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3 ingredients, 5-minute prep! This copycat crockpot Olive Garden Chicken is juicy, tender, and packed with bold andtangy flavors! A copycat Olive Garden chicken pasta dish full of true Italian flavors!
There isgood reasonthisslow cooker Olive Garden Chicken pastawill become yourfavorite recipe. Maybe you have seen thisviral videoon TikTok. Well, now is the time to try it for yourself.
Great recipe! Definitely 5+ Stars!
K
Followed the directions exactly as listed. Used Olive Garden Italian dressing, Penne pasta, cream cheese, etc. Served with a green salad and garlic bread. They LOVED IT!!! Was asked to save this recipe, and make again – SOON! Thank you for sharing!
I enjoy giving precise details in my recipe posts to lead my readers through any questions. If you’re just here for the printable recipe, use the Jump to Recipe to head straight there!
If you love slow cooker or Instant Pot meals, you will love these other reader favorites; like my Instant Pot Bow Tie Pasta, this meal prep favorite Healthier Crack Chicken or my barbecue pulled pork recipe and this fall apart tender Barbacoa Beef recipe.
National Slow Cooker Month
Did you know thatJanuary is National Slow Cooker Month?
These three slow cooker recipes are on repeat in our house! Be sure to try them all, starting with this family favorite! PlusCrock Pot London BroilandCrockpot Ranch Chicken, but if you love Olive Garden, try thisOlive Garden Steak Alfredo!
Thiscrockpot dinneris so easy that you may never buy it in a restaurant again! Plus, making a low-fat, low-sodium, or low-carb version of this Olive Garden chicken dish is a simple task theentire familywill love.
And guess what? I’ll guide you through making this with frozen chicken! You read that right: a frozen chicken crockpot recipe.
Simple Ingredients Crock Pot Italian Chicken
- Italian Dressing |For a true copy of the Olive Garden chicken, useOlive Garden dressing. I have usedBrianna’sItalian Salad Dressing,Trader Joe’s Romano Caesar, and Simply Organic Italian, but my favorite is my homemade zesty Italian dressing recipe.Olive Garden dressing, while delish, is high in sodium and has high fructose corn syrup, ew 🙁
- BonelessChicken Breasts|You want approximately 2 pounds, typically 3-4 boneless, skinless breasts.
- Black Pepper|Ground freshblack pepperon your dish as desired.
- Cream Cheese| You can use Neufchatel cheese instead of full-fat cream cheese in this Olive Gardencopycat recipe.
- Pasta |The original Olive Garden chicken dish is served with pasta. For this recipe, I used a short pasta, like apenne pasta; anypasta will work — it grabs all that delicious sauce so there’s plenty in every bite.
- Parmesan Cheese|Amicroplanezestercreates tiny, delicate shreds which melt seamlessly into your pasta.
Get the full recipe in the recipe card below.
For truly 3 ingredient Olive Garden Chicken, then omit the parmesan cheese and the pasta – but seriously, it takes an extra second, so just do it! 🙂
How to Make Olive Garden Chicken in Crock Pot
Place the meat in the bottom of your slow cooker, then cover it with theentire bottleofItalian dressing and freshly grated parmesan. If desired, add some groundblack pepperas well.
Add ablock of cream cheese, cover, and cook on Low for 3-4 hours; if cooking on high, check the chicken after 2 ½-3 hours. See tips below for making this with frozen chicken breasts.
During the last hour of thisslow cooker recipe, bring a pot of water to boil on the stove and cook your choice of pasta.
Shred the tenderchicken once complete, stirring thecreamy sauce, then return it to the crockpot and stir in the pasta. Sprinkle the whole thing withparmesan cheeseand serve! If desired, garnish with some fresh chopped thyme. YUM!
Fresh Tips
- Cooking chicken in a slow cooker longer than 4 hours typically results in dry, chewy chicken – yuck! Nobody wants dry chicken. While the timing isn’t terribly convenient, I don’t mind starting this a little later in the day if I am around all day. I have found the sweet spot is around 4 hours!
Olive Garden Chicken Pasta Instant Pot Instructions
Chicken recipes shine when made in theInstant Pot; here are some quick tips for Olive Garden Chicken PastaInstant Potstyle, acreamy pasta dishthewhole familywill love.
- Pour in half the bottle of dressing, then add the chicken breasts, finishing with the rest of the bottle of Italian dressing. Lay the block of cream cheese on top of the chicken breasts.
- Close the lid, seal andpressure cookfor 10 minutes with 6-8 minutes of natural pressure release. Release any leftover steam, remove the chicken to a cutting board, shred easily with two forks, and then stir back into the mixture. Now is a great time to cook your pasta.
