4.91 from 1169 votes

Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta

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Ready to make this week’s viral recipe? We tried out the slow cooker olive garden chicken pasta and mmm, mmm, good!! It’s easy to see why this simple chicken smothered in olive garden dressing, parmesan cheese, and cream cheese is a new family favorite recipe.

And because it’s a slow cooker chicken breast recipe, cooking is a breeze! Scroll below for a video recipe and, at the very bottom, a printable version of this recipe. Get making Olive Garden (inspired) chicken pasta tonight!

slow cooker olive garden chicken pasta in a slow cooker

Lately, I have been seeing this viral recipe for an inspired Olive Garden slow cooker recipe that includes soft, fork tender chicken and spiral pasta. It’s made with Olive Garden dressing (we picked ours up at Walmart), which I found super intriguing, so we knew we had to try this one and showcase a good copycat recipe for you!

First of all, this recipe is dump and go. I love slow cooker recipes because they really just rely on dumping in the ingredients and then letting it cook low and slow all day.

The kitchen stays clean and dinner is ready when you are ready for it! 

Overall, my family gave this recipe 2 thumbs up. My only feedback is that it’s SUPER filling, and adding pasta almost seems like overkill after the thick, saucy chicken breasts.

You could just as easily make this with less carbs over spiraled spaghetti squash if you want to kill some carbs and still enjoy the Olive Garden flavors. However, if you love carbs, pair it with another great viral, Parmesan Roasted Potatoes.

Olive Garden Slow Cooker Chicken

When you are prepping ingredients for this olive garden chicken pasta, you will notice that there are 2 olive garden dressing sizes.

You can buy the smaller version if you prefer, but it will really only leave you enough for this recipe.

If you intend to use the dressing on any side salads, make sure to purchase the larger bottle.

  • 2 cups of Olive Garden Italian Dressing
  • 1/4 cup Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • Black Pepper
  • 8 oz. Block of Cream Cheese
  • 3-4 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts
  • pasta of choice

RELATED CHICKEN RECIPES: Tater Tot Chicken Casserole, Buffalo Chicken Dip, Chicken Enchilada Dip, Garlic Parmesan Chicken, Chicken and Rice casserole, Alice Springs Chicken, Ritz Cracker Chicken

Olive Garden Dressing - the large bottle

How to make TikTok Olive Garden Chicken Pasta

First, prep your slow cooker by spraying down the inside of it. I always prep my slow cooker just to be sure nothing is going to accidentally stick. Alternatively, you can use a slow cooker liner.

Place 3–4 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts (with any excess fat trimmed) in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Pour 2 cups of Olive Garden Italian dressing over the top of chicken breasts.

slow cooker olive garden chicken pasta in a slow cooker

Add 1/4th cup shredded parmesan cheese over the top.

Shredded Parmesan Cheese over slow cooker olive garden chicken

NOTE: You can add grated cheese but I prefer shredded

Sprinkle with black pepper.

Now tear up one block of cream cheese and place it around or on top of the chicken. It doesn’t really matter where you put the cream cheese because the low heat will slowly soften the cream cheese and it will be stirred in well at the end.

cream cheese inside of slow cooker with chicken

Place lid on slow cooker and heat low for 5-6 hours or high for 4 hours.

Chicken is done when fork tender.

fully cooked Olive Garden Slow Cooker Chicken

Take two forks and shred chicken apart.

Mix together combining chicken, dressing, and cream cheese well.

shred chicken with forks

Adding Pasta to Slow Cooker

For the pasta portion, you can either add in pasta directly to the slow cooker OR simply serve the shredded chicken over a bowl of pasta.

