Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
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This Olive Garden Chicken Pasta with cream cheese has taken over the internet – with good reason! This recipe is the best of all worlds: it’s super easy, it goes in your crockpot, it’s creamy and comforting and – best of all – it involves Olive Garden!
This is perfect for a set it and forget it type of day – the chicken and dressing cook in your slow cooker while you get things done! When it’s dinner time – cook your pasta and add it to the creamy sauce and it’s ready to serve.
What’s in Olive Garden Dressing Chicken Pasta?
- 1.5-2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breast – I used 3 chicken breasts – because it’s cooking in Italian dressing it has all the tenderness you want!
- You could also use a combination of boneless chicken breasts & boneless chicken thighs if you’d like!
- 1 bottle of Olive Garden Italian Dressing – or MAKE YOUR OWN (it’s super easy!)
- No real need to add salt & black pepper as the dressing has plenty
- 1 block of cream cheese
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese – I always use fresh! It’s so much more flavorful than the pre-shredded!! Trust me on this!
- 1 lb. pasta of your choice – the viral video used Penne pasta but I used a curly pasta because that’s what was in my pantry (I got this huge gift box of pasta products and it’s been so handy! I even sent one to my mom I loved it so much!)
- OPTIONAL – you could definitely add vegetables to this as well! Mushrooms would be good and could be added at the beginning. With broccoli, you would want to steam it and add when you stir in the pasta at the end.
How to make Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
- Start by placing your chicken (frozen or thawed) into the slow cooker
- Pour in your bottle of Olive Garden salad dressing (or my whole recipe)
- Top with a block of cream cheese and 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours
- Cook pasta of your choice according to package directions
- While pasta is boiling, remove slow cooker lid and shred chicken breasts – stir to mix
- Drain pasta and add to slow cooker with other 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan
- Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese and an Olive Garden Salad
FAQs
I would stick with cream cheese – if you want an alternative you could use 1/2 cup heavy cream and 1/2 cup sour cream.
Of course! This would be great over rice, cauliflower rice or mash or just served with an Olive Garden salad (and more dressing!)
No – not really. The cream cheese and Italian Dressing bring out totally different flavors than alfredo sauce. There’s also no butter or cream and just a bit of cheese. The Italian dressing is much zingier!
I have a pretty small slow cooker – so I take each piece of chicken out and put it in a bowl and shred with two forks.
Yes! For the stove top – I would poach your chicken breasts in water for 20 min or use a cooked rotisserie chicken and shred. Then, in a saucepan, mix together the Italian Dressing, cream cheese and 1/4 cup shredded Parm. Add your shredded chicken and heat through. Then add your cooked pasta and remaining 1/4 cup cheese.
For the oven, you can use the raw chicken and place it in a baking dish with cream cheese, dressing and cheese – just like the slow cooker directions. After cooking for 30-40 minutes at 350 – remove baking dish from the oven and shred the chicken. Stir in cooked pasta and remaining cheese and serve!
I parsed the leftovers out into an airtight container and popped them in the freezer! I would thaw in the fridge and reheat in the microwave for 2 minutes.
What should I serve with Olive Garden dressing chicken pasta?
Other Yummy Olive Garden Pasta Recipes
Olive Garden Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- 1.5-2 lbs chicken breast
- 16 oz Olive Garden Italian Dressing or my recipe!
- 1 block cream cheese
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
- 1 lb pasta reco: penne or spiral
- 1/4 cup shredded Parmesan or Romano cheese
Instructions
- Start by placing your chicken (frozen or thawed) into the slow cooker
- Pour in your bottle of Olive Garden dressing (or my whole recipe)
- Top with a block of cream cheese and 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan
- Cook on high for 4 hours or low for 6 hours
- Cook pasta of your choice
- While pasta is boiling, remove slow cooker lid and shred chicken breasts – stir to mix
- Drain pasta and add to slow cooker with other 1/4 cup of shredded Parmesan
- Serve
This chicken pasta was so delicious! As I was making this my whole kitchen smelled amazing. The family voted to add this recipe to the monthly meal plan rotation!
I’ve never tried this before but it looks interesting. Thank you for giving such detailed instructions, I love that you included on what this dish goes well with, I’m going to try it.
Trying it tomorrow for lunch – already have all the ingredients – really excited to try this cream cheese dressing!
you’ll love it!
This sounds like a delicious chicken pasta recipe! Such a simple dinner recipe.
Yummy! This looks so delicious and full of flavor! The family is going to be obsessed with this recipe. Excited to make this for the weekend!
Such a simple and delicious chicken pasta dish. I’m excited to try your recipe.
This makes for a terrific breakfast – hot or cold!
I love this recipe! I have added a cup of chicken broth because the first time I made this, it came out too dry. The chicken broth worked great!
whole bottle of italian dressing is just over powering, really upset my stomach, going to try adding cream of something soup and sour cream to tone down the leftovers instread of throwing away.
I would add sour cream or cream of mushroom soup
I love this recipe!
Youโre recipe calls for an entire bottle of dressing. What size? My store sells three different sizes.
Thanks!
16 oz – i just updated recipe
I would use only half a bottle
Excellent recipe! Easy & delicious! Definitely a keeper, thank you for sharing.
It was just ok, Iโm gonna try using less dressing next time, it was a little too zesty honestly. Not horrible but I would have liked a more cheesy flavor
I found this way too salty! And I didnโt add any additional salt to it either! I would recommend using much less Olive Garden dressing than recipe calls for. Anyone else experience this?
I guess I’m kind of a salt lover but other folks have said they use just half a bottle of dressing. I never add additional salt.
my Italian dressing expired, but I love making this recipe. I don’t have any ingredients or $$ to make the dressing. is it possible if I can sub Ranch dressing or Caesar dressing for it? I would use half the bottle too and a can of cream of chicken.
i would sub with caesar – i think the ranch is too creamy
very nice article thanks for sharing it us
A three star rating is generous. I made it exactly as written. The overwhelming taste was a sour, fake Italian taste. I ended up throwing most of it away. Itโs good concept but disappointing product.
This will be going into our dinner rotation! So delicious and my kids loved it!