Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo makes your weeknight meals easier. Just throw the chicken and sauce in at lunchtime and you’ll come home to a delicious garlic aroma. Once your family tries this homemade chicken Alfredo sauce, they’ll want you to make it every week!
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This chicken Alfredo crock pot recipe will blow you away with how the simple sauce complements the tender chicken, making each bite flavorful. The slow cooker cooks the chicken perfectly, allowing it to easily shred while still keeping it moist and tender.
If you like this dish, then you’ll love these other crockpot chicken breast recipes! Try my crockpot chicken tater tot casserole, this delicious Crock Pot Chicken and Gravy recipe, this classic slow cooker chicken pot pie, and this savory chicken paprikash recipe next.
Why You’ll Love This Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo
- Simple to make: Crock Pot recipes are a great way to create savory meals that don’t need much attention and this easy crock pot chicken Alfredo is no exception!
- On-hand ingredients: You likely have most of these ingredients already in your pantry!
- Comfort food: Nothing beats a warm bowl of pasta at the end of a long day.
Ingredients
- Chicken: Chicken breast works the best for this dish. They cook well in the slow cooker and allow for easy shredding after cooking. Chicken thighs will work well too, but need to cook a bit longer.
- Sauce: Use heavy cream, low-sodium chicken broth, cream cheese, butter, and garlic for a delectable homemade Alfredo sauce. Swap the heavy cream for half and half if you prefer a slightly less rich version of this recipe.
- Seasoning: Italian seasoning, pepper, and onion powder give the chicken and sauce more depth of flavor.
- Rigatoni pasta: Any pasta will do, we just prefer a shorter noodle for this recipe since it gets added directly to the Crock Pot.
- Parmesan: We recommend using freshly grated parmesan cheese which tastes and melts better.
- Parsley: Fresh parsley also enhances the flavor of this dish and gives it a splash of color.
See the recipe card below for exact ingredient amounts, nutritional information, and detailed instructions.
Variations
- Make it spicy: Add Cajun seasoning to give a little Cajun spice to your chicken Alfredo pasta or you can also add some crushed red pepper too.
- Save time: Swap the chicken for shredded rotisserie chicken and use 2 15-ounce jars of Alfredo sauce instead of making the homemade. Reduce the cooking time in the slow cooker. Just assemble and cook until bubbly and heated through.
- Gluten-free: This recipe can be made gluten-free by replacing the pasta with a gluten-free option.
- Dairy-free: Replace the heavy cream with coconut or cashew milk. Then use dairy-free cream cheese and parmesan cheese. Lastly, swap out the butter with vegan butter or coconut oil.
- Add vegetables: Add broccoli or bell peppers to this dish for an easy way to get your vegetables in.
- Pesto: Feel free to stir in your favorite pesto sauce along with the pasta at the end for a creamy basil alfredo sauce.
How to Make Chicken Alfredo in a Crock Pot
Grap a slow cooker and get ready to make this crock pot chicken Alfredo recipe.
Step 1: Make your sauce. Combine the heavy cream, broth, cream cheese, butter, and garlic in the Crock Pot. You will notice chunks of butter and cream cheese, that’s okay! They’ll melt as the recipe cooks.
Step 2: Add the chicken. Place the chicken in the slow cooker and season it with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and onion powder. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours (or high for 2 hours). Make your pasta about 30 minutes before the chicken is done. Prepare the pasta according to the package instructions.
Step 3: Shred the chicken. Make sure your chicken is cooked thoroughly by using a meat thermometer. The internal temp needs to be 165 degrees. Then shred your chicken right in the Crock Pot using two forks.
Step 4: Add the cheese and pasta. Add in the parmesan cheese, stirring until it melts into the sauce. Then stir in your noodles and enjoy!
⭐️ Hint: You can use two forks to shred the chicken directly in the pot or remove the chicken and do it on a plate. A quick shredding option is to place the chicken in your stand mixer with the paddle attachment to shred it.