Pasta Choices that go great in Olive Garden Chicken

  • Spiral Pasta – Spiral pasta (like Rotini Pasta) is the most commonly used in this slow-cooker chicken pasta recipe
  • Penne – I like penne for a thicker pasta that also grabs a lot of the dressing on the inside of the pasta, which makes it a more flavorful bite.
  • Gnocchi – Gnocchi is really filling but is a delicious way to eat this slow cooker chicken.
  • Spiralized spaghetti squash or zucchinipasta isn’t the only way to go! Serve over veggies too!
mixed up slow cooker olive garden chicken shredded

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  • Cloud Bread Recipe Super fluffy, fun to make and even more fun to cut into, this cloud bread can be made into any color or flavor. Consisting of 3 simple ingredients, here is how you make the tiktok cloud bread.
  • Smoked Queso  This Delicious and Easy Queso dip can be made in the oven, on a grill, or in a smoker, and with Rotel, hamburger meat, cream cheese, and Velveeta, there is a reason why this combination became one of the most TikTok Viral Recipes of all time!
  • White Chocolate Cocoa Bombs – White chocolate is ultra decadent and so easy to work with and as a bonus, tastes delicious and delightful in a cup of hot cocoa. Plus, it’s perfect to make as a SNOWMAN BOMB!
4.91 from 1169 votes

Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta


Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 10 hours 10 minutes
Low 6 hours
TikTok Viral Recipe for Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta – slow cook chicken breasts all day in creamy Olive Garden dressing, add in Parmesan cheese and cream cheese and serve up with pasta for a filling, and delicious, family friendly meal without the fuss. If you are wondering what is for dinner tonight, Olive Garden Chicken Pasta is THE answer. This creamy pasta dish, full of fall apart slow cooked chicken, works great with penne pasta but also can be eaten on its own for a carb free dinner. Combining world famous Olive Garden dressing, which has all the flavor, this chicken is a dump and go recipe that makes it perfect for expected busy weeknights. Set it- forget it- ENJOY IT!

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups Olive Garden Italian Dressing
  • 1/4 cup Freshly Shredded Parmesan Cheese
  • Black Pepper
  • 8 oz. Block of Cream Cheese
  • 3-4 chicken breasts skinless, thawed boneless
  • Rotini Pasta already cooked

Instructions

  •  First prep your slow cooker by spraying down the inside of it or adding a slow cooker liner.
  • Place 3-4 thawed boneless, skinless chicken breasts (with any excess fat trimmed) in bottom of the slow cooker. 
  • Pour 2 cups of Olive Garden Italian dressing over the top of chicken breasts. 
  • Add 1/4th cup shredded parmesan cheese over the top. 
  • Sprinkle with black pepper. 
  • Now tear up one block of cream cheese and place around or on top of chicken.
  • Place lid on slow cooker and heat low for 5-6 hours or high for 3-4 hours. 
  • Chicken is done when fork tender. 
  • Take two forks and shred chicken apart. 
  • Mix together combining chicken, dressing, and cream cheese well. 
  • Adding Pasta to Slow Cooker
  • For the pasta portion, you can either add in pasta directly to the slow cooker OR simply serve the shredded chicken over a bowl of pasta. 

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 129kcal | Protein: 24g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 72mg | Sodium: 131mg | Potassium: 418mg | Vitamin A: 34IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 6mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.

Sharing of this recipe is encouraged and appreciated. Copying of full recipe to any social media is prohibited.

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4.91 from 1169 votes
4.91 from 1169 votes (1,146 ratings without comment)

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Recipe Rating




76 Comments

  1. Hi this slow cooker olive garden children recipe looks yummy and I’m planning on making it for supper tomorrow night, but I can’t seem to find how many cups of pasta to we use, can you please let me know thank you.

    1. Hi Amanda! That’s because the recipe is the chicken and you can serve with pasta (or rice) optionally…simply make enough pasta for your family and serve the chicken and sauce over it. You can also just eat the olive garden chicken without the pasta. Typically I just make about half a box for my family.

    2. Ok great thanks for letting me know.

  2. Can I double the recipe ? and if so should I cook it longer ?

    1. You can and you shouldnt have to cook it any longer – the chicken should still cook about the same rate.

  3. How do you get rid of tartness

    1. If its tart, thats the dressing itself and the flavors in the dressing. Its part of their signature. There really isnt a way to change the flavor of THAT dressing but if you do not like it, substitute with other brand. 🙂

    2. Add 1 1/2 cups of dressing 1/2 cup of water . 1 1/2 blocks of cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter comes out perfectly!