- Remove chicken, shred or cut and return to Instant Pot, add cooked pasta and all of the parmesan cheese; stir and serve immediately.
Variations & Substitutions
- Make it healthier | It’s very easy to swap out the ingredients for healthier options. You can use a low-sodium Italian dressing, swap out cream cheese for plain Greek yogurt or Neufchatel cheese, and/or serve with whole-grain pasta or high-protein pasta.
- You can use another sharp cheese instead of parmesan if you wish. Romano and asiago are your best substitutes, as they are also dry and have a similar salty flavor.
- Penne pasta can be swapped out with another type of short noodle such as rigatoni, cavatappi, or fusilli, but honestly spaghetti works great too. The bottom line for thisviral recipeis use your favorite pasta or what you have on hand!
Fresh Tips
- Thisrestaurant quality mealeasily cuts in half for smaller family meals. But this is great for meal prepping. Leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days and frozen up to 3 months in anairtight container.
- You can quickly thaw your poultry in the microwave by gradually defrosting one minute at a time, or in a bath of warm water.
- Or you can cook them frozen! See my tips below for the best practices.
Frequently Asked Questions
How can I keep my chicken from getting dry in the crock pot?
The best way to keep your poultry moist is by cooking on low instead of high, and keeping your time to 4 hours if possible.
Can you put uncooked chicken in the slow cooker?
You can! It’s always important, however, to check the internal temperature of the meat when it’s done cooking. You want the temperature to reach 165° F to ensure that it is safe to eat.But if it shreds easily, it is done.
What is the best way to shred chicken?
It shreds easiest while it’s warm, so be sure to shred before refrigerating. You can use two forks to shred, use your hands, or even use a stand mixer after tearing into larger chunks and placing them in a deep mixing bowl. I personally think it’s easiest to shred using two forks.
Frozen chicken crockpot recipe
Here’s the 411 (I just dated myself :-). Start with frozen chicken boneless skinless chicken breasts to avoid dryness. This Olive Garden chicken recipe is perfect for busy days when you don’t want to babysit your crockpot.
Just add the ingredients, set it on low for 6-8 hours (it’ll automatically switch to warm), and shred the chicken and cook your pasta when you come back. Voila! Dinner is served!
A few of our favorite chicken recipes are this best-ever sous vide chicken breast, or this copycat chipotle chicken and this Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken and Rice.
Recommended Tools
- 4 qt or larger crockpot | Love this 7-quart crockpot.
- Flexible Cutting Boards | These flexible cutting boards are super handy when prepping ingredients to slide into a pot. I like them because they are BPA Free.
What’s the difference between a slow cooker and a crockpot?
Nothing really, Crockpot is simply the brand name of a slow cooker, which is why we use it interchangeably.
What to serve with Olive Garden Crock Pot Chicken Pasta
My Olive Garden crock pot chicken pasta recipe goes great with many sides, but it is especially delicious when served withcheesygarlic breadand aside salad, like my Romaine Wedge Salad or this Italian Chopped Salad.
Best Steakhouse Wedge Salad Recipe (with Romaine)
Healthier Romaine wedge salad is topped with creamy blue cheese dressing, bacon bits, blue cheese crumbles, cherry tomatoes, red onion, and candied pecans; the best Steakhouse wedge salad.
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Best Easy Italian Chopped Salad Recipe
Loaded Italian chopped salad with fresh veggies, salami, provolone, kalamata olives, and homemade Italian vinaigrette. A light and delicious meal that will make you love salads!
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Talk about comfort food! And how about starting off with a bright and delicious drink? Thispairs beautifully!
If you want to feel a little less guilty about your dinner, however, you can also serve this dish with a fresh, crisp salad. My collection of summer salad recipes has a ton of great options to choose from!
More Copycat Recipes You Will Love
- One Pan Tuscan Chicken in Parmesan CreamSauce (Olive Garden Copycat)
- Copycat Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl Recipe
- Olive Garden Steak Alfredo (Copycat Recipe)
- Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup
Best desserts to serve with Olive Garden Chicken
Be sure to finish your meal off with a delicious make-ahead dessert, like this Traditional Tiramisu or a few of my favorites below:
Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake Recipe
You are going to love my Italian Lemon Ricotta Cake Recipe. This rich, moist cake is an easy cake recipe filled with rich lemon flavor and creamy ricotta that is an authentic Italian treat – made right in your kitchen. This easy lemon ricotta cake may look plain, but the taste is out of this world! An Italian cheesecake if you will!
Read more
Best Italian Cream Puff Cake Recipe
This Italian Cream Puff Cake recipe is a giant light and airy cream puff and creamy, delicious filling, this cake is the perfect end to any meal!
