by Melissa 55 Comments
This Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo is so easy to make. Tender juicy chicken breasts cooked right in a flavorful homemade alfredo sauce and the pasta cooks right in the slow cooker!
Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo
My one-pot chicken alfredo is one of my most popular recipes, and one of our family favorites. I’ve been working on a slow cooker version for a while and I’m so happy with how it turned out. I love this slow cooker chicken alfredo recipe because there is no pre cooking and the pasta cooks in the slow cooker too. It’s rich, filling and perfectly creamy. The best part of this recipe is that the alfredo sauce is completely homemade. Jarred alfredo sauce just cannot compete with the amazing flavor of homemade!
Crockpot Chicken Alfredo
Whether you call it a Crock Pot recipe or a slow cooker recipe, this is the perfect way to make an easy family-friendly dinner! Start with a quick sear on the chicken, don’t cook the chicken all the way through. Just add some color to the chicken, this will equate to flavor in the Crockpot Chicken Alfredo.
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
This homemade alfredo is so simple! Once you have put the chicken breasts in the slow cooker, add heavy cream, low sodium chicken broth, whole garlic cloves, butter and salt and pepper. The chicken breasts will simmer all day in the homemade cream sauce and both will add even more flavor to the other.
How to Cook Pasta in a Slow Cooker
I’ve tried several slow cooker recipes with pasta and have never been satisfied with the texture. It just turns into a mushy mess. The secret to successful pasta in the slow cooker is to add the pasta at the end. It just doesn’t need to simmer for hours. In this recipe, I add the pasta for the last thirty minutes of cooking and cook it on high along with a cup of hot water. Since slow cooker times can vary so much, you may want to check yours at the twenty minute mark just to make sure it doesn’t over cook.
Use freshly grated parmesan cheese for best results. I like to use this
microplaneto grate my parmesan. Shredded store bought parmesan cheese has additives that keep it from clumping in the bag. This can also keep the parmesan from melting smoothly in alfredo recipes.
4.98 from 35 votes
Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
4 hrs 30 mins
Total Time
4 hrs 35 mins
This Slow Cooker Chicken Alfredo is so easy to make. Tender juicy chicken breasts cooked right in a flavorful homemade alfredo sauce and the pasta cooks right in the slow cooker!
Course:Dinner
Cuisine:American
Keyword:Slow Cooker
Servings: 6
Ingredients
- 1tablespoonolive oil
- 2poundschicken breasts
- 3cupsof heavy cream
- 4cupsof low sodium chicken broth
- 4tablespoonsbutter
- 2clovesgarlic smashed
- 1poundof uncooked penne pasta
- 1cuphot water
- 5ozfreshly shredded parmesan cheese
- kosher salt and black pepper
- garlic powder
Instructions
Pat chicken breasts dry and season with salt, pepper and a sprinkle of garlic powder. Heat olive oil over high heat and quickly sear chicken breasts on both sides.
Add chicken breasts, heavy cream, chicken broth, butter, garlic cloves and one teaspoon of kosher salt and several turns of freshly ground black pepper to slow cooker.
Cook on low for about 4 hours or high for 2-3 hours, until chicken has reached 165 degrees.
Remove chicken from slow cooker and set aside to cool and slice.
Stir in 1 cup of hot water and uncooked penne pasta, cover and cook on high for about 30 minutes. Just until pasta is tender.
Once pasta is tender, stir in parmesan cheese, shredded chicken and additional salt and black pepper to taste.
This is delicious served with a simple side of steamed or roasted broccoli!
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Reader Interactions
Comments
I made the chicken alfredo for dinner tonight and it was delicious! I seasoned with salt, pepper, italian seasoning, and garlic powder before serving. My fiancé was in awe and thought it came from a restaurant. Thank you for sharing this!
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Melissa Thanks, Jennifer! Sounds really great, I’m glad you impressed him:0)
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- sherrell Clark
I tried this tonight Omg! !!! The sauce is delicious thank you so much for this recipe
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- Melissa
I’m so glad! Thanks for letting me know!
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Looks delish. Can’t wait to give it a try.
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- Tereza
Is it possible to cook the pasta separate? It took almost hour for pasta to cook. It taste very good. I just dont know where I messed up because after adding parmasan and chicken , it was all so dry.
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- Maisie
This turned out great but I doubled recipe to make entire box of pasta (used rigatoni) and added 2 tablespoons of minced garlic to give it a more traditional Alfredo flavor. Also keep some extra Parmesan on hand because I added about another half cup, but my family can never get enough Parmesan so this is a taste preference.Reply
- Cassandra
I LOVE chicken alfredo, and this recipe was easy and delicious. I seasoned my chicken breasts with Italian seasoning, salt, pepper, and garlic powder before adding them to the crockpot. I also added some minced garlic to the crockpot. FABULOUS!
