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:
- 1 1/2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 21 oz cream of chicken soup (two-10.5 oz cans) Don't add water
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1/4 tsp. pepper
- 1/2 tsp. dried leaf tarragon can substitute oregano or thyme here
- 1 1/2 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!
Frozen chicken or thawed?
thawed, all my recipes are thawed meat (unless stated like frozen meatballs).
Good morning just woke up early in this sunday am found this recipe and I have already everything without getting out and going to the store. It has to be a God thing
Just got the chicken in.. now going to go back to bes for atleast 6 hours. Looking forward to a wonderful lunch
Thank you so much for the suggestion
Are calories per serving and is one serving one cup?
Hi Sharon, 1/8 of the recipe is a serving per the nutrition. I have no idea what the amount is.
Thank you! There was a lot!!! I think it may have been more than a cup but I’ll have to measure it out next time. It was so yummy btw!!!
Thank you! It made a ton so I have a feeling that it’s more than a cup. I’ll measure it out cup by cup next time.. so delicious btw!!
I am not much of a fan of mushrooms, but I do love cream of mushroom soup. So I left out mushrooms and used 1 can each of cream of chicken and cream of mushroom soup. It was great!! Thanks for recipe!
I’m not a cook at all, but wanted to try this dish and it was a hit Easyand tasty
Does it freeze well?
I think it would freeze fine!
Thank you!
Do u have to use the cheese?
I bought everything but the mushrooms! Can I use canned mushrooms or should I just leave them out?
I make this often without because I always forget. It’s fine without!
Great recipe. I made it exactly except I didn’t have ziti, I had shells, which was fine. I’d definitely make this again with ziti.
can we do 4 hours in slower cooker on high?
Yes! Will work fine.
Absolutely delicious. Will definitely make it again
Can you freeze leftovers?
Yes! I think they would do fine.
Can this be made without sour cream and mushrooms?
Yes, should be fine!
thank you!
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!