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 had high hopes…Even with the bad reviews! Very bland and a strange color.
I followed this recipe as written and did not care for it. The dressing mixed with the cream cheese and parmesan tasted nothing close to alfredo or to anything else I have had at Olive Garden. Some people said it was tangy but I found it to have almost a sour taste. The recipe sounded good so I thought I would give it a try. I know many people liked it unfortunately my taste bubs did not!
This first time it was a little too tangy. I found a parmesan ranch flavor dressing from olive garden and that one is less tangy.
I also add some Italian cheese and use bow tie pasta. My family loves it and it is great for leftovers .
Made this tonight for dinner my family loved it I did a couple of things different on suggestions of others I added red peppers and sweet onions also didn’t notice till to late my son bought the light version of Olive Garden salad dressing I think it help because it wasn’t to salty but it is very filling plenty of leftovers and nothing goes to waste in my house. Thank you for the recipe♥️
I always add frozen broccoli and chopped fresh onion! I do one whole bottle of sauce but 1 and 1/2 sticks of cream cheese to make it creamier
I’m amazed at all the bad reviews because this pasta is awesome! My whole family loves it and have made it several times in their own homes. I do have friends that make it with a different Italian dressing instead of the Olive Garden one and they love it too!
Tried this for Mothers day lunch was on the salty side even cutting back to one cup salad dressing. Did not have much flavor for us. Will not make it again.
This was very tangy. Good for first few bites, but hard to finish. At least that’s good for portion control. Was still filling. Not sure if the tang was from the cream cheese or the dressing. Was definitely easy to make though.
Made this today. After reading all the reviews, I decided to cut recipe in half. Glad I did since there only two people. It was okay not bad just wasn’t thrilled with it.
It was too strong for us. Might try using half a bottle of dressing snd chicken broth as others have suggested. Sure was an easy supper though. Just way too tangy for us. And I like tangy .
I recommend using half a bottle of the italian dressing and add chicken broth. A full bottle was too much and over powered the taste. Easy to make.
How much chicken broth?
Add quarter dressing to 3/4 saltless chicken broth