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.
Can I make this in an instapot?
Yes l, I just did tonight. Turned out great.
Put chicken, dressing, cream cheese, and parm in pot. Chicken setting or high 15 minutes. Quick release. Shred chicken. To save time I boiled the penne on stove.
I made it in the instapot last night. It was delicious. I just googled cooking instructions for it.
Yes. Tried it last night and it came out perfect!
The dressing is too strong I have added more cream cheese and chicken broth it seems to be not as strong but still too strong
Can I use frozen chicken?
Hi Carly, I don’t recommend using frozen meat in any of my recipes.
I used frozen chicken and it was delicious. I also added shredded mozzarella cheese on top when it was done.
I’m tracking points, I calculated the points, but what is the serving size? Is it 1 cup? 2 cups? Etc?
You’ll have to figure that out yourself. I apologize.
If you don’t use pasta, would this be Keto friendly? Do you know how many carbs in this without the pasta?
No, sorry I do not. Calculate chicken, the dressing you use and cheese. I think the only concern would be the dressing.
The sweetness is a little over powering, any tips on how to reduce the sweeteness?
Somebody shared to use 1/3 cup of white vinegar and 2TBP of lemon juice and 2 Tsp of corn starch with 1/2 of the dressing. I would like to try recipe but seems like a lot of bad reviews but maybe I’ll try to do this trick!
Would things turn out if you use lactose free cheeses?
I’m unsure without trying. If you have luck cooking with them, the should be fine.
Hi there!!
Parmesan is naturally lactose-free, my daughter is lactose-intolerant and parmesan is one of the few cheeses she can tolerate without any side-effects.
The Olive Garden dressing I used was the signature Italian, which has Romano cheese in it. Romano is another naturally lactose-free cheese.
As for lactose free cream cheese, while I have not made this recipe in particular before, I have had wonderful results in similar recipes using creme fresche (goat milk “cream cheese”) as well as Tofutti (tofu “cream cheese”). You might also try plain lactose-free yogurt that has been strained to a cream cheese consistency, but stir in at the end of cooking to avoid it curdling.
If you are of the DIY/adventuress type, making your own “cream cheese” is very doable and easy, especially if you can get ahold of fresh goat milk.
Good luck!!
can you use any other kind of cheese i dont have any parmasagn but ive got motzerell
Yes, But I would only add it no the top at the end.
Hi -will fresh parmesan cheese work instead of the container one ?
Yes, that will work fine.
Can I use a 4.5 quart crockpot?!
Maybe if you halve the recipe. I used a 7qt and it was very full
Yes easy, it didnt take much room in my 6QT.
Does it make a difference if I use grated parmesan? Or shredded parmesan??
No I’ve even used shaved Parmesan.