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!
Can this be made without sour cream and mushrooms?
Yes, should be fine!
My family loves the recipe, even my super picky 8 year old and the even pickier 2 year old! It gets made every few weeks
Sarah, I have never been crazy about penne pasta! Are we driving you crazy yet??? There’s a couple of others I love to use such as farfalle, wheels, and radiatore. Of course, then we have rottini, broad egg noodles and the list goes on. Which do you think may sub for the penne nicely? Other than the penne, I am not going to change a thing. Sounds delicious as it is.
Thanks for the help!
Sharon
You can use any pasta! Just beware of cheap egg noodles, they can break apart very easy in crock pot recipes. I farfalle or rotini would work great!
YUM! Thanks for your reply.
Alright, I chose mini wheels for the pasta, and shame on me I didn’t have two cans of cream of chicken soup so used one can of chicken soup and one can of cream of celery! Smells wonderful! Did a little taste test and it was really good!
I am not a fan of most herbs, especially do not like Italian herbs or seasoning. What can I add instead or should I just totally leave that part out? Will it be way to bland? I’m really looking forward to trying this, I think even my picky son will eat it!
I think it will be fine!
I made this and it’s a keeper. I wonder if ot could be cooked in the instapot if a faster time is needed?
Thanks for all your great recipes!
I’m wondering the same thing with the IP. I would imagine you would want to cook the chicken first, put it in the pot with the noodles on top, and then cover with broth or water and the soup, cook on high pressure for about 4-5 minutes, quick release and then add the sour cream and cheese at the end. That’s just my thought, but I wouldn’t want to ruin a yummy looking dinner with my experiment!