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- Tricia
This is going in my weekly rotation! I doubled the recipe for my large family and all the kids and my mom gobbled it up. There was none left! Thanks for the great recipe. It’s a keeper 🙂Reply
- Braden
Hello, love the one pot version of this. I’ve cooked it many times. Just a quick question. Would I be able to switch out the penne pasta with fettuccine noodles with the same results?
Thanks!Reply
- Rachel
Mine is in the slow cooker now! I am going to add broccoli to it as well.
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- marie bellavance
I tried this today. The cream curdled and separated from the chicken stock which looks super disgusting. Is it because I used half and half instead of cream, would that make a difference??
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- Melissa
Hi Marie,
I’m sorry, yes you need to use cream vs half and half.
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- Kristy
Made this recipe exactly as posted. This is the BEST chicken alfredo recipe I have ever had!!! Even the hubby gave it 2 thumbs up!! This will be my go to recipe from now on!How many calories per serving???
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- Brenda
Have this in the slow cooker but with beef stew meat.
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- Heather
Can I cut up the raw chicken first, then cook it for the required time? Also, do I have to remove the cooked cut up chicken while the noodles cook or can I leave it in there? Would be a time saver but I’m not sure if chicken would be way overcooked.
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- Clare
Hi! New to the slow cooking world but have been very successful thus far! Tried out this recipe and I am at a loss as to what went wrong. The end result was just a cream/broth liquid which chunks of melted Parmesan. I read and re read the recipe so many times and cannot figure out what I missed. I’m sorry but I won’t be using this recipe again.
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- Melissa
Thanks for leaving a thoughtful comment. It sounds like the parmesan cheese seized up instead of melting, which is what can happen when the cheese is added to a boiling liquid. Do you think that could be the case? I’m sorry it didn’t work out for you. Slow cookers do vary widely in cooking temperature so it’s hard to account for every possibility.
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- Natalya
Can you use fettuccine noodles?
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Wow. This is the best chicken Alfredo. Added.2 cloves minced garlic and a pinch of Italian seasoning. Sauce is creamy and smooth, not thick and pasty. Grate your own cheese to keep the sauce grit free!! Served with sauteed broccoli and the kids gobbled it up!! Thank you for a wonderful and easy recipe.Reply
- Allyson
I just made this (still eating it now!) I expected it to be good, but not THIS good! It’s amazing! This is definitely going to be a regular meal for my family.
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- Karl
Looks so simple and so tasty
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- Connie
Does this recipe have an instant pot conversion by chance???
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- Shelaine Ress
Made this yesterday. It was awesome!! I checked the chicken after 3 hours and it practically fell apart when I cut it. Sooo tender and delish!! Was so eager to eat it, I forgot the parmesan cheese at the end – so will have to make again to try it with the cheese!!Reply
- Aimee Shugarman
SO easy and perfect. The ultimate comfort food that tastes amazing!Reply
- Beth Pierce
This is my kind of meal! Your presentation is restaurant worthy, indeed! Delicious!Reply
- Becky Hardin
My favorite way to cook Chicken Alfredo!! Yum!Reply
- Taylor
The absolute perfect weeknight dinner! Love that it’s made in the slow cooker!Reply
- Shelley
Turned out even better than I expected!! Super easy! I did use twice the amount of garlic since we live garlic and I added 1 table spoon of Asiago cheese to the parmasian. I had to cook the noodles for an additional 10 minutes but wasn’t a big deal. Better than hanging out at the stove to watch water boil! When the noodles were first done the sauce was on the thin side (still super good) but when I let everything sit for about 20 minutes it thickened up. Was absolutely perfect!! Thank you for the recipe!!Reply
- Melissa
Sounds delicious! Thanks Shelley!
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- Monica
This is the second time in my life I ate chicken Alfredo, and the first time (using another recipe) was just meh. So I only chose to try it again because I had the corresponding ingredients in the pantry.Oh. My. God. I haven’t had pasta this good since the last time I was in a true Italian restaurant.
The sauce is so creamy, so flavorful, and the shredded chicken was so tender…
I had to change two things: replaced a chicken breast with 300g of lardons (~bacon) because I didn’t have enough chicken; didn’t put the parmesan because I didn’t have fresh one.
Still, I bookmarked this recipe and will show it off next month when my in-laws come for a few days!
Thank you for sharing!
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- Tammy
Made this for my family and it was delicious! Everyone loved it and now they are asking me to make it for a party. This will be a go to recipe at my house! I did not add the water as the sauce was already runny. It did thicken after it cooled a bit.Reply
- Marlene
Amazing, easy and delicious!Reply
- Rebecca Goodwin
I made this for the first time last week. The flavor is fantastic! Overall, the texture was wonderful. It was a little thin when I served it but I think we were just too impatient. The house had smelled too good for too long. 😀 I’ll try letting it sit for a bit before serving next time to see if it thickens. The (very) small amount that I had leftover reheated perfectly! Thank you!Reply
- Lacie
This is very good but is there a way to thicken up the sauce some?Reply
- Melissa
You can try reducing the chicken broth or the hot water by 1/4 of a cup.
