This Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Penne has features of mac and cheese but with chicken added too! A great meal to come home to that the entire family will enjoy.
I was on
How to make Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Penne:
I start by cooking 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, chicken breasts, chicken broth, dried tarragon and pepper for 6 hours on low.
Then I shred the chicken and add sour cream and cheese.
Then add the cooked penne pasta. I originally planned to make this with egg noodles, I bought an
I went back to the store and bought penne pasta and I am so glad that I did. The penne pasta has a great texture, perfect for this recipe.
Mix it up.
Top with more cheese.
Heaven on a plate! Plenty of sauce to coat all the noodles. I highly recommend this meal for an easy weeknight meal.
Would your family enjoy this pasta dinner? Mine really did! I hope you have a great weekend and I’ll be back next week with another recipe.
Slow Cooker Cheesy Chicken Penne
Equipment Needed:
- Slow Cooker – 5 quart or larger
Ingredients:
- 1½ lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 21 oz cream of chicken soup (two-10.5 oz cans) Don't add water
- ½ cup chicken broth
- ¼ tsp. pepper
- ½ tsp. dried leaf tarragon can substitute oregano or thyme here
- 1½ cups sliced mushrooms
- 1 small sweet yellow onion diced
Add at the end
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese divided
- 1 lb. penne pasta cooked according to package directions on the stove-top
Instructions:
- Add the cream of chicken soup and chicken broth to the slow cooker, stir until smooth.
- Add the tarragon, pepper, mushrooms and onions, stir.
- Add the chicken breasts.
- Cover the slow cooker and cook on LOW for 6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- After the cooking time is up, start cooking the pasta according to the package directions to Al dente on the stove-top, do not over cook!
- Shred the chicken with 2 forks.
- Add sour cream and half of the cheese, stir.
- Add the cooked and drained pasta and stir again.
- Sprinkle over remaining cheese. Cover the slow cooker and cook for an additional 20 minutes on low.
- Serve and enjoy!
Is the kcal posted the amount per serving or the amount in the entire dish? Thanks
One serving (the enitre pot has 8 servings)
This recipe sounded great for a cold Ohio dinner. I made a few substitutions since that’s what I had in stock. I used a can of cream of chicken and a can of cream of mushroom, and whatever random pieces of cheese in my fridge: cheddar, swiss, Monterey Jack. Skipped the sour cream, my husband hates it. Still came out a delicious, filling dinner. Oh yes, bonus to me, at the end, I threw in some leftover cauliflower and broccoli. No complaints! Thanks Sarah, enjoy your thoughts and recipes.
would lit be ok to not use the sour cream as not a fan?
I would add another can of cream of chicken or add less pasta.
I’m making this right now! I used the 98% fat free chicken soup and added a can of diced tomatoes and a little oregano. Was thinking of adding a bag of mixed veggies too!
D’lish
I used both mushrooms and spinach since it was in fridge and Chickpea noodles
Thank you
Denice
Sorry but slow cooker cheesy chicken penne has a pleasant cheesy consistancy but it’s just too bland for our tastes here it is seriously lacking something to spice it up
I agree, it needs something else to give it a kick!
Does the chicken go in frozen or thawed?
thawed
I am in the process of making the recipe… I accidently used a cup of chicken broth instead of an half cup. Would this make a difference in the taste?
It will be fine!
Love this recipe and my kids always ask for seconds! I subbed broccoli for the mushrooms.
I will have to try that! My daughter hates mushrooms but LOVES broccoli. Thanks for the tip.
This recipe came out delicious, but made a few changes. I added 1 tsp granulated garlic, added 1/2 c grated parmesan cheese and substituted mozzarella cheese and used only 8 oz. Of Penne pasta. This will stay in our recipe rotation
Has anyone used cream cheese instead of sour cream? I will be making this sometime this week, but sometimes sour cream is stronger than cream cheese. Thoughts?
Do the noodles have to be pre cooked or can I throw them in the crockpot uncooked?
They need to be precooked. The crock pot isn’t hot enough to properly cook pasta.
Can it be frozen afterwards?
It should do fine!
I’ve been cooking this for about 2 and half hours on low and I was wondering if it was too late to cut the time a little bit by turning the crockpot on high for about another 2 hours?
That’s totally fine!
Hi can I add spinach to pot and cook altogether. I’m just worried if it will become watery or will it be fine thank you .
Hi Nelly! I would add a few cups of fresh spinach the same time as the hot pasta. It will wilt down in minutes.
Can you use canned cheese soup
Wouldn’t chicken stock be better than chicken broth?? Can’t wait to try it! Thanks!
If you have it, use stock. That will be great.
Did you use fresh or canned mushrooms?
Fresh
Is there a way I can cut down the cook time?
Yes! You can do 3.5 hours on high, no problems.
Yes! Thank you! I made this last night and my husband LOVED IT! I subbed the onions for spinach. It was amazing!
Could sauce and chicken be cooked and then frozen without pasta?
I’m unsure how the dairy would turn out being frozen. I’ve never tried it on this recipe.
I have made this numerous times and it’s very tasty