Olive Garden Crock Pot Chicken Pasta (My Go-To Easy Weeknight Meal) (2024)

This Olive Garden crock pot chicken is so simple, yet each bite is loaded with flavor. This recipe makes tender and juicy chicken that is smothered in a rich and creamy sauce, along with some pasta to bring it all together. It's just to die for, and it's effortless to make!

My Take On Olive Garden Crock Pot Chicken Pasta

If you love slow cooker chicken recipes, you'll fall in love with this Olive Garden chicken pasta recipe! Honestly, I've made a number of Olive Garden recipes in my day, but this might be my favorite Olive Garden copycat recipe yet.

I mean, I just love it when I can whip up a recipe on busy weeknights and have it taste like it took all day! But this Olive Garden crockpot chicken and pasta really is a breeze to make. All you have to do is add the 4 simple ingredients to your crockpot or slow cooker and just let it cook for a couple of hours when you do whatever you want.

It's that simple, and the result is incredibly delicious!

The chicken cooks in a rich and creamy sauce until it's extra tender and juicy, then it's mixed with the pasta, and the finished dish is loaded with the classic Olive Garden Italian dressing flavor.

It's as delicious as it sounds!

Oh, and while this Olive Garden crock pot chicken is cooking in the slow cooker, I usually have plenty of time to whip up a side dish or two to serve with it. If you're wondering what to serve with Olive Garden chicken pasta, my favorite sides are candied carrots and sugar snap peas.

Ingredients

As I mentioned, you'll need just 4 ingredients that go in the crockpot, plus the pasta. And the ingredients are pretty darn simple, so you might have some on hand already!

Anyway, here are all of the Olive Garden crock pot chicken pasta ingredients:

• 1lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 10oz. Olive Garden Italian dressing
• ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• 6oz. cream cheese
• 10oz. cooked fusilli pasta or desired pasta

Not bad, right?!

By the way, if you're looking for more easy crockpot chicken recipes, definitely check out this crockpot salsa chicken or this crockpot buffalo chicken dip. Both are made with chicken breasts and are just as hands-free and delicious as this copycat Olive Garden recipe.

My Ingredient Substitution Recommendations

Now, I always make this crock pot Olive Garden chicken recipe with the ingredients listed above because I think they taste best that way, but there's definitely room to switch it up to suit your preferences.

For instance, if you don't have cream cheese, you can always swap it for cream of chicken soup, cream of celery soup, or even chicken broth if you want it to be on the lighter side.

As for the pasta, I like to mix it up and use fusilli pasta, spaghetti, penne pasta, or even a combo of all three! Really anything you want to use will work great here.

How To Make Olive Garden Crock Pot Chicken Pasta

As I mentioned earlier, it couldn't be easier to make this Olive Garden chicken pasta in the crock pot.

Everything comes together with just a few minutes of work, then it's all passive cooking from there. So as I mentioned, this is the perfect busy weeknight recipe!

Anyway, let's stop wasting time and get cooking!

Step 1: Prep Work

First, begin by placing the chicken breasts into the crockpot/slow cooker.

Then you'll want to pour the Olive Garden dressing evenly over the top of the chicken. Next, place the blocks of cream cheese on top of the chicken and then go ahead and put the lid on the crock pot.

Now set your slow cooker to cook on low for 6 hours or high for 4 hours.

Step 2: Cook Pasta

When the cooking time is almost up, you'll want to cook the pasta of your choice according to the package directions. Then once it's cooked, you can drain the pasta and set it aside.

Step 3: Assemble and Serve

As soon as the chicken is fully cooked, you'll want to remove it from the slow cooker and shred the chicken with two forks.

Then you can return the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker with the Olive Garden salad dressing and add the cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. Next, give everything a good stir until the cooked chicken and pasta are coated in the creamy sauce.

Finally, serve your creamy chicken pasta warm, and enjoy!

How I Recommend Storing Olive Garden Chicken and Pasta

This recipe for Olive Garden crockpot chicken makes about 4 servings, so it's the perfect size to feed the entire family. And, if you're lucky, you may even end up with leftovers!

Speaking of leftovers, you can store the chicken and pasta in an airtight container and keep it in the fridge for about 4 days.

Alternatively, if you want to store your leftover crockpot chicken and pasta for longer, you can freeze it. Simply transfer the leftovers to an airtight container - or freezer-safe bag - and you can freeze them for up to 6 months.

How To Reheat Chicken and Pasta

I always reheat this crockpot chicken and pasta again before eating the leftovers.

So, to reheat your leftover chicken and pasta, I suggest using the skillet. Just transfer the leftovers back to a skillet set over medium heat and let everything simmer for a few minutes, stirring frequently until it reaches your desired temperature.

I like to use the skillet because it crisps up the pasta in this Olive Garden chicken recipe slightly, kind of like these pan fried noodles.

FAQS About This Olive Garden Chicken Pasta Recipe

Can I put frozen chicken in the crockpot?

Yes, you can put frozen chicken in the crockpot! One of the joys of using a crockpot is that you can easily use fresh or frozen chicken with no thawing necessary. Just remember frozen chicken will need longer to cook fully, so you'll need to add about an hour more of cooking time or so. For the best recipe, check out my frozen chicken in the crock pot.

How long does chicken have to be in a crockpot?

The exact time for cooking chicken in a crockpot will depend on the thickness of the chicken and what setting you're cooking it on. Generally, 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low is a good amount of time to fully cook chicken. Just check it around those hour marks and see how it is coming along.

My Final Thoughts

Well, that's how to make Olive Garden crock pot chicken pasta!

Between the perfectly cooked chicken, crazy flavorful cream sauce, and tender cooked pasta, there's just so much to love about this copycat Olive Garden recipe. And since it's so easy to whip up, it's the ideal family friendly meal that everyone is sure to love.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy this creamy pasta dish with chicken as much as me and my family do.

As always, if you give this Olive Garden chicken pasta recipe a try, be sure to leave a comment below and let us know your thoughts!

More Slow Cooker Recipes

If you love slow cooker recipes, you're in luck cause we have a ton on the blog that you can try next!

Here are some reader favorites:

• Chipotle carnitas
• Crack chicken chili
• Cheesy potatoes
• Mississippi chicken
• Chipotle barbacoa

Oh, and for even more delicious recipes, make sure to check us out on YouTube,Instagram, andTikTok! We post new recipes on them every day.