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Home » Chicken » Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Chicken Pasta

Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Chicken Pasta

by Sarah Olson on May 1, 2017 | Updated April 1, 2021 262 Comments

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collage of pesto pasta for pinterest

Chicken breasts made in the slow cooker with pesto and butter then made into a cheesy pasta casserole with mozzarella cheese and parmesan.

rotini pasta with pesto and chicken

This new recipe for Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Chicken is a spin-off from a freezer meal I made a few months ago called Lemon Pesto Chicken. Looking back at that recipe I wish I would have done this to it from the start. Adding the pasta and parmesan in the slow cooker at the end of the cooking time THEN topping with mozzarella cheese turned that basic recipe I made a few months ago into a meal I want to make weekly now.

chicken breasts, pesto, butter, mozzarella, parmesan, rotini pasta, lemon on a table.

For this recipe I tried the Mezzetta pesto, It did well in this recipe! Of course, homemade pesto would be better but I don’t have time for that! Besides topping the chicken with the pesto I also add fresh lemon juice and butter. The way the butter tastes with the pasta can’t be beat.

Start with chicken breasts, salt, pepper, lemon juice, pesto and butter. Yes, that is all you put in at first. It’s that easy.

chicken breasts, butter pats, pesto in a slow cooker.

After the chicken is cooked I add a pound of cooked pasta and top with mozzarella cheese.

pesto mozzarella chicken pasta with metal spoon in it.

This meal is beautiful enough to have dinner guests over! Just add a salad and French bread for sides,

close up of pesto mozzarella chicken pasta

I was afraid my daughter wouldn’t like this meal because of the green stuff on it. She didn’t even blink an eye and ate a whole plate! What I love about this meal is how there is not much prep to do to get this in going in the crock pot. Putting the chicken and sauce ingredients in the crock pot takes less than 10 minutes.

plate with chicken pesto pasta with bread and salad

You may also like these easy slow cooker recipes:

  • Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta
  • Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
  • Slow Cooker Garlic Butter Chicken and Pasta
  • Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Spaghetti
  • Slow Cooker Baked Cream Cheese Spaghetti

Want to make more magic in your crockpot? Stay up to date and subscribe to my newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and YouTube.

pesto mozzarella chicken pasta with metal spoon in it.

Slow Cooker Pesto Mozzarella Pasta

4.86 from 104 votes
Slow Cooked chicken with pesto, lemon and butter. Then cooked pasta is added and topped with cheeses.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: Pesto Mozzarella Chicken
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 5 hours
Total Time: 5 hours 15 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 492kcal
Author: Sarah Olson

Equipment Needed:

  • Slow Cooker- 6 quart or larger

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 1/4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 cup jarred pesto I used Mezzetta
  • 1/4 cup salted butter
  • 1/2 lemon

These items don’t get added until the end

  • 1 lb. rotini cooked and drained
  • 1/2 cup parmesan
  • 2 cups shredded mozzarella
  • 1/4 tsp. dried basil to garnish
US Customary – Metric

Instructions:

  • Add the chicken to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Spread over the pesto, squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken. Cut the butter into slices and lay over the chicken.
  • Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
  • Near the end of the cooking time, cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.
  • Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Add the cooked pasta and the parmesan cheese, stir everything until the pasta is coated with the buttery pesto sauce and the chicken is evenly dispersed throughout the pasta. Add the mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Cover for about 15 more minutes or until the cheese has melted.
  • Serve and enjoy!

How to Video:

Recipe Notes:

Nutritional Values are approximate, please use your own calculations if you require a special diet.
Values below are for 1/8 of the recipe.

Nutrition:

Calories: 492kcal | Carbohydrates: 46g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 739mg | Potassium: 162mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 1050IU | Vitamin C: 3.5mg | Calcium: 281mg | Iron: 1.1mg
Made this recipe?I want to see your photos! Tag me on Instagram @themagicalslowcooker
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    Filed Under: Chicken, Dinner Tagged With: cheese, Chicken, Crock pot, crockpot, pasta, pesto, slow cooker

    Comments

    1. Maria says

      March 26, 2021 at 8:09 am

      Can’t wait to try. I’m always looking for crockpot recipes, especially in the spring. My husband and I have a greenhouse on our acreage, and raise bedding flowers for a neighboring city. My kids eat anything and don’t mind being guinea pigs.

