Description
A comforting and creamy crock pot chicken pasta recipe featuring tender chicken breasts cooked slowly in a rich sauce of heavy cream, cream cheese, parmesan, and Italian seasonings. Combined with sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, fresh spinach, and basil, this dish delivers a flavorful, easy-to-make dinner perfect for busy days.
Ingredients
Scale
For the Chicken:
- 1 ½ lb chicken breasts
- 2-3 tsp Italian seasoning
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp sea salt and pepper, to taste
For the Creamy Sauce:
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 oz cream cheese, softened
- ¾ cup chicken broth
- ¾ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ½ tsp sea salt
- ½ tsp pepper
Other Ingredients:
- ½ cup Italian herb sun-dried tomatoes, excess oil removed
- 8 oz sliced mushrooms
- 3 oz baby spinach
- ¾ lb short pasta (penne or rotini recommended)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Prepare and layer ingredients: Pat chicken breasts dry with a paper towel and place them in the bottom of a lightly oiled crock pot. Season the chicken evenly with Italian seasoning, garlic powder, paprika, sea salt, and pepper. Add sliced mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes on top of the chicken. Pour the creamy sauce mixture over the chicken and vegetables, ensuring the chicken is fully covered.
- Cook the chicken: Set the crock pot to LOW and cook for about 3 to 4 hours. Check the chicken after 2 hours to monitor progress. The chicken is done when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. If the sauce appears curdled, gently stir it to recombine the cream cheese and cream until smooth and creamy again.
- Shred chicken and add greens: Once the chicken is cooked through, shred it into bite-sized pieces or cube it, then stir it back into the sauce. Add fresh baby spinach and chopped basil to the crock pot, stirring them in to allow the spinach to wilt and the basil to infuse its flavor.
- Cook pasta and combine: While the spinach wilts, cook the pasta separately according to package instructions until al dente. Drain the pasta, then stir it into the crock pot mixture. Combine everything well so the pasta is fully coated with the creamy sauce and mixed with the chicken and vegetables.
- Serve: Serve the pasta topped with additional fresh basil and grated parmesan cheese, if desired. Enjoy warm as a hearty and satisfying meal.
Notes
- All crock pots heat differently. If your chicken breasts are smaller or larger than average (about 8 ounces each), adjust cook time accordingly for best results.
- For juicier chicken, use fresh, never frozen chicken breasts from a trusted source.
- The rich fats from full-fat cream cheese and heavy cream help keep chicken moist in the slow cooker. Adding a bit of butter on top before cooking can also enhance moisture.
- Arrange the chicken breasts in a single layer to ensure even cooking and to prevent drying out.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving (approx. 1/6th of recipe)
- Calories: 480
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 580mg
- Fat: 28g
- Saturated Fat: 17g
- Unsaturated Fat: 9g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 29g
- Fiber: 3g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 115mg
