly: Chicken, pasta, cream cheese, and a few pantry staples make enough to feed the whole family without a huge grocery list.
Great for busy nights: Most of the cooking happens hands-off in the slow cooker.
What You’ll Need
Chicken breasts: I use about 1½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They’ll cook until tender and then get shredded right into the sauce.
Chicken broth: Adds flavor and gives the chicken enough liquid to cook in.
Garlic: We’re using four fresh cloves because if we’re calling it Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta, we want to actually taste the garlic!
Cream cheese: An 8-ounce block makes the sauce extra creamy.
Heavy cream: Added toward the end so the finished sauce stays smooth and creamy.
Parmesan cheese: Adds that salty, cheesy flavor that goes so well with the garlic.
Butter: Adds a little extra richness to the sauce.
Penne: I like penne because all that creamy sauce gets inside the pasta, but you can use another short pasta you already have.
Seasonings: Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper keep this recipe simple while still giving it plenty of flavor.
Ingredients
- 1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 (8 oz) block cream cheese, cubed
- 2 tbsp butter
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 12 oz penne pasta
- Up to ½ cup reserved pasta water, as needed
- Fresh parsley, optional
- Extra Parmesan for serving, optional
How to Make Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
1. Add the chicken to the crockpot.
Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker.
Pour in the chicken broth, then add the minced garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and black pepper.
2. Add the cream cheese and butter.
Place the cubed cream cheese and butter over the chicken.
Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or HIGH for 2½–3½ hours, until the chicken is tender and cooked through.
3. Shred the chicken.
Remove the chicken from the crockpot and shred it using two forks.
4. Finish the garlic Parmesan sauce.
Whisk the cream cheese mixture remaining in the crockpot until it’s as smooth as possible.
Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese. Add the shredded chicken back to the crockpot and stir everything together.
5. Cook the pasta.
Cook the penne according to the package directions until al dente.
Before draining the pasta, reserve about ½ cup of the pasta water.
6. Put it all together.
Add the drained pasta to the crockpot and stir until everything is coated in the creamy garlic Parmesan sauce.
If the sauce is thicker than you’d like, add a splash of reserved pasta water at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
7. Serve.
Let everything warm together on LOW for about 10 minutes.
Top with fresh parsley and extra Parmesan, if you’d like, and serve!
Tips & Easy Swaps
Cook the pasta separately. I don’t recommend cooking the dry pasta in the crockpot. Cooking it separately gives you much better control over the texture and prevents mushy pasta.
Don’t add the heavy cream too early. Adding the heavy cream toward the end helps keep the sauce smooth instead of letting it cook for several hours.
Use another pasta shape. Rotini, bowties, rigatoni, or another short pasta will work if that’s what you already have in the pantry.
Save your pasta water. The sauce will thicken as it sits. A splash of starchy pasta water is an easy way to loosen it without watering down the flavor.
Grate your own Parmesan if you can. Freshly grated Parmesan generally melts more smoothly into creamy sauces, but use what fits your grocery budget.
Want to add a vegetable? Stir in steamed broccoli toward the end or serve green beans on the side.
What to Serve With Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
This pasta is pretty filling on its own, so you don’t need anything fancy on the side. Some inexpensive options are:
- Steamed broccoli
- Green beans
- Side salad
- Garlic bread
- Dinner rolls
- Roasted vegetables
How to Store Leftovers
Store leftover Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.
The sauce will thicken quite a bit once refrigerated. When reheating, add a splash of milk or chicken broth and stir until the sauce becomes creamy again.
Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta
Description
This Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta is an easy, creamy slow cooker dinner made with tender chicken, garlic, Parmesan and simple ingredients.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the crockpot.
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Add the chicken broth, garlic, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
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Place the cubed cream cheese and butter over the chicken.
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Cover and cook on LOW for 4–6 hours or HIGH for 2½–3½ hours, until the chicken reaches 165°F and is tender enough to shred.
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Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks.
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Whisk the cream cheese mixture in the crockpot until smooth. Stir in the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese.
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Return the shredded chicken to the crockpot.
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Cook the penne according to the package directions until al dente. Reserve about ½ cup of pasta water before draining.
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Add the drained pasta to the crockpot and stir until coated in the sauce.
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Add reserved pasta water a little at a time if needed to thin the sauce.
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Cover and let everything warm together on LOW for about 10 minutes.
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Top with parsley and additional Parmesan, if desired, and serve.
Note
- The sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. Use reserved pasta water, milk, or chicken broth to thin it as needed.
- For leftovers, add a splash of milk or broth before reheating to help bring the creamy sauce back together.
