Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
1,778 Comments May 11, 2020
Updated 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.
I didn’t read the reviews first and I have this in the crockpot. I doubled EVERYTHING because my boys love to eat. I am nervous now that its going to be way too salty!
I am the same! Making it for 8 family members right now and I’m stressed it isn’t going to be good at all.
About how many will this recipe serve as written?
8
This was so good!
I’m making this tmrw!!! My family and I love That type of dressing, just thinking that it might be too much!! What is everyone opinion on this??
Awful! Way too much dressing! Will not make again! Had to add extra cream cheese to balance out the flavor…way too salty!
I agree it was horrible sour tasting . I threw it away . I will stick with Alfredo sauce.
Yes, I also thought it looked like too much dressing for the amount of chicken breasts! Maybe it should be at least 4 breasts.
I used 4 breasts..My husband said it was salty but not to much
I don’t think it was too much dressinhg–the amount left the chicken at just the right consistency to pour over the pasta–but it was too salty. The parmesan cheese and the cream cheese each add close to 1,000 mg of sodium to the recipe, but the bottle of dressing added 8,640 mg. I’l make this again, but I’ll look for a less-salty Italian dressing.
Can this be frozen and eaten later?
Made this for guests last night…it was a true hit! I let it sit for a while in the crock pot…all assembled and accompanied it with a green salad, steamed broccoli and garlic bread. All eight guests had seconds! I was thrilled and will definitely make it again. I think part of the trick to success is letting it sit and letting all the liquid soak into the noodles. I was thrilled with the successful dinner party I had – and I could enjoy for a change!
YUM!! My version: about 2 1/4 lbs chicken tenders in my rectangular crock pot, same amount and ingredients as in the recipe. Shredded the chicken right in the crock pot, added about 3/4 of the penne. Seemed a tad watery so I added a few spoons of cream cheese and the additional Parmesan. Perfection!! We love the Olive Garden dressing but I can see why some don’t- I’ll give this a try with another brand also.
Awful. Don’t wasted your ingredients or time.
I made this but used 1 cup of Italian dressing and 1 cup of ranch dressing. It turned out great.
Yeaaaa. I didn’t care for it either. To much Italian dressing flavor.