Anyone have a picky eater in their house? I refer to my daughter as a carbatarian…she lives on white carbs and fruit. I can get her to eat chicken nuggets, but that is about all she likes when it comes to meat. But this pasta dish is one she will gobble down without complaint, which means it has gone into high rotation in our house! Doesn’t look super appetizing in the photos, but it tastes delicious and is creamy like Alfredo, but feels healthier. BONUS – takes 5 minutes to throw in the crockpot midday and you have an awesome dinner after you boil water and cook the pasta of your choice.
While I am not normally supportive of the shelf-stable grated parmesan cheese you find at the grocery store, it works perfectly in this recipe and you don’t miss the real deal. Add some veggies (we like sautéed peppers, mushrooms or steamed broccoli) or a side salad and you have a delicious dinner! Following a low-carb protocol? Remove some chicken before you add the pasta and serve with veggies.
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Ingredients
1.5 pounds chicken breast
16 ounce bottle Olive Garden Italian Dressing
1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated, plus more for serving
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounce block cream cheese
24 ounces penne pasta, cooked and drained
Directions
- Place chicken in crock pot. Pour salad dressing over chicken breasts.
- Sprinkle parmesan cheese and pepper over chicken. Add block of cream cheese on top.
- Cover and cook on high setting for 4 hours or low for 6 hours. When finished cooking, shred the chicken with two forks right in the crockpot.
- Cook pasta according to package directions. Add drained pasta to crock pot with sauce and chicken and stir to combine. Sprinkle with more parmesan cheese for serving.