If you love easy recipes like this, you may also enjoy this creamy Chicken Parmesan Pasta, Slow Cooker Chicken Stroganoff, Cottage Cheese Alfredo Sauce or this Slow Cooker Tuscan Chicken!
Storage Directions
- Leftovers: Leftovers can be stored for up to four days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. You can also freeze it for up to three months but note that the texture may change slightly when thawed.
- Reheating: Reheat leftovers in the microwave in 30-60-second intervals, on the stove, or in the oven. When cooking on the stove, you will want to use low-medium heat and stir frequently. If it gets too thick, add a splash of milk or half and half until it reaches the consistency you desire.
Serving Suggestions
We love pairing chicken Alfredo in a crock pot with simple vegetable sides like honey maple carrots or this easy side of broiled asparagus.
Make and serve this with some pizza dough breadsticks! There are plenty of options on the classic breadstick so you can try out flavors you love.
After a heavier meal like this Alfredo chicken pasta, we’d stick with a lighter dessert such as strawberry whipped cream dessert or this creamy orange creamsicle dessert.
Recipe Tips
- Cooking the noodles: To save some time you can make these ahead of time. Cook according to the package, toss with some oil once they’re cooled (this helps prevent sticking), and store in the fridge. Add them to your Crock Pot in the last 20-30 minutes so they can warm up and absorb all that garlicky goodness. Be sure you cook just to al dente as they will cook a bit more as they warm in the crockpot.
- Sauce too thick: Add a splash of milk to help thin it out.
- Don't forget to garnish: A sprinkle of fresh parsley is a simple way to add a splash of color to the dish, while extra parmesan cheese adds more cheesy goodness.
Recipe FAQs
No, you can cut the chicken into strips or dice it before or after cooking. This Alfredo chicken crock pot recipe can easily be modified to your preference.
This happens sometimes with creamy sauces. For best results, it's important to eat your Alfredo while it's still warm. If it sits too long it may separate. If this happens, you can reheat it in the crockpot on high. Stir frequently while it heats up until the sauce comes together again.
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More Delicious Chicken Recipes to Try
Do you like easy chicken recipes? Here are some recipes you may also like to try!
Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.
Crock Pot Chicken Alfredo
Equipment
- 6-8 quart crockpot
- 2 forks or a shredding tool
Ingredients
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
- 6 ounces cream cheese softened and cubed
- 3 Tablespoons salted butter cubed
- 2 Tablespoons minced roasted garlic
- 1 ½ pound boneless skinless chicken breast about 3 large breasts
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon pepper
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- 2 cups uncooked rigatoni pasta
- 1 cup parmesan cheese grated
- Parsley for garnish
Instructions
- In the basin of your crockpot, combine the heavy cream, broth, cream cheese, butter and garlic. The cream cheese and butter will remain cubes, this is ok it will melt into the mix as it cooks.
- Add your chicken into the crockpot and season with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper and onion powder.
- Cover and cook on low for 4 hours or high for 2 hours.
- About 30 minutes before the chicken is done, boil the rigatoni according to package instructions.
- Use a meat thermometer to check that the internal temperature of the chicken has reached 165°F.
- Using 2 forks or a shredding tool, shred the chicken inside the crockpot.
- Stir the parmesan cheese into the sauce until melted and then stir in your noodles.
- Garnish with parsley and serve warm.
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Notes
- Cooking the noodles: To save some time you can make these ahead of time. Cook according to the package, toss with some oil once they’re cooled (this helps prevent sticking), and store in the fridge. Add them to your Crock Pot in the last 20-30 minutes so they can warm up and absorb all that garlicky goodness. Be sure you cook just to al dente as they will cook a bit more as they warm in the crockpot.
- Sauce too thick: Add a splash of milk to help thin it out.
- Don't forget to garnish: A sprinkle of fresh parsley is a simple way to add a splash of color to the dish, while extra parmesan cheese adds more cheesy goodness.
Nutrition
This post was originally published in September 2019. It's been updated with new content, images, and an updated recipe.
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