      Reply
    2. Ellen van Hamel says

      March 23, 2021 at 12:09 am

      5 stars
      This is one of our favourites!
      Sadly I can’t change the ingredients in metric anymore??

      Reply
    3. Tracy says

      March 15, 2021 at 3:46 pm

      5 stars
      I absolutely love this recipe and we make it often. How can I make this in my Instant pot?

      Reply
    4. Paweł says

      March 14, 2021 at 9:37 am

      5 stars
      Slowcooker newbie here. Got kinda tired of all the BBQ recipes and thankfully youtube recommended me your video. Just made it with Saclas reduced fat pesto, used a bit more chicken and cheese and it came out absolutely delicious 🙂
      Yeah mozz clumps with pasta, but I actually like it that way.
      Thank you for the recipe, ill definitely try more of yours!

      Reply
    5. Isabelle says

      March 1, 2021 at 11:18 am

      Hello! Can I do this with frozen chicken breast?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        March 1, 2021 at 12:19 pm

        I don’t give advice on frozen meats. Many studies suggest it isn’t safe to do so.

        Reply
        • Lynette Pulsipher says

          March 6, 2021 at 1:51 pm

          Oh. Is this not for frozen chicken breast? Seems like cooked chicken breast in the crockpot for that long would become tough… I just did it with frozen…. guess we’ll see how it turns out!!

          Reply
        • Lynette Pulsipher says

          March 6, 2021 at 1:56 pm

          Oh I just watched the video. Ha! I’m using the crockpot setting on an instant pot so maybe towards the end I can pressure cook if needed 🙂

          Reply
    6. thomas says

      February 21, 2021 at 10:17 am

      5 stars
      i have a 3 to a 4 qt slow cooker, what should i do to adjust the ingredients.

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        February 21, 2021 at 11:18 am

        You will probably have to cut the recipe in half.

        Reply
    7. Nick says

      February 18, 2021 at 7:27 pm

      5 stars
      Love this Pesto Chicken recipe! Its awesome, easy, delicious and pretty cheap!

      Reply
    8. Rachel says

      February 9, 2021 at 5:55 am

      Can this be done on high of I’m short on time?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        February 9, 2021 at 7:14 am

        Yes, should do fine.

        Reply
    9. Kathy says

      February 9, 2021 at 1:54 am

      5 stars
      I love this recipe. I added mushrooms to it and have made it several times !

      Reply
      • Anonymous says

        February 13, 2021 at 7:44 am

        When did you add the mushrooms? At the end?

        Reply
    10. Anonymous says

      February 4, 2021 at 3:08 am

      Can leftovers be frozen?

      Reply
      • Sarah Olson says

        February 4, 2021 at 7:30 am

        Yes, they will do fine.

        Reply
    11. Jamie says

      January 31, 2021 at 8:19 am

      5 stars
      We love this recipe. I add a generous spoon of Itilian seasoning.

      Reply
    12. Tonya says

      January 29, 2021 at 10:28 am

      5 stars
      This is a new family favorite

      Reply
    13. Anonymous says

      December 21, 2020 at 4:00 pm

      4 stars
      Quick, delicious and easy meal. My only complaint is that the chicken and cheese clumps together and does not mix into noodles well. I would suggest maybe making a cheese sauce to add so it has more of a liquid consistency to add with pesto and chicken.

      Reply
      • Amateur Cooker says

        February 17, 2021 at 11:44 am

        I agree with the cheese comment. I used Belgioiodo mozzarella and it seemed to blend better. It looks like a ball of cheese. Also put a small amount of Alfredo sauce so that it would look so dry.
        It’s delicious.

        Reply
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