Ranch Chicken Crock Pot Pasta with Fresh Herbs
This Ranch Chicken Crock Pot Pasta dinner is a warm, comforting, creamy, decadent, and hearty dinner! It uses fresh herbs and ingredients instead of the dried packet. It's still incredibly easy to make but tastes even better. The chicken, broth, and fresh garlic and herbs cook in the slow cooker. Then cooked pasta and creamy, tangy cream cheese, sour cream, and mayonnaise are added. It all comes together in one very creamy and delicious dinner that is reminiscent of ranch with the richness of a cream sauce.
Servings 6 servings
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 1 pound Chicken Breasts, boneless, skinless
- 3 cups Chicken Broth or Stock (Can also use Vegetable or Beef broth or stock)
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Parsley, chopped (divided 1 tablespoon for cooking and 1 tablespoon for garnish)
- 1 Tablespoon Fresh Dill, chopped
- 2 Tablespoons Fresh Scallions, sliced
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ teaspoon Ground black pepper
- 4 ounces Cream Cheese
- ½ cup Sour Cream
- ¼ cup Mayonnaise
- 16 ounces Dry Pasta, short cut
Instructions
Prep Ahead Steps
- Chop the parsley and dill. Slice the scallions. Mince the garlic.
Cooking Steps
- To the slow cooker insert pot, add the chicken broth, salt, pepper, dill, parsley (reserve 1 tablespoon for garnish), garlic, and scallions. Stir to combine. Add the chicken breasts. Cover and cook on high for 4 hours.
- Cook the pasta to al dente. Drain and set aside.
- When the chicken is done cooking, remove it and shred it.
- In a separate bowl, add the cream cheese and ¼ cup of the hot cooking liquid. Stir with a fork to start to melt the cream cheese and smash using the back of the fork. Add the sour cream and mayonnaise and stir to combine.
- Add the shredded chicken back to the slow cooker along with the pasta. Stir to combine. Then mix in the cream sauce.
- Serve and garnish with parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Stove top Directions - If you don’t have a crock pot, you can make this recipe on the stove in a dutch oven or high sided skillet. Start by browning the chicken in the pot or pan on both sides in a preheated hot pan with a drizzle of olive oil. Then add the other ingredients in Cooking Step 1. bring to a simmer and then cover and simmer for 10-15 until the chicken is cooked through. Follow the rest of the instructions for shredding the chicken, adding the cooked pasta, and the sauce.
- You can use chicken thighs in this Ranch Chicken Crock Pot recipe instead of breasts. I recommend sticking with boneless skinless thighs for easy prep and cooking. Consider the amount of thighs that you will need as well. Generally, I estimate 16 ounces or 1 pound of chicken for 4 servings. That will likely mean 5-6 boneless skinless thighs, depending on their size. The recipe instructions will be the same for thighs as the breasts
- Gluten Free - The gluten in this recipe comes from the pasta, so simply replace it with a gluten free pasta of your choice.
- You can make the chicken and sauce ahead and mix with the pasta when you are ready to eat. Or you can make the entire dish including the pasta in advance. For anything cooked in advance, store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, you can place in a wide bottom pot or pan covered in the oven at 350 F degrees for 20-30 minutes until heated through. You can add a splash of milk if needed for moisture.
