Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
96 CommentsUpdated Feb 26, 2026
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta recipe is perfect when you’re looking to cook up some chicken thighs, veggies, and pasta. It’s a one pot meal that yields tender chicken and only needs just a handful on ingredients. Give this delicious meal a try next time you’re looking for something easy to put on the dinner table.
Chicken pasta recipes are so versatile and if you’re looking to put together a complete meal plan, add my Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Pasta and Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta to your list.
One of the things you’ll like most about this easy garlic butter chicken pasta is that it’s a complete meal. Loaded with tender chicken, pasta, vegetables, and a homemade garlic butter sauce, you’ll barely have to lift a finger for dinner.
I made this while we were out at the lake one day and all I had to do was came home, boil the noodles, and dinner was served.
If you want a version of this with potatoes, try my garlic butter chicken with veggies recipe or garlic parmesan chicken dinner.
Ingredients for Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
Not all my recipes are from scratch but this one is! And full of vegetables. Find the full recipe in the recipe card below the images.
This Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta recipe comes together with simple, flavorful ingredients. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cook up tender and juicy alongside sweet carrots, diced white onion, and plenty of minced garlic. Slices of salted butter melt into everything, creating a rich, savory base seasoned with dried thyme, basil, sea salt, and black pepper. Toward the end of cooking, frozen peas are stirred in for a pop of color and freshness, followed by al dente rotini pasta to make it a complete and satisfying meal.
How to Make Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
Follow my steps on how make this EASY pasta dish in the Crockpot.
Step One – Add the chicken, garlic, onions, carrots, butter, thyme, basil, salt and pepper into the crock pot.
Step Two – Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
Step Three – Shred the cooked chicken with 2 forks directly in the slow cooker pot.
Step Four – Cook pasta in a large pot according to the package directions. Add in cooked pasta (discarding the pasta water).
Step Five – Add the peas.
Step Six – Stir until combined well. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve immediately! Enjoy!
Best Ways to Serve
Here is how my family enjoys this meal:
We typically eat this as-is! Yes, no sides, since this has all you need in one bowl.
You can add sides such as a green salad or bread to round out the meal.
Another option is to skip the pasta and serve the garlic butter chicken over a bed of steamed rice.
Featured Comment
“This was absolutely delicious! I make crockpot meals at work and this one was another hit for us at the office. I’ll make it for my family soon. Absolutely delicious.”
– KURT
Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs
- 1 Tbsp. minced garlic
- 4 carrots,, peeled and sliced
- 1 white onion,, diced
- ½ cup salted butter, cut into slices
- 1 tsp. dried thyme
- 1 tsp. dried basil
- ½ tsp. sea salt
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- 1 cup frozen peas, ADD AT THE END
- 1 lb. rotini pasta, cooked al dente, ADD AT THE END
- Parmesan cheese for serving
Instructions
- Add the chicken, garlic, onions, carrots, butter, thyme, basil, salt and pepper.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
- When the cooking time is done, cook the pasta according to the package directions.
- Shred the chicken. Add the peas, and the drained and cooked pasta. Stir.
- Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve!
- Enjoy!
Sarah’s Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
More slow cooker pasta recipes
Chicken Parmesan Pasta and Slow Cooker Million Dollar Spaghetti are rich, cheesy dishes perfect for pasta lovers craving comfort food.
Slow Cooker Chicken and Noodles is a cozy, old-fashioned favorite with tender chicken and thick egg noodles in a savory broth.
Slow Cooker Stuffed Shells and Pesto Chicken Pasta both bring bold, Italian inspired flavors with melty cheese and herby sauces that make dinner feel special with little effort. Or Serve my 40 Clove Garlic Chicken over angel hair pasta.
Thanks for the recipe! I’m not a fan of raw meat but am learning! I always use chicken breast that are cleaned and ready to go. However, ive been seeing a lot of recipes that use bonless chicken thighs. Please tell more! Are they easy to work with and how is the meat different. I didn’t realize they had BONELESS which may work for me: Thanks
Hi Susan, I use boneless chicken thighs in place of boneless chicken breast. The only thing I do is cut off any fatty pieces off the edges, there is always a lot. The meat is very moist and tender, doesn’t dry out.
Thank you!
Can you sub rotisserie chicken? If so, how much cooking time do you need or adjust?
Can I use frozen chicken? I am excited to try this recipe!
I have not tried, though I think it should be fine.
Delicious. My second time to do it . Everything turned out perfecty . Thank you .
Could I use a bag of frozen stew vegetables and add at the beginning?
I don’t see why not!
Did you change the recipe recently? I thought it only cooked on low for 6 hours. Do you happen to have a link to the old recipe?
I cooked this again the other night, I felt the time could go longer than six hours because of the carrots. If you slice the carrots thinner, you can get away with 6. Nothing has been changed, just the time. If it works for you for 6 hours, go for it!
Could you sub olive oil for part of the butter? Trying to be dairy free for breastfeeding purposes :-/
I think that would work fine. Some chicken broth would work great too.
Thanks!
Chicken and I are not good friends since my gall bladder wad taken out.
Can turkey or pork be substituted for the chicken?
Either would be great!
Just curious to know how/why chicken would be an issue due to gall bladder removal since its whole purpose is the digestion of fats and chicken is about the leanest meat there is. I had my gall bladder removed just about a month ago and have had no issues thus far with any foods. I know I’m fortunate but just perplexed by the chicken issue.
Do you have receipts that are for 2-4 servings. Chicken mainly.
No, most are 6-8. I’m sorry!
I havent tried it yet, but don’t you need any liquid to start in the crockpot?
The butter and the juices that are made from the chicken is the liquid in this recipe.