Read more
Classic Italian Tiramisu Recipe
Traditional Tiramisu is an Italian dessert recipe with layers of mascarpone custard, whipped cream, layered between rum and espresso soaked ladyfingers.
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More Fabulous Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu Pastafrom Cheese Curd In Paradise
- Slow Cooker Baked Potatoesfrom Jen Around the World
- Cream Cheese and Potato Chowderfrom Palatable Pastime
- Slow Cooker Rajma from Magical Ingredients
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacosfrom Kathryn’s Kitchen Blog
- Crockpot Cheddar Broccoli Soupfrom Life Love and Good Food
- Slow Cooker Sloppy Joesfrom Blogghetti
- Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwich with Au Jusfrom The Spiffy Cookie
- Terriyaki Ribsfrom A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Olive Garden Crock Pot Chickenfrom The Fresh Cooky
- Slow Cooker Italian Sunday Gravyfrom Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Easy Crock Pot Breakfast Casserolefrom Devour Dinner
- Dutch Oven or Slow Cooker BBQ Ribsfrom Art of Natural Living
- Slow Cooker Spaghettifrom Our Good Life
- Try my new Slow Cooker Cube Steak Recipe with Gravy
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3-Ingredient Olive Garden Chicken with Pasta (Crockpot)
This copycat Olive Garden Chicken crock pot chicken is juicy, tender, and packed with bold and tangy flavors. Made easily in your crock pot or Instant Pot. A simple 3 ingredient Olive Garden Chicken meal, the whole family will love.
4.95 from 36 votes
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Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours hours
Total Time: 4 hours hours 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 8 -10 servings
Calories: 323kcal
Author: Kathleen Pope
Ingredients
Place the following in a crock pot
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 3-4) see below for frozen
- 16 ounce Italian dressing make homemade, Olive Garden or organic, see notes below
- 8 oz cream cheese Neufchâtel cheese may be subbed
- 4 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese optional
Made on the stovetop just prior to serving (optional)
- 16 oz penne pasta cooked al dente, according to package (any short pasta works, spaghetti too)
- 4 tablespoons parmesan cheese grated or shredded
- Fresh Thyme chopped (Optional garnish)
US Customary – Metric
Instructions
Add the chicken breasts to the crock pot, then pour the Italian dressing over and sprinkle with parmesan cheese and if desired some ground black pepper.
Place a block of cream cheese on top of chicken, cover and cook on LOW for 4 hours, that's your sweet spot to avoid dry chicken. See notes if you need to cook longer.
When you have about 40 minutes left on the slow cooker, heat the water for the pasta on the stovetop and cook the pasta on the according to package directions.
Once Olive Garden crock pot chicken is done (it should shred easily), shred chicken using two forks or using a stand mixer, then return to the crock pot.
Drain pasta, stir into chicken mixture to combine, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and serve. We love this with Garlic Cheese bread and a crisp green salad.
Make with Frozen Chicken Breasts
Place frozen breasts in the bottom of the crock pot, pour other ingredients over the top – cook for 5-6 hours on low, making sure that the internal temp reaches 165 degrees.The chicken will shred easily once done.
I have actually found this works better with crock pot chicken recipes, because the chicken doesn’t dry out, so this is my preferred and lazy way to make crock pot chicken.
Instant Pot Olive Garden Chicken
Pour ½ bottle Italian dressing into bottom of Instant Pot, place chicken breasts in next. Pour balance of salad dressing over the top, then top with cream cheese. Do not stir!
Cover pot and secure the lid, make sure it is in sealed position and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes, with natural release for 5-8 minutes.
Remove chicken, shred or cut and return to Instant Pot, add cooked pasta and all of the parmesan cheese.
Last step! Leave a RatingRate this recipe here. This helps other readers and helps support this website.
Notes
I had a reader use Wishbone zesty and said it was overpowering and didn’t taste good at all, I suggest using Olive Garden Italian or one of the Italian dressings I suggest. Such as Brianna’s, Simply Organic Italian.
Variations
- This recipe is easily cut in half!
- It’s very easy to swap out the ingredients for healthier options. You can use a low-sodium Italian dressing, swap out cream cheese for plain Greek yogurt, or serve with whole-grain pasta or high-protein pasta.
- You can use another sharp cheese instead of parmesan if you wish. Romano and asiago are your best substitutes, as they are also dry and have a similar salty flavor.
- Penne pasta can be swapped out with another type of short noodle such as rigatoni or fusilli, but honestly spaghetti works great too. Bottom line, use your favorite pasta or what you have on hand!
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 323kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 33g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 235mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g
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