Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
May 11, 2020Updated Mar 01, 2025
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Use Olive Garden Italian Dressing to make this Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta! It’s a creamy pasta dish that has so much flavor.
We love easy pasta dishes for the crockpot! Try my Baked Spaghetti, Feta and Tomato Pasta, or Beef Stroganoff recipes too!

I found this recipe in my Facebook group and had to try it out! You can make this Olive Garden Chicken with or without the pasta! Serve over rice or just with green steamed vegetables.

How to make Olive Garden Chicken Pasta in the Crockpot:
- Add chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
- Pour over one 16-ounce jar of Olive Garden Italian Dressing (or any Italian dressing you have on hand.
- Shake over grated parmesan cheese and ground pepper. Add one block of cream cheese.

- Place the lid on the slow cooker and cook on HIGH for 4 hours or low for 5-6.
- Shred the chicken with two forks right in the slow cooker.
- Cook 16 ounces of pasta according to the package directions on the stove-top. I am using penne pasta for this recipe.

- Add the drained pasta to the slow cooker along with the sauce and shredded chicken, stir.
- Sprinkle over more parmesan cheese if desired. I also garnished with a touch of oregano and black pepper.

Can I serve this chicken with something other than pasta?
- Serve over rice.
- Or with steamed vegetables.
Must I use cream cheese?
You can leave it out or add a cup of heavy cream at the end of cooking time is desired. Though the sauce will be thinner.
Does this taste like chicken alfredo?
This Olive Garden Chicken Pasta is thick and creamy like alfredo but has a zesty Italian dressing flavor

What should I serve with olive garden chicken pasta?
Chose one or more of these great dishes to go along with this dish:
- Olive Garden Salad – Recipe by The Cookie Rookie
- Olive Garden Bread Sticks – Recipe by Lil Luna (or buy them premade, I get mine at Safeway)
- Slow Cooker Copycat Gnocchi Soup
- Slow Cooker Copycat Zuppa Toscana
- Slow Cooker Copycat Minestrone – Recipe by Tammilee Tips
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Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
How to Video
Ingredients
- 1.5 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breast, (1.5-2 pounds works fine)
- 16 oz. Olive Garden Italian dressing, (or any Italian dressing you like) Note- olive garden dressing is high in sodium and can be salty. Choose a lower sodium dressing if desired.
- 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 8 oz. cream cheese
Add these items after cooking time is up:
- 16 oz. penne pasta, cooked according to package directions and drain well
- 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Add the chicken breasts to the slow cooker.
- Pour over the Olive Garden Italian dressing and sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and pepper.
- Place the cream cheese on top.
- Place the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 5-6 hours.
- When the cooking time is almost done, start cooking the pasta on the stove top as directed on the package.
- Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Drain the pasta and add to the chicken and sauce. Stir. Sprinkle over the remaining parmesan cheese.
- Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
This is fantastic, I want to make it again, but only have whipped cream cheese, do you think this would work?
I think it will do fine.
OMG!! I could eat this TWICE a week! My entire family loved it!
My only problem/question is Could u put the uncooked pasta in also??
The slow cooker doesn’t get hot enough to boil the pasta so it turns out chalky and mushy.
Ur suppose to cook pasta on stove 1st
Well now after reading the reviews I’m afraid to try it ! Ugh and I already ordered all the ingredients.
Just use half of the dressing and be sure to cook the pasta on the stove, not in the crock pot.
I did it successfully by first soaking the pasta in hot, salted water for about thirty minutes. Then it was halfway cooked. I added it to the slow cooker and also added milk when it needed more liquid. It turned out great!
I did not care for this recipe at all. I had to make modifications and it still wasn’t good.
Oops…I put too much fresh Parmesan cheese and somehow a stick of butter fell in.
Family LOVES this dish!!
Can i use a hand mixer to shred the chicken instead using a fork
yes, of course!
Always looking for quick and easy but it has to be edible. This chicken was disgusting!
This was very disappointing and I should have read more reviews. The dressing was too tangy and yes it made the chicken taste like tuna!! I love crock pot recipes but this was a no repeat!! I felt sorry for my boyfriend having to pretend he liked it.
Wait what’s with all the negative comments?
I made this and it was the BOMB. I used half the bottle of the dressing. And added in a half can cream of mushroom and topped it off with olive gardens herb and garlic seasoning YUMMMMMMM 10 stars. Even my 3 year old LOVES it
I wish I would have read your comment before making this. I used the whole bottle of dressing and it was way too zesty. I will make again the way you did! Thanks Randi!
I substituted half the dressing with a can of cream of mushroom because I felt like the whole bottle of dressing would be overpowering especially reading these comments. Ours was amazing, just cut the dressing in half and add a can of cream of mushroom. I actually have done a similar dish but you add verde sauce instead of dressing then make it into a Mexican casserole by layering filling and tortillas and topping with cheese and extra verde and popping it into the oven for 20 mins.