Crock Pot Olive Garden Chicken
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Olive Garden Crock Pot Chicken
This copycat Olive Garden Chicken crock pot chicken is juicy, tender, and packed with bold and tangy flavors. Made easily in your crock pot or Instant Pot and with only 5 minutes prep, you really can’t beat the convenience! Indulge with this absolutely decadent, succulent chicken pasta dish full of true Italian flavors and let the slow cooker do the work for you!
For a meal that’s easy to prep, cook, and serve, look no further than this Olive Garden™ Chicken in the crock pot that you can make right at home. Made with rich, smooth cream cheese and zesty Italian dressing, this recipe is absolutely mouthwatering. Truly a dump and go recipe!
This crock pot dinner is so easy, in fact, that you may never buy it in the restaurant again! Plus, it’s a simple task to make a low-fat, low-sodium, or low-carb version of this Olive Garden chicken dish.
WHY YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS OLIVE GARDEN DRESSING CHICKEN RECIPE
- Prep time – Just 5 minutes prep time!
- Easy – 5 ingredients (minus salt and pepper to taste)
- Family favorite – even the pickiest eaters will love Olive Garden slow cooker chicken
INGREDIENTS
- Chicken breast – skinless, boneless and fresh or defrosted
- Olive Garden dressing – you can use the light version which tastes just as good
- Cream cheese – Adds a creaminess to the sauce
- Parmesan cheese – Whatever kind you prefer, fresh, packaged…
- Pasta – I used a penne pasta, but any of your favorite short pastas would work as well.
- Salt and pepper to taste
Equipment Needed / Helpful Tools
You only need a few kitchen tools to help you make this cheesy pasta recipe.
- Measuring spoon
- Slow cooker
- Forks
- Large pot
Instructions to Make Olive Garden Chicken in Crock Pot
Place the meat in the bottom of your slow cooker, then cover with Italian dressing and freshly grated parmesan. If desired, add some ground black pepper as well.
Add a block of cream cheese, cover, and cook on Low for 4-5 hours, if cooking on high, check chicken after 2 ½-3 hours. See tips for making this with frozen chicken breasts.
During the last hour of cooking, bring a pot of water to boil on the stove and cook your choice of pasta.
Shred the Olive Garden chicken once complete, then return it to the crockpot and stir in the pasta. Sprinkle the whole thing with parmesan cheese and serve! If desired, garnish with some fresh chopped thyme. YUM!
Olive Garden Chicken Pasta Instant Pot Instructions
Chicken recipes shine when made in the Instant Pot, here are some quick tips for Olive Garden Chicken Pasta Instant Pot style.
- Pour in half the bottle of dressing, then add the chicken breasts, finishing with the rest of the bottle of Italian dressing. Lay the block of cream cheese on top of the chicken breasts.
- Close the lid, seal and set on high pressure for 10 minutes with 6-8 minutes of natural pressure release. Release any leftover steam and remove the chicken to a cutting board, shred easily with two forks, then stir back into the mixture. Now is a great time to cook your pasta.
- Remove chicken, shred or cut and return to Instant Pot, add cooked pasta and all of the parmesan cheese; stir and serve immediately.
MAKE AHEAD & STORAGE
- Refrigerator: Store leftover olive garden chicken pasta in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
- Reheat: Heat leftovers up in the microwave in 1 minute increments until heated through.
- Freezer: After step 3, allow the Olive Garden Crock Pot chicken to cool in the refrigerator overnight. Portion the chicken into freezer bags or airtight containers. I recommend freezing it in portions that you plan to eat all at once as thawed & reheated chicken should not be put back into the fridge.
- Reheat: Heat frozen chicken covered over medium heat on the stove. No need to thaw. Stir in cooked pasta and parmesan cheese. Add a splash of chicken broth if the chicken pasta seems dry.
crock pot olive garden chicken with veggies
The original Tik Tok recipe for italian dressing chicken pasta in Crock Pot does not contain veggies, but feel free to add them in to make this a full meal. I would add the veggies within the last hour or two of cook time so that they don’t get too mushy. Some veggies you could try are:
- green beans
- broccoli
- peas
- zucchini
- spinach
Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
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
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.
Here’s What I Thought
This is cheesy and creamy comfort food that’ll warm you up on a chilly night. The Olive Garden Italian dressing is made with garlic and Romano cheese, and these savory flavors are the most prominent in this pasta dish—along with some zestiness from the herbs and vinegar in the dressing. I think if I had had this recipe when the kids were still little it would’ve been in frequent rotation!
Store any leftovers in the fridge for up to five days. When reheating stir in a little more Olive Garden dressing or cream to help loosen the noodles and sauce.