  4. Should you cook the pasta separately before adding it or are you able to add it dry and it cooks in the mixture, if so how long per how much?

    1. This recipe is only for the chicken that you could then add to cooked pasta or rice. I would not add any dry pasta in and expect it to cook properly. It would be fine to cook and then add right before you serve.

  5. This recipe tastes like straight Olive Garden Italian dressing. The chicken absorbed all of the vinegar in the dressing. I do not recommend nor would I make it again.

    1. Hi Kim! If you do not like Olive Garden dressing it def would not be a recipe you would enjoy, but if you want to slow down some of the iconic tanginess, add more cream cheese and cut the dressing. Its a fairly straight forward recipe to alter.

      Trisha

    2. Wish I had read the reviews, agree overpowering tart and huge waste of expensive ingredients. Couldn’t eat one bite.

  6. I’m confused on the serving size…it just says “1”. Is it 1 cup?

    1. The way these auto calculate is you add how many serving sizes in (i said 6) and then how many each size accounts for in the nutrition, which is 1 serving sized based on 6 equal portions. We do not have any control how that displays…its not really done by cup but by sizes. So if I said 6 servings but 2 people eat 2 servings, it would calculate based on 2 out of the 6. I know, its kinda wierd.

  7. Leah Morgan says:

    Can I make this in the oven

    1. You could make it in the oven, I would just flatten chicken down or cut into smaller pieces and bake for about 45 min on 375 or until chicken is no longer pink. The thing is with oven cooking is it wont shred your chicken down to pull apart like this, so just bake it normal w/ the sauce.

  8. Can you make this in the instapot??

    1. I dont see why not but my biggest concern is cream cheese in the instant pot – I would assume the instant high heat could make it clump up. The truth is I dont know till it gets made how the recipe would react. It might be fine to make the chicken first, shred, then add rest of ingredients and warm. That would be how I did it if I was going to convert.

    2. Lawana McDowell says:

      I made this for dinner after church and this has to be the most nasty tasting dish I ever made I would never recommend to ever tempt to make this dish again to overpowering

  9. William Vina says:

    I added a few items. In a bowl add 1 can of sweet peas, sliced black olives, minced garlic. Combine it with the salad dressing. Then add the mixture to the chicken and then follow the steps of the recipe. When done garnish with fresh diced tomatoes and fresh parsley. With garlic bread it’s unbelievable.

  10. I would not recommend this recipe at all. I personally love Olive Garden dressing. This dressing however is not meant to be cooked. It’s awful!!!! It tastes like rotten dressing and the smell is putrid! My sisters and sister in-law all tried this same recipe and had the same outcome. Don’t waste your ingredients on this!!

    1. hi Danielle! Thanks for commenting. I fully understand when a recipe isn’t compatable with all taste buds but all the reviews on the recipe card and on under the pinterest pins, many people love it. Some people find the Italian dressing from Olive Garden quite tart and it may be that you should add more cream cheese to help balance that out. Or, if you do not like warm dressing (after all, we are used to it really cold), maybe add that at the end with less cooking time. The great thing about recipes is experimenting.

      Trisha

  11. This was absolutely delicious! I did add another 4oz of cream cheese to correct the tartness but under no circumstances did this taste like “rotten dressing”. Common sense would tell you that if you don’t like Olive Garden dressing you probably won’t like this recipe 🤷‍♀️🙄 I served over rice instead of pasta! Delish!

  12. I use 1 cup dressing and 1 cup chicken bone broth with all of the other ingredients and add additional Italian seasoning . As my husband can’t tolerate much oil .
    Turns out great!

    1. That is great, so glad you and your spouse enjoyed!

      Trisha

  13. This dish is delicious , i only used half the bottle of dressing and about 1/2 cup of heavy cream to tone down the tartness . Also in last 30 min i added a bag of spinach . The whole family loves it .

