An easy Crock Pot chicken Alfredo that takes advantage of jarred Alfredo sauce for a family-friendly dinner with just 10 minutes of prep!
Table of Contents
If you appreciate the ease of Crock Pot chicken recipes, be sure to try this Crock Pot chicken stew, this slow cooker chicken tortilla soup, this Crock Pot brown sugar chicken, this cheesesteak chicken recipe, and this cream cheese chicken, too!
What to Know Before You Get Started
- The total cooking time will vary depending on your individual slow cooker. After 2 hours on HIGH, my chicken is always perfectly done. However, other slow cookers might only need 1 ½ hours on HIGH, or may require up to 3 hours. The chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
- Chicken breasts and chicken thighs are both nice options. I used boneless skinless chicken breasts in these photos, but some folks prefer dark meat thighs in the Crock Pot since they are more forgiving. The thighs are not as likely to dry out when cooked a little bit longer than necessary.
- Cook the pasta in a separate pot on the stovetop. I know it’s an extra dish to wash, but this ensures that the pasta is an ideal texture. When cooking noodles directly in a slow cooker, they have a tendency to get overdone and mushy.
- Just about any pasta shape will work, since you’re not cooking it in the Crock Pot. I’ve shown rigatoni here, but fettuccine is also a classic pairing with slow cooker chicken Alfredo.
Directions
It doesn’t get much easier than a dump-and-go crock pot chicken pasta alfredo! Thanks to a couple of jars of store-bought Alfredo sauce, there’s minimal effort involved in preparing this family favorite. You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the overview:
- Combine the chicken, seasoning, and Alfredo sauce in a slow cooker.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Shred the meat with two forks and stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce.
- Boil the pasta on the stove top until al dente. Drain off the water and stir the pasta into the slow cooker. If the sauce looks a bit too thick or dry, just add a splash of reserved pasta cooking water, heavy cream, or milk to thin until it reaches the desired consistency.
- Serve in individual bowls and garnish with Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, or crushed red pepper flakes.
Serving Suggestions
Enjoy this Alfredo crock pot chicken with easy sides like a simple green salad dressed in Italian balsamic vinaigrette, garlic bread, or garlic roasted broccoli.
Storage Tips
- How to Store: Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days. The pasta will likely absorb some of the sauce as it sits, so you may need to stir in extra Alfredo or thin the sauce with a little bit of milk or cream before reheating.
- How to Freeze: If you plan to freeze the leftovers, do not add the pasta to the chicken and sauce. Wait to cook the pasta just before serving. The chicken and sauce will keep in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Warm individual servings in the microwave for about 1 minute, or just until heated through. Be careful that you don’t cook it for too long, or the pasta will be gummy.
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Crockpot Chicken Alfredo
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 2 hours 30 minutes
Total: 2 hours 40 minutes
An easy, family-friendly pasta dish with just 10 minutes of prep!
Ingredients
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts or boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- Kosher salt and ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 (15 ounce) jars Alfredo sauce
- 8 ounces penne, bowties, rigatoni, fettuccine, or other pasta of choice
- Optional garnish: grated Parmesan cheese; crushed red pepper flakes; chopped fresh herbs such as parsley or basil
Instructions
- Place the chicken in a slow cooker that has been lightly greased with nonstick cooking spray. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and onion powder. Pour the Alfredo sauce over top. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours, until the chicken is cooked through.
- Shred the chicken with two forks and stir it into the sauce.
- Cook the pasta in a large pot of well-salted boiling water according to package directions for al dente. Drain. Add the cooked pasta to the slow cooker with the chicken and sauce. Stir to combine. If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of heavy cream, milk, or pasta cooking water to thin to the desired consistency.
- Serve and garnish with Parmesan cheese, crushed red pepper flakes, additional ground black pepper, or fresh herbs.
Notes
The total cooking time will vary depending on your individual slow cooker. After 2 hours on HIGH, my chicken is always perfectly done. However, other slow cookers might only need 1 ½ hours on HIGH, or may require up to 3 hours. The chicken is ready when it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Nutrition
Serving: 1/4 of the recipeCalories: 727kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 38gFat: 39gSaturated Fat: 18gPolyunsaturated Fat: 10gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 212mgSodium: 1565mgPotassium: 564mgFiber: 2gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 51IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 34mgIron: 2mg
Recipe Variations
- Double all of the ingredients to serve a larger family.
- Instead of two jars of Alfredo sauce, use one jar of Alfredo sauce and one jar of marinara sauce. This will give you a creamy tomato sauce.
- Stir in some pesto sauce for even more flavor.
- Add vegetables at the end, such as steamed broccoli or frozen peas. Baby spinach leaves would also be great (similar to this quick spinach tomato pasta recipe). You might also like to include a can of drained diced tomatoes at the beginning.
- For a similar dish on the stovetop, try this pesto cream pasta with chicken and broccoli.
More Chicken Alfredo Recipes
Dump-and-Bake Chicken Alfredo Casserole
45 minutes mins
Dump-and-Bake Pesto Alfredo Chicken Pasta
52 minutes mins
Broccoli and Cheese Alfredo Pasta Bake
45 minutes mins
I needed something fairly easy for supper tonight and this morning was debating among one of your dump and bake meals or this crockpot chicken alfredo. My husband put his vote in for this crockpot chicken alfredo, so that’s what we had. This was easy peasy to put together and we both loved it. The only thing, the recipe called for only 8 ozs of noodles and with two jars of sauce, it just looked like there weren’t enough noodles with only 8 ozs. So, I used the whole 16 oz box and we thought it was perfect! It was really good. Thanks so much for the recipe, we will definitely be having this one again!
Thank you for the feedback, Lisa! We’re so glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Second recipe of yours I made this week! My boys enjoyed this one, too, even the picky eater.
Wow, thank you, Heidi! We’re so glad it was a hit.