Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Pasta

Slow-cooker Tuscan Chicken Pasta is creamy, hearty, and delicious. The chicken is perfectly juicy and tender, the pasta absorbs the tasty, rich sauce, and the sun-dried tomatoes add the right amount of tanginess. This is classic comfort food for the whole family to enjoy!

This hearty and creamy dish is comfort food at its finest and with this recipe, it practically cooks itself. By making it in the slow cooker, it turns out perfectly juicy, tender, and full of flavor from being soaked in broth, alfredo sauce, garlic, and Italian seasonings for several hours. The secret to my special recipe is my homemade alfredo sauce. It is so rich and creamy with fresh cream, butter, parmesan, and cream cheese.

Every time I crave a creamy dish, this Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken Pasta comes to mind. It is actually one of my family’s favorite crockpot pasta recipes. First, it is rich, super creamy, and loaded with mediterranean flavors.

Also, this creamy pasta is flavored with garlic and cooked in a creamy alfredo-based sauce.  The combination of melted cheese, pasta, sun-dried tomatoes, along with tender chicken, and veggies makes this dish extra special and comforting.

This is such a hearty and creamy dinner, and the best part, it’s entirely made in the slow cooker from start to finish. If you like creamy chicken and pasta, with chewy and tangy sun-dried tomatoes, this meal will be perfect for you.

It is so easy to make, you simply dump the ingredients in the crockpot and let it do the cooking. This recipe makes enough to feed a large family and you will also have unbelievably good leftovers.

After making this Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta, it quickly became one of the most popular recipes on the blog. Based on many requests, I have made you a crockpot version of it. Here are some other delicious crockpot recipes you should try: Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup and Slow Cooker Beef Stew.

Why you will love this recipe

• It cooks itself: Toss everything in and the slow cooker will cook it for you! It practically cooks itself, too, because all you have to do is dump in the chicken and broth and turn on the pot. Then, come back later and add the rest of the ingredients. 
• The ingredients are simple and easy to find: What is not in your kitchen can be found at the local grocery store.
• One pot to clean: The only thing that needs to be cleaned is the slow cooker! And if you use a slow cooker liner, that will be an easy clean! 
• A hearty comfort meal for everyone: This is made with lots of creamy sauce and pasta with cheese and herbs. It makes enough to feed a big or small family that likes to have seconds. Leftovers can also be frozen for several months.

What you’ll need to make slow cooker Tuscan chicken pasta

Special items:

• Slow cooker – I use a six-quart slow cooker for this recipe.
• Cooking utensils

Ingredients:

• Chicken breasts – I like boneless, skinless chicken breasts because they are easy to use, cook quickly, and taste great. However, you can use bone-in with the skin on or try thigh meat as well.
• Chicken broth – I recommend low-sodium organic chicken broth because it has less salt and fewer additives.
• Garlic – Mince your own garlic to get the freshest, boldest taste in this dish. It needs to really stand out and make a statement.
• Alfredo sauce—There are many wonderful sauces on the market, but I prefer to use my own recipe. You can find it in the Expert Tip section.
• Rigatoni pasta – I prefer rigatoni because the ridges hold onto the sauce and herbs while the tube collects meat and veggies for a burst of flavors in every bite.
• Sun-dried tomatoes – Much more vibrant and intense than regular tomatoes, sun-dried are super sweet and tangy with a lot of chew for extra texture.
• Fresh packed spinach – I love spinach for its vitamins and bright color, but it can be substituted with kale, arugula, or another green you like.
• Italian seasoning – This is a special blend of all the best Italian herbs in one jar like rosemary, parsley, basil, basil, thyme, and oregano. I have my own easy recipe for Italian seasoning to try that lasts for months.
• Red pepper flakes – For a hot kick that spicy food lovers will appreciate.
• Dried thyme – To add extra sweet woodsy citrusy flavor to the sauce.
• Dried oregano – More pungent, spicy flavor with an earthy hay taste that adds to the rustic profile.
• Salt and Pepper
• Cornstarch – Helps thicken the sauce without interfering with the flavor.
• Water

How do you make slow cooker tuscan chicken pasta?

For quick and easy step-by-step guidelines, watch the video attached. But the general steps are as follows:

1. Cook chicken: First, spray the crockpot with some cooking spray. Then, add the poultry breast, broth, and seasonings. Cover and cook on high heat setting for 2-3 hours, or low heat setting for 5-6 hours until tender.
2. Shred-it: Next, once the meat is cooked, transfer the meat to a plate and using a fork shred it. Then, discard the liquid from the crock pot. 
3. Stir in pasta: Next, add the shredded chicken to the bottom of the crock-pot, then add pasta, minced garlic, and seasoning. Pour chicken broth and alfredo sauce on top. Cover and cooker for about 30 minutes until pasta is cooked (al dente). 
4. Add sun-dried tomatoes and slurry: Lastly, add sun-dried tomatoes, cornstarch slurry, and fresh baby spinach. Gently whisk together, and cover for an additional 10 minutes for the flavors to get together.
5. Serve: Enjoy it warm with your favorite side dish. 

Expert tip

Making Alfredo sauce

This easy recipe calls for two jars of alfredo sauce. That does not mean that you necessarily have to buy it from the grocery store, nor does it mean that it has to be made from scratch. However, I do have a particularly rich and creamy alfredo sauce that can be made in 10 minutes with just six ingredients. It is so simple to make in just three steps. And the ingredients are common so they may already be in the kitchen waiting for you.