  14. Cindy Woods says:

    I added a bag of baby spinach and a jar of drained sundried tomatoes after shredding the chicken. Both added color and flavor to the dish. I also used the Lite dressing to save a few calories. There was not any tang as mentioned in other reply’s. I under cooked the pasta and added it to the crockpot to finish cooking and absorb the flavors.

  15. Lisa Bove says:

    Wondering if you could use chicken thighs instead of breasts.

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      I dont see why not .The timing just might change with the thickness or needs of the chicken.

    2. Did you make this with chicken thighs and if so how did the cook trimming work out to be?

      Thank you,
      Tricia

  16. I made this tonight and was a little hesitant. My husband loved it, said the sauce was really good and asked if it was the first time I made it. He doesn’t like chicken and is kind of picky about food. I loved it, too. I added a little sour cream ( 2T) and chicken base (1 T). The sauce seemed to thicken once out of the slow cooker. Thanks for sharing this recipe!

  17. Made this today with egg noodles and it was delicious! So easy, too.

  18. This was SO good! I could not believe my mouth when I tried it… it’s way too easy to be this good! It’s going in the dinner rotation- thank you SO much!!

  19. I followed the recipe instructions to the letter. It was so salty even my salt loving husband couldn’t eat it. We threw it away. Zero stars.

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Yes the dressing contains a high amount of salt. Unfortantly there is nothing I can change to alter that since its prepackaged.

  20. It had more of a vinegar taste than anything. I added some water and some half and half to tone it down a bit…it made it more edible..otherwise I won’t be making this again..it was a big disappointment to me.

  21. Rita Walbert says:

    I love adding spinach after shredding the chicken. Gives it some color and an added vegetable.

  22. Dale M Drisko says:

    The recipe looks great, but I think your nutrition facts are a bit misleading. I would expect the serving size to be for 1 serving, but it is for 1g. Who eats 1g of chicken pasta?

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Dale- for some reason the new update on the recipe card software we use, started adding in “gram” behind the 1 serving. That was something that happened recently. It was actually set up to say how many servings is in each dish and then it would divide that by the amount in there and show you. For example, if it was 6 servings, it would show what 1/6th was. As noted below the recipe card, I dont have control how it displays and to use a separate nutritional card. I would just remove the nutrition if I could because its just wrong so much of the time. Now that its added that gram next to all the 1 portion serving, its been throwing people off all day. Im gonna see how I can fix it.

      Trisha

  23. I’ve marinated chicken in Italian dressing as a marinade for years with great results. As the major ingredient in this sauce, it was just too much vinegary tang for me. If I made again I’d do a more traditional alfredo sauce and marinate the chicken in Italian dressing before sautéing or grilling it.

  24. Stephanie Friesen says:

    Wow. What a great recipe. Not only is it easy to make it tastes amazing. Thank you!!!

  25. The flavor is outstanding BUT the richness and the greasiness were not appealing. I had 3 large breasts so I doubled the dressing, cream cheese and parm. When it was done I lifted the lid and there was a 1/4 inch of oil floating on top. I removed the breasts (that had been trimmed of any fat) and tried to use a whisk to incorporate but the oil kept coming back to the top. I used paper towels to sop all the oil and proceeded. Again, the flavor was amazing…….LOVED it but don’t think I can eat this again. It was SO rich and greasy tasting. No one else has commented on this so I guess it’s just me. Too bad. I LOVED the tart flavor of this recipe. Any suggestions??

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Hmm, maybe it was the dressing bottle you had? Why not try to add a little heavy cream to it to thin it out. 🙂

  26. Lyn Moffatt says:

    This was an awesome recipe. I used chicken tenderloins instead of chicken breasts. When they were done , I took low carb tortillas and loaded them with the chicken , onions, cheese and lettuce. What a great chicken roll up! Delious! I’ll be making that again!

  27. This recipe was awful. The salad dressing has too much oil and vinegar and left a nasty tang and aftertaste! Because there was oil in the salad dressing it separated from the cheese and did not blend well. This recipe would have been much better with cream of chicken soup. Yuck. I threw it out after dinner.

  28. A crockpot full of salty, vinegary slop. Will not make again.

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Its definitely a controversial recipe. Its a love it or hate it type of thing.