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- Maureen
I decided I should comment because there is something no one has mentioned yet … this is excellent as leftovers too! Usually I never keep Alfredo because you just can’t reheat it – it separates and it just is not good. However, this reheated beautifully and we snacked on it for a few days! Both kids and adults alike in our family loved this!
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- Jenna
I’m new to crockpot cooking and cooking in general because I don’t like to cook at all lol. Made this last night (only my second meal in the crockpot ever!) and it was absolutely delicious! Like others have mentioned, the sauce was a tiny bit thinner than I expected but that didn’t really matter because it was just so darn good! Thank you for sharing, we will definitely be making this again!Reply
- Jacinthe Roberts
Made this several times already and it’s or obably the best Chicken Alfredo recipe we’ve ever had! Instead of heavy cream I use a milk/butter/cornstarch substitute since it’s a bit easier on the stomach. I boil the pasta separately because we prefer linguine or spaghetti more than penne, and we can also adjust the sauce/pasta ratio to our preference. Thank you!Reply
- Carrie Robinson
This looks so good! Bonus points for being made in the slow cooker. 🙂Reply
- katerina @ diethood.com
A family favorite! I can’t wait to make this for my family! They would love it!Reply
- Valentina
This slow cooker chicken Alfredo pasta recipe is my go-to pasta dinner recipe! 🙂Reply
- Krissy Allori
This looks so good. I love the idea of making my favorite alfredo in the crockpot. Not to mention the great leftovers. Thanks!Reply
- wilhelmina
This was so creamy and delicious! Totally amazing recipe!Reply
- Ashley F
The best way to make chicken alfredo! Came out so tasty too!Reply
- Diane C
I made this today and loved it, but I didn’t have enough heavy cream, so I Found a recipe to make a cream substitute using butter and milk mixed together. Then instead of adding any hot water for the pasta, I just put it in the bubbling sauce for 30 min. After adding the chicken, I then mixed two tbls of cornstarch and enough water together then added it to the sauce. Then I added the cheese. My husband was raving!Reply
- Amanda Macik
This was amazing- I mean it came out absolutely perfect. Without a doubt the best homemade alfredo I’ve ever made.. didn’t add the cup of water to the noodles because before you add the parmesan the sauce is slightly thin and the noodles cooked beautifully in the sauce. 30 minutes was perfect and I added broccoli in at that point as well. I did add 4 oz of cream cheese to ensure it thickened up but it wasn’t necessary. Skip the water and add the full 5 oz of parmesan, then let it simmer for another 20 and stir really well. It was honestly perfect. My husband couldn’t believe how good it was…the whole family took seconds!Reply
- Sadi
I made this today, and it turned out amazing! I followed the recipe, but added more garlic and a little bit of fresh mozzarella and fresh broccoli and spinach. It was amazing!Reply
- Shakisa
I made this tonight and it was a hit. I followed the recipe and added a lil more Penne I had left from another dish. Very flavorful not runny guessing the extra Penne. I did add some Tony Chachere’s seasoning on top. I also added andouille sausage. This is a keeper. Thanks for this recipeReply
- Shawn
I made this tonight, it’s in the crockpot now. I’m not sure what the point was for adding that last cup of hot water to the recipe. There was more than enough liquid to cook the pasta. Now my sauce is super runny and won’t thicken up. I’m still waiting, but doesn’t look like it will. Before I added it, it was super creamy and just fine. Now, I’m not sure how to get it thicker. Otherwise I feel like the recipe and the taste will be fine, I hope.Reply
- Shawnee
Absolutely delicious! My husband doesn’t normally even like chicken Alfredo, but I really wanted to try it anyway. He had seconds and thanked me for making it! So, I’m passing the thanks on to you!!Reply
- Rachel Soule
This is soooo good! I added broccoli. Delicious!Reply
Absolutely delicious! After reading the reviews, I omitted the cup of hot water & cooked the pasta in the sauce. I also added a tbls of flour to thicken it up a bit. I served it with sautéed broccolini. It was a big hit in my house. Thanks for the recipe!Reply
- Michael Rossi
Loved it! I used boneless skinless chicken thighs instead of breasts. Wonderful.Reply
- Heidi Urquhart
Absolutely amazing! I did skip the one cup of water (based on the amount of liquid) and used penne pasta. Pasta was perfectly cooked in 30 minutes. Also added a bit of extra garlic (my family loves it). Definitely will cook this again! Thanks!
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