Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
1,841 CommentsUpdated Jan 18, 2026
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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 have a wonderful big cooked turkey breast left over from our Canadian Thanksgiving dinner…could I make the “sauce” in the slow cooker (maybe 2 hours or less) and then add the cooked and already shredded turkey to the sauce and then add the penne and cook for 30min in the slow cooker? Or do you think it will be too dry?
It may be ok. It’s hard to say with out testing it out. I apologize.
I’m interested but if I don’t want to shred the chicken, will it kind of make a crockpot Italian chicken and Mac and cheese ? Any tips?
The sauce is not like alfredo or mac and cheese its a creamy tangy Italian flavor.
Could you add broccoli??
You could add it the last hour if you want.
Can you substitute a brick of cream cheese for a tub of whipped cream cheese?
I think that will work fine.
It really tastes great but too salty. I followed the directions and did not add any salt.
I made this for my roommates and they loved it.
could you use shrimp
shrimp doesn’t take long to cook even in the slow cooker. It would need to be added when the slow cooker is hot near the end of the cooking time.
So yummy, the kids tore it up. Will make more sauce next time ; )
My family loves it but I changed it to make it better. I double the chicken and cream cheese along with pasta, I use 24 oz bottle of dressing. It’s perfect
How does doubling it make it better lol. It would taste the same you would just have more of it silly pants
The salad dressing was not doubled.
Use a bag of sun dried tomatoes, splash or 2 of white wine , pinch of crushed red pepper..
Did anybody else perhaps in the mama mayhem Facebook group see the video of the chick on TikTok making this WITH DRY ONION recipe and dip mix? There’s no other reason I would have bought it from Walmart if I had not seen that on the video. I’m debating using it. This was the exact Recipe minus that ingredient.