Deconstructed Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta - All the wonderful flavors of Chicken Parmesan without any of the hassle.
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I realized the other day, I haven't really used my slow cooker
much this season. Other than when my daughter came home with a few college friends for dinner and I made Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Wraps, I can't remember having used it. It's probably because we had a mild fall and start to winter and my slow cooker is generally a cold weather tool. Well, now that the weather has finally turned winter-ish I'm pulling out my trusty slow cooker
.
I had some extra jarred sauce left over from the other day when I made my Tuscan Poached Eggs (holy yum, btw), so I thought why not pour it into the slow cooker and make something yummy.
Just how easy is this recipe?
You can throw all your ingredients in the slow cooker and when you get home from work or wherever it is you go each day, you can just cook up some pasta and toss it together. Easy.
I want to make a comment about the amount of sauce I used in this recipe. When I actually made it, I used one 24 oz jar of sauce. I thought it was fine. My husband, while he says he enjoyed the dish, had one criticism - it needs more sauce. So I'm writing the recipe for two jars of sauce. But if you are one of those people who doesn't want their pasta swimming in sauce, you can knock it down to 1 jar. I think it's a personal preference thing.
Printable Recipe Card
Deconstructed Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta
Ingredients
- 1 Onion sweet, sliced
- 3 Garlic cloves smashed
- 3 Chicken Breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 T Basil dried
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ¼ teaspoon Black Pepper
- 2 24 oz Jars Pasta Sauce
- 16 oz Rigatoni pasta
- ¼ C Parmesan cheese grated
- 2 C Mozzarella cheese shredded
- ¼ C Parsley freshly chopped
Instructions
- Place onion and smashed garlic in slow cooker.
- Season chicken with salt and pepper and place on top of onions. Pour sauce over chicken. Sprinkle dried basil on to the sauce. Cook on low for 5-6 hours.
- When slow cooker time is up, remove chicken, shred and place back into sauce. Stir in Parmesan cheese.
- Prepare pasta according to package instructions. Drain pasta and stir into slow cooker.
- Sprinkle Mozzarella cheese over the top of pasta and replace cover just until cheese melts, about 10 minutes.
- Garnish with parsley just before serving.
Notes
This Slow Cooker Chicken Parmesan Pasta is a shortcut to a comfort classic. Looking for the real thing? Check out my Chicken Parmigiana recipe.
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Patty Haxton Anderson says
Love these kinds of pasta dishes.
Linda (Meal Planning Maven) says
What a great dish! I love that you made it in the slow cooker!
nancy@skinnykitchen.com says
You are so cleaver, Christine. This looks fantastic!
peter @feedyoursoultoo says
Really cool spin on a traditional dish.
Angela says
I LOVE a good slow cooker meal and I love pasta well and anything Italian.... ok you've got me on this one, its perfect!!!!!
Rashel says
This looks delicious and I love crock pot dishes!
Platter Talk says
This is our kind of meal, all the way. Our boys are going to love the taste, we're going to love its ease and convenience; thanks for sharing!
Elizabeth says
oh my goodness gracious me YES PLEASE! I want this on my plate, right now!
Debi at Life Currents says
So cheesy! So good looking! I was looking for a casserole to make for this weekend, I think I have a winner! Yum!
justine @ Full Belly SIsters says
Ooh, that yummy cheese pull!
KC the Kitchen Chopper says
This looks crazy good. Love the stringy cheese! Gorgeous.
foodyschmoody says
Thanks KC! I know it's not exactly "chop" approved, lol but you could load that sauce up w/ chopped veggies and make it "choppified" 🙂
erica s says
delightful recipe! I would use chicken thighs (not a breast fan) but I love the idea of "deconstructed" chicken parm using the crock pot. This looks delicious.
foodyschmoody says
Funny you should say about the thighs because almost always I use thighs. Breasts are too dry for me usually but they were on sale and they actually worked out pretty good for this recipe. But I, like you, am I thigh girl.
Jacki says
Should I adjust the time for thighs? I bought thighs for this recipe. Thanks
foodyschmoody says
My best guess would be that the 5-6 hours would be okay for thighs as well.
April J Harris says
What a lovely way to serve Chicken Parmesan - I do like using my slow cooker this time of year!
Heather says
This was AMAZING. Thank you so much. This is the first recipe in a long time that my husband has actually said was good. Going to make this a regular!
foodyschmoody says
Oh I'm so happy to hear you BOTH enjoyed it! Thank you so much for letting me know!
Bev Burnworth says
It definitely needs the two jars of sauce. It's a keeper, will make it again! Thanks for the recipe.
foodyschmoody says
I'm so glad you enjoyed it and even more thrilled that you took the time to come back and let me know!
Liza says
This recipe is very good and easy to make. I also sprinkled some Italian seasoning and red pepper flakes on the chicken before adding the sauce. So yummy and kid approved!
foodyschmoody says
I love the addition of red pepper flakes. It wouldn't fly w/ my picky kids though. Thanks so much for taking the time to let me know what you thought of the recipe!!!
TAMMY BOTZON says
Are the chicken breasts whole or half? Trying to figure out how much to put in.
foodyschmoody says
I used 3 whole boneless breasts
Jenn says
I didn’t plan ahead but want to make this tonight. Do you think I could do this in the pressure cooker?
foodyschmoody says
Yes, I believe you could, although, I have not tried it (but it's on my forever growing to-do list). I would saute the chicken, onions and garlic. Add the sauce and I would actually add broth or water to thin the sauce a bit and pasta. Don't stir the pasta completely to the bottom because you don't want it to burn. Depending on the size pasta you use, I'd do a manual pressure for about 5-6 minutes. Good luck. And I think you inspired me to hurry up and experiment with this. Going on my menu for next week.