Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
1,838 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.
Has anyone used 1/2 the bottle of Olive Garden dressing and the other half low sodium chicken broth?
Yes, and it works just fine. I do that to cut down on the salt and fat AND I like it a bit less zesty than the whole bottle version!
I use half a bottle of dressing and a can of cream of chicken and herbs. Keeps the flavor without making it so overwhelming
I used the original Olive Garden Dressing and it’s bit too rich for my flavor palate. Next time I will definitely use the lite version if I try it again
I have used Ghirardelli Champagne Italian dressing before and it tasted great and not too rich.
Absolutely delicious. I currently have this cooking on the crockpot. This is my 4th time making it.
I made this recipe last night and it turned out awesome. I used four chicken breast, I also used cheap Aldi’s brand zesty Italian dressing and BJ’s (Wellesley Farms) cream cheese. I cook the pasta for 7 minutes, drained it, shredded the chicken while the pasta was cooking. Added all to the crockpot with grated parmigian cheese. The family loved it! Thanks for the recipe!
Incredible! We all loved it. I tried to lower the fat.
I used FF Wishbone Italian Dressing
Greek cream cheese
Banza penne pasta
I will definitely make again!
I did not like this recipe , I thought it tasted weird. Threw out the entire dish. Never will make again.
Is serving size one cup for nutritional info?
I do not have measurements, I apologize.
I tried this recipe several times and it is one of my favorites and I make it often. I read some of the review comments and want to add some of my experiences.
I’ve noticed when I add a lower quality parmesan cheese or different brands of Italian dressing, it will get too oily.
I have experimented with adding less dressing and then adding some chopped garlic to keep it tangy. The flavor is good doing this but I find that I’ll still add a little more dressing in the end because I like it a little more saucy.
I like to use rotini noodles and usually stir in the noodles after mixture is cooked but If I add too many noodles, they will dry up the sauce quicker, which is noticeable when reheating the next day. I have used frozen chicken breast and it turns out the same, you just have to adjust the cooking time. I’ve used boneless chicken thighs, too and that works. I might experiment with using turkey or meatballs in the future.
As always, the taste is a personal preference.
I added fresh spinach in the crockpot when I started crockpot. It was very good!
My husband’s favorite meal!! I use 1/3 less fat cream cheese and the Olive Garden light dressing to make it a little better with calories. 10/10 we make at least once a month