Crock Pot Chicken Pasta (2024)

4.18 from 34 votes

Delicious Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with an easy homemade marinara sauce that cooks the dry pasta and chicken while it simmers. You will love this cheesy Italian bake.

Frequently called baked chicken ziti, but the terms casserole or bake may be used.

Chicken—raw or precooked
Pasta
Cheese—shredded mozzarella and grated Parmesan
Homemade marinara sauce—tomatoes(crushed or diced), basil, parsley, salt, black pepper, crushed red pepper (optional)

👨‍🍳How to Cook Crock Pot Chicken Pasta

1. Trim chicken into bite-size pieces. Chop onion and crush or mince garlic.
2. In a 3-4 quart crock pot, add crushed tomatoes, onion, garlic, spices, shredded mozzarella, grated Parmesan cheese, and chicken—mix well.
3. Mix in uncooked pasta, smooth the top, and cover with mozzarella cheese and some grated Parmesan cheese.
4. Cover and cook on low for 4 hours.
5. The endpoint of cooking is tender pasta and chicken at 165° or more. Usually, the edge of the cheese topping will be browning.

This is a summary of the steps and ingredients. See the recipe card or the step-by-step photo instructions below for complete instructions.

Ingredient options

• Use raw chicken breasts or thighs.
• To use precooked chicken, like rotisserie chicken, stir the chicken into the casserole for the last hour. Don't top the casserole with cheese until you mix in the chicken. Use about 3 cups of shredded rotisserie chicken for each pound of raw chicken.
• You can use your own or premade marinara sauce but mine is better.
• Use a smaller pasta that is bite sized.

How to use precooked pasta

Cooking the dry pasta in a crock pot works well for most people and me, but there is variability in both pasta and crock pots.

If you feel your slow cooker may have temperature issues or are not using standard pasta, you should precook your pasta to al dente according to the package instructions.

The precooked pasta can be stirred into the casserole for the last hour. Don't top the casserole with cheese until you mix in the pasta.

↕️How to make this a "for two" or "family size " recipe

This recipe is easy to cut in half or double to fit your needs.

The full recipe makes about six servings. Perfect for our "for two" household since we love leftovers. But make it a crock pot for two recipe by cutting it in half or double for a larger family.

1. Use the recipe card and adjust the number of servings to half or double.
2. Use the amount of ingredients in the ingredient list, not the instructions—those do not adjust.
3. The half recipe will fit in a 2-quart mini crock pot. For this "for two" recipe, watch the pasta closely—mini crock pots tend to have temperature control issues, and it may cook faster or slower.
4. A double recipe fits in a 6-quart or larger crock pot.
5. Cook until browning edge and tender pasta. The cooking time will probably be longer for double and less for mini crock pot size.

Storage of leftovers

Leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4 days or frozen for 3-4 months. Thaw frozen pasta overnight in the refrigerator before reheating in the microwave or covered in the oven.

❓FAQs

↑Jump to Table of Contents

Trim and pat dry two skinless boneless chicken breasts, about 1 to 1 ½ pounds.

Cut the chicken into small bite-size pieces of about ¾ inch each.

Chop 1 or ½ medium onion and crush or mince 2 garlic cloves.

To a 3-4 quart crock pot, add 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 ½ teaspoons basil, ½ teaspoon parsley, ½ teaspoon black pepper, ⅛ - ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional), and 2 cloves crushed garlic. Add 1 cup shredded mozzarella, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese, the prepared onion, and chicken—mix well.

Mix in 2 cups of uncooked pasta of your choice, like penna. Two cups is half a one-pound box of dry pasta.

Smooth the top, then cover with ½ cup of shredded mozzarella and sprinkle with ¼ cup of Parmesan cheese.

Cover and cook on low for 4 hours. The endpoint of cooking is tender pasta and chicken at 165° or more. Usually, the edge of the cheese topping will be browning.

Crock Pot Chicken Pasta

Delicious Crock Pot Chicken Pasta with an easy homemade marinara sauce that cooks the dry pasta and chicken while it simmers. You will love this cheesy Italian bake.

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Servings #/Adjust if desired 6

Some recipes have an option to display the photos here with a switch above these instructions but the photos DO NOT print. Otherwise step-by-step photos are in the post.

Your Own Private Notes

To adjust the recipe size:

You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.

Nutrition Estimate

Calories : 336 kcal (17%)Carbohydrates : 40 g (13%)Protein : 29 g (58%)Fat : 7 g (11%)Saturated Fat : 4 g (20%)Polyunsaturated Fat : 0.02 gMonounsaturated Fat : 1 gCholesterol : 58 mg (19%)Sodium : 963 mg (40%)Potassium : 10 mgFiber : 4 g (16%)Sugar : 5 g (6%)Vitamin A : 700 IU (14%)Vitamin C : 20.6 mg (25%)Calcium : 250 mg (25%)Iron : 2.5 mg (14%)

Serving size is my estimate of a normal size unless stated otherwise. The number of servings per recipe is stated above. This is home cooking, and there are many variables. All nutritional information are estimates and may vary from your actual results. To taste ingredients such as salt will be my estimate of the average used.

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