Here are the simple ingredients and steps needed to make this alfredo sauce recipe:

• Unsalted butter
• Heavy cream
• Cream cheese
• Freshly minced garlic
• Italian seasoning
• Freshly grated parmesan cheese

First, melt butter, cream cheese, and heavy cream in a large skillet over medium-low heat until it starts to simmer. Then, whisk in the garlic, seasoning, salt, and pepper. Turn it to low, add parmesan, and whisk until melted. That is all there is to it. As I said, it is a simple, straightforward recipe that can be made in 10 minutes.

Recipe variations and add-ins:

• Make it crack: Turn this into crack Tuscan chicken pasta. Add chopped bacon, cheddar cheese, and use my homemade ranch seasoning instead of Italian.
• Creamy cheese: To make it creamier, stir in some cream cheese and shredded parmesan at the end.
• Add more vegetables: Toss in some corn, peas, green beans, and asparagus for extra flavor and vitamins.
• Make it spicy: Chop up some jalapeno peppers and sprinkle in some cayenne pepper to make this a spicy pasta dish.
• Mexican style: Add some black beans, bell peppers, green chiles, salsa, and Mexican style-cheese to make this a Mexican-style Tuscan chicken pasta.
• Vegetarian: Leave out the chicken and use vegetable broth instead of chicken broth to make this a vegetarian Tuscan pasta.
• Artichoke hearts: When in season, I like adding some artichoke hearts, they taste great in this recipe.
• Pasta: Use different pasta types or whatever you have on hand. A great alternative would be ziti, macaroni, fusilli, fettuccine, or tertellini.
• No spinach: I love spinach as it is healthy and also it adds a nice color to the whole dish. However, if you are not a fan, simply leave it out. Also, feel free to substitute it with kale, broccoli or asparagus. 
• Gluten free: Use gluten free pasta for this, and make sure the Alfredo sauce is also gluten free.

Serving suggestions:

• Serve with a side of French bread, perfect for soaking up the delicious Alfredo sauce.
• Instead of French bread, these light and fluffy Amish potato dinner rolls would also soak up a lot of sauce.
• It also goes great with a salad. Try it with my refreshing cucumber tomato avocado salad.
• I love any kind of white wine with this dish, but my favorites are Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
• This strawberry sorbet is easy to make with no ice cream machine needed and would taste amazing after a bowl of creamy crockpot Tuscan chicken pasta.

Frequently asked questions

Why is my pasta mushy?

It is probably because it was added too soon. It should not be added to the slow cooker until after the chicken is done. The pasta will only take about 30 minutes to cook on high, but it depends on the type of pasta and the slow cooker. Any more than that, and it will turn mushy. When cooked slowly, the starch has more time to swell, and the protein does not have enough time to constrain it, giving it the opportunity to turn soggy.

What are the best noodles for slow cooker Tuscan chicken pasta?

I prefer rigatoni because of its ridged texture that holds onto the sauce and the large opening to allow the chicken, garlic, onions, tomatoes, and spinach to get in there. That way, every bite is a mouthful of wonderful flavors. However, there are other pasta types that allow for this same kind of thing, like penne, which also has ridges but also has angular ends that pull sauce into the hollow body. Also, shells are open enough to hold lots of meat and veggies in each bite. Other great ones include tortiglioni, shellbows, ziti, penne, gemelli, fusilli, farfalle, cavatappi, and plain old elbow macaroni.

How do I know when the chicken and pasta are done?

The chicken should be 150 degrees F when it is done cooking. I know it is supposed to be 165 degrees F but since it continues to cook as it rests, it will end up being 165 by the time the pasta is ready. Believe me, if you let it cook until it is 165 degrees F, it will be about 180 degrees F or more by the time it is served and quite dried out by then no matter how much sauce it is coated in.

Why is my chicken so tough?

Overcooked chicken is the main cause of tough chicken. Overcooking your meat does more than just make it dry, which is bad enough, but it also makes it really difficult to chew, especially when using chicken breasts because they are very lean. When it cooks too long, the protein chains in the meat contract and make it tough. It may help to cut the chicken into chunks before cooking them. Try that to break up the chains.

How to store:

• Refrigerate: Refrigerate for up to three days in a sealed container. Keep in mind that when refrigerated the sauce will thicken and the pasta will also absorb more of the liquid.
• Freezing: To keep it longer, let it cool completely and place it in a freezer-safe container. Then, it can be frozen for up to three months.   
• Defrost: Let frozen leftovers thaw in the refrigerator overnight for the best results.
• Reheating: You can reheat on the stove on medium heat. Add a half cup to one cup of milk, water or cream, and stir frequently until it is warmed through. If needed add more liquid and stir, until you achieve the desired sauce consistency. Or heat it in the microwave for one to two minutes.   

More delicious slow cooker dinner recipes:

Recipe tips:

• Pasta only takes about 30 to 45 minutes to cook in the slow cooker. Do not put them in until the end or they will get mushy.
• The best types of pasta for this dish are those that can hang onto the sauce and hold meat and veggies in them so get one with ridges and holes.
• Overcooking will make your chicken dry and tough. Check it with an instant thermometer after four hours on low or two hours on high.
• Remove the chicken when it reaches 150 degrees F. It will continue to cook to 165 degrees F as it rests.
• Make your own alfredo sauce with my easy recipe or save time by grabbing some from the store.
• Another way to save time is to use rotisserie chicken or leftover chicken from last night’s dinner.
• Feel free to use chopped chicken instead of shredded chicken if that is what you like.