Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
95 Comments Feb 20, 2024
Updated Jun 10, 2024
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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 Mozzarella Chicken Pasta and Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta to your list.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This
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.
Recipe Ingredients
- Boneless skinless chicken thighs: Tender and juicy boneless chicken thighs are a primary protein source for the dish.
- Minced garlic: A flavorful addition, minced garlic enhances the overall taste of the dish with its aromatic and sharp taste.
- Carrots (peeled and sliced): Sweet and earthy carrots add a vibrant color and natural sweetness to the slow cooked recipe.
- White onion (diced): Diced white onion contributes a savory flavor and texture to the dish, blending well with other ingredients.
- Salted butter (cut into slices): These infuse the dish with a delicious and creamy flavor.
- Dried thyme: Brings a warm and herbal hint, enhancing the overall aroma and taste of the chicken pasta.
- Dried basil: Dried basil adds a fragrant, slightly peppery flavor, complementing the other herbs in the dish.
- Sea salt: Sea salt serves to season and elevate the flavors of the ingredients, providing a balanced taste. You can also use kosher salt.
- Black pepper: Pepper contributes a subtle heat and depth to the dish, enhancing its overall savory taste.
- Frozen peas (ADD AT THE END): Bright green frozen peas add a burst of color and freshness when stirred in towards the end of cooking.
- Rotini pasta cooked al dente (ADD AT THE END): Al dente rotini pasta, added towards the end, provides a hearty texture and completes the chicken pasta dish.
- Parmesan cheese (for serving): Grated Parmesan cheese is a finishing touch, offering a flavorful and salty flavor to enhance the overall taste of the dish when served.
Step-by-Step Directions
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!
How to Serve
- Serve the Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta on individual plates, garnishing each portion with a sprinkle of fresh herbs, such as chopped parsley or basil. Optionally, add a generous amount of freshly grated Parmesan cheese on top for an extra layer of cheesy goodness. Make it creamy garlic chicken pasta by adding mozzarella cheese.
- You can also serve this pasta on a bed of fresh spinach or arugula for a lighter meal option. The greens add a fresh contrast to the warm pasta and chicken, creating a well-balanced and visually appealing dish.
- Side dishes such as golden brown garlic bread, a simple side salad, roasted green beans, grilled asparagus, Caprese salad, coleslaw, sautéed spinach, bruschetta, mashed potatoes, or quinoa/couscous pair great for a well-rounded and delicious meal.
Recipe FAQs
Of course! Switch things up by using egg noodles, angel hair pasta, spaghetti noodles, whole wheat pasta, bow tie pasta, or any other kind of your choice. Simply cook the pasta according to the box and add pasta in the end.
No. Garlic chicken pasta tastes great with chicken breasts, grilled chicken, and/or rotisserie chicken. Chicken cooks a bit differently depending on the cut; however, you should still have thoroughly cooked and shred-ready chicken by the end of the cooking time.
To store leftovers transfer the cooled leftovers into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, gently warm in a microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat or medium high heat, adding a splash of broth or water if needed to prevent dryness.
Fresh parsley, garlic powder, olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes, cherry tomatoes, and/or roasted vegetables can all be added to this dish to create enhanced flavor. Add salt and lemon zest just before serving for an additional pop in taste.
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Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken Pasta
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!
How to Video
Sarah’s Notes
- To store leftovers transfer the cooled leftovers into an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 3-4 days. To reheat, gently warm in a microwave or on the stovetop over medium heat or medium high heat, adding a splash of broth or water if needed to prevent dryness.
- Switch things up by using egg noodles, angel hair pasta, spaghetti noodles, whole wheat pasta, bow tie pasta, or any other kind of your choice. Simply cook the pasta according to the box and add pasta in the en
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
Great recipe my husband said we could add broth and have it as soup somtimes
going to try this recipe, do you think a cup of chicken broth would be right? or more
this web site has too many pop-ups and spam …not coming here again
These are FREE recipes. The ads are how I support my family.
Some people don’t understand that …. lol….
I haven’t made this yet, but im going to for dinners next week! Do the frozen peas get warm fast enough by just adding them at the end with the pasta?
Yes, they thaw and get warm very quickly.
My kids loved it! I used canned corn instead of peas becuase we don’t use frozen vegetables and didn’t have any peas. It tasted great!! We will make this again ❤
Can you use corn instead of peas?
Yes, that will work fine.
Just added a couple of tbsp chicken base and it was delicious!
I made this for dinner tonight, and it was a huge hit. I didn’t add the peas. I did add some rosemary, a little Italian seasoning and a little extra garlic. I didn’t even have to shred the chicken. It just fell apart.
It was delicious.
No taste. I even added Italian seasoning. It tastes like nothing and has no flavor. Only thing that was good was that chicken was moist. Horrible recipe! Never would make again!
We used 4-5 boneless thighs, and followed rest of the recipe closely. We chunked the thighs after cooking rather than shred, and cooked on High for 4.5 hours. It was okay, but rather “mild.” If we make this again, we’re going to add a lot more garlic and spices… it needed to be kicked up a notch, but it was a good basic recipe to start with, then edit to individual tastes.
I made this tonight for dinner. It was easy enough and turned out fine but I found it to be too dry. I added a 16 oz. can of low sodium chicken broth. It helped some but I still felt as if something was missing. Not sure I will make again. This recipe makes a lot.
Add one or two cans of cream of chicken or mushroom soup
Made this last night, it was awesome! I didn’t add the peas cuz we don’t like them but I’ll be making this again! Served it with corn and poured the juice over, delicious!