  29. Bonnie. Sanders says:

    I can’t get recipes to print.

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Hi Bonnie, Occasionally, a recipe wont go to PRINT RECIPE if someone has a pop up blocker. This is because the print page opens a new second page to print the document from. You will have to turn that off before you can print.

  30. Only omitted one star because I made changes based on other reviews—I used 1.5 lbs tenderloins, 1 cup dressing & 1 cup chicken broth. Cooked faster because the meat was smaller. Also added in a bag of mixed spinach & arugula in the last 30 min. Tossed with a half pound of pasta. Delicious! Super easy meal that will definitely be on repeat.

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Mary, thanks for sharing your additions!

  31. It was not as good as I expected
    It was just OK
    I’ll probably throw the rest away

  32. This wasn’t bad for someone who doesn’t care for Italian dressing, it like the last comment it was alittle greasy and I did add heavy cream. I also had 3 chicken breasts and maybe less dressing next time, if there is a next time. 1st time tryer.

  33. This recipe is delicious with both pasta and mashed potatoes. The interesting part is that it’s also good cold with tortilla chips! Next time I make it, we will use it as a dip, hot or cold! Yum!

  34. I enjoyed making this recipe. The bite from the the salad dressing was unexpected, but very tasty.
    I may add in some real bacon bits next time.
    Overall, it was very delicious!

  35. It’s a good base but definitely needs more. The pasta with it is a good idea, or rice goes as well. I added a bag of frozen peas at the end, and next time I’ll add more vegetables. I see people don’t like the tartness of it but I used the Aldi version of the Olive Garden dressing and it turned out with good flavor. As I said, great start, but definitely needs more to it.

  36. Add a can of cream of chicken soup and half can of water . Takes away the zing and makes more creamy delicious sauce!

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Thats a great idea!!

  37. I followed this recipe using penne pasta and added fresh spinach and mushrooms. I definitely recommend it.

  38. After hearing about Olive Garden chicken from my sister, I decided to give it a go. Since I do a lot of cooking, we don’t make many of these “quick” meals, but family was not disappointed! We’ll be making this one again, thanks!

  39. Loved this the first time I made this. Making again because the family will be looking forward to dinner time.

  40. Tasted like a fork full of sauerkraut- added paprika, red pepper flakes, Italian seasoning and some mozzarella cheese to hopefully not have to throw out – not making this again and geez should have read the comments!

  41. Made this recipe for the grandkids and family and they loved it. They are requesting it again. Served it with Penne pasta. Great recipe and so easy to make.

  42. Great recipe with a few changes for less “tang” add 1 1/2 dressing and 1/2 water , 1 1/2 blocks of cream cheese and 2 tablespoons of butter it comes out perfect !!

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      This recipe is so controversial…Thank you for providing some tips on how you made it less tangy!

  43. What a great recipe! Love the added spinach idea 💕
    This is definitely a family favorite! Thank you so much for sharing this with us ☺️😊

  44. Simple to make and everyone loved it

  45. Maryann Boston says:

    Do I have to shred up the chicken ?
    I plan on making this soon. I just wanted to ask that one question.

    Thank you
    Maryann

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      Hi Maryann, shredding the chicken def helps with serving but no, you do not have to.

  46. I agree with other reviews. To tart. Not good at all.

  47. We love this recipe! I do add broccoli, otherwise I make it as written. You definitely have to like Olive Garden dressing, but we LOVE it. Delicious.

  48. Can you used already shredded cooked chicken in this recipe?

    1. Trisha Haas says:

      I dont see why not, but you wouldnt need to bake it at that point.

  49. I thought this recipe looked good and since I had bought a bottle of the Olive Garden Salad Dressing, I made it. Unfortunately the salad dressing was vinegar based and too strong. A total waste of ingredients as no one could eat it.

  50. Made this but modified it. I only used half a bottle of dressing and added one can of Italian diced tomatoes with juice, 1 cup of mozzarella, & 3/4 cup of ricotta. It turned out so yummy!