Cheese Chicken Pasta

Cheese Chicken Pasta. Your easy slow cooker meal mixes tender chicken and soft pasta in a super tasty sauce. It’s cozy and yummy, like a warm blanket on cold nights—packed with melty cheese and garlic. Great for families, with hardly any work!

Make this yummy slow cooker pasta on busy days! Juicy chicken cooks slow with twisty pasta in a cheesy, garlicky sauce that’s creamy and full of flavor. Just dump it in, set it, and forget it. Family loves it—ready in hours with zero stress. Add herbs for extra zing! (50 words)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth with low salt

• 1 cup white wine that’s dry (try Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio)

• 1 1/2 cups shredded Gruyere cheese (5-6 ounces)

• 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus more for the top

• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, or a bit more to taste

• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (it makes it taste awesome, but you can skip)

• 4 small chicken breasts without skin or bone (1 3/4 to 2 pounds)

• 12 ounces dry fusilli pasta

• 1/2 cup heavy cream or half-and-half

• 2 tablespoons butter without salt (for extra tasty, if you want)

• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (for topping, if you like)

• Olive oil or spray that doesn’t stick, for the cooker

Cheese Chicken Pasta: Directions

1. Rub olive oil or spray inside the slow cooker so food won’t stick.

2. Mix the sauce: In a pot on low-medium heat, stir broth, wine, mustard, thyme, salt, pepper, and garlic powder. Warm it up till mustard melts in—don’t let it boil.

3. Add cheese a little at a time to the warm pot. Stir till it’s all smooth and melty. If lumps show, stir more on low.

4. Put raw chicken breasts flat on the bottom of the cooker. Spread dry pasta all around and between them.

5. Pour the hot cheesy sauce over chicken and pasta. Make sure every bit of pasta gets wet. Press down dry spots with a spoon—one pour does it all!

6. Cover and cook on LOW for 3-4 hours. Chicken should hit 165°F inside, and pasta soft. Don’t peek for the first 2 hours.

7. 15 minutes before done, gently stir in cream and butter—be careful not to tear chicken. If too thick, add warm broth or water.

8. Taste and fix with more salt or pepper. Stir in Parmesan if you want.

9. Serve chicken on top of pasta, or shred it up. Sprinkle fresh thyme to finish.