Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken n Pasta
I have fallen in love with using Jarred Basil Pesto in the Slow Cooker. It’s such an easy way to make your meal feel more extravagant and rich. With such a distinct flavor I now try to always keep some on hand in my pantry. They even sell it generic and at Aldi now.
I picked a fun boxed pasta that we normally don’t use so my kids would have fun eating the dish. As typical, I did not cook the pasta in the slow cooker, instead I cooked it on the stove top right before serving. I didn’t want to risk it becoming mushy. I grabbed a fun thick but short Rigatoni. My kids decided they had never seen such a goofy noodle. Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken n Pasta is a great addition to your monthly meals.
For a quick tip, if you have a lot of leftover chicken you can make the same recipe but don’t cook for the full 4 hours. Cook for an hour (just to warm up), shred, add the creamy base, allow it to warm back up in the slow cooker and you’re good to go.
As you know I love recipes that I can adapt. I used Carrot Chips as the main veggie for this recipe. You can use squash, zucchini, thin cut potatoes, spinach, and even thin cut sweet potatoes would work. One of the best ways to be frugal is to use what we already have as much as you can. So I always have onions on hand. But often with other veggies it’s just kind of luck what is in my fridge. I don’t want them to go bad so I try very hard to use them up…so feel free to alter the recipe to what you have stocked. I promise it will still taste good.
Another great Parmesan Recipe to try! Slow Cooker Parmesan Zucchini & Squash
Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken n Pasta
Ingredients
- 4 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts
- 16 Ounces Carrot Chips
- 8 Ounces Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1 Medium Yellow Onioin, chopped
- 8 Ounces Greek Cream Cheese Can use regular if you can't find Greek
- 1 Cup Jarred Basil Pesto
- 3/4th Cup Sour Cream
- 16 Ounces Pasta Your favorite kind, of course!
- Salt & pepper
Instructions
- Spray inside the slow cooker with cooking spray. Place the boneless chicken breasts at the bottom. Season with Salt and Pepper.
- Cover with yellow onions, sliced and carrot chips. Spread a thin layer of Basil Pesto over veggies (about 1/4th Cup) Cook on low for 4 hours.
- Check temperature of chicken. If they are finished, pull out and shred. Drain the chicken juices out but leave the veggies, re-add the chicken. Add the Cream Cheese, Basil Pesto, Parmesan cheese and the sour cream and stir in. Cook for 30 minutes to an additional hour.
- During this time you'll want to cook the noodles on the stove top, al dente. When the Chicken mixture is ready, serve over the noodles and use the remaining Parmesan to sprinkle on top.