Here’s a rich, comforting Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta recipe — tender chicken, tender pasta, and a luscious creamy pesto sauce 🍗🌿🧀
🍗🌿 Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken Pesto Pasta
🛒 Ingredients (Serves 4–6)
Chicken & Sauce
- 1½ lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning (optional)
- 1 jar (6–8 oz) basil pesto
- 1 can (10.5 oz) cream of chicken soup
- 1 cup chicken broth
- ½ cup heavy cream or half-and-half
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
Pasta
- 12 oz uncooked pasta (penne, rotini, or bowtie work well)
Optional Add-ins
- Sun-dried tomatoes, chopped
- Spinach or peas for color and nutrition
- Extra shredded mozzarella or Parmesan for topping
🔪 Instructions
- Prepare chicken
- Season chicken with garlic powder, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning.
- Place in slow cooker.
- Make sauce
- In a bowl, mix pesto, cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, and heavy cream.
- Pour over chicken.
- Cook
- Cover and cook on LOW 4–5 hours or HIGH 2–3 hours, until chicken is tender.
- Shred chicken
- Remove chicken, shred with forks, then return to slow cooker.
- Add pasta
- Stir in uncooked pasta.
- Cover and cook on HIGH 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until pasta is tender.
- Add cheese
- Stir in Parmesan (and optional mozzarella) until creamy.
- Serve
- Garnish with extra Parmesan, fresh basil, or a sprinkle of red pepper flakes.
🌟 Tips & Variations
- One-pot shortcut: Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces to skip shredding
- Veggie boost: Add zucchini, mushrooms, or broccoli in last 30 minutes
- Make it lighter: Use half-and-half or milk instead of heavy cream
- Meal prep: Store leftovers in airtight container for up to 4 days
If you want, I can also give a cheesy baked version, a one-pot stovetop version, or a freezer-friendly slow cooker prep version for this recipe.
Do you want me to do that?
