Goat Cheese Chicken Cavatelli

Goat Cheese Chicken Cavatelli. This creamy slow cooker chicken cavatelli is simple but tastes fancy. Chicken and pasta cook together in a tangy goat cheese sauce with sun-dried tomatoes and thyme. It’s a cozy, comforting dinner that needs very little work, perfect for busy weeknights when you still want something delicious and warm.

This slow cooker creamy goat cheese chicken cavatelli is a fun weeknight meal that feels fancy but doesn’t take much work at all. Here’s the easy part: you mix together one tangy, herby sauce using goat cheese, white wine, chicken broth, sun-dried tomatoes, and fresh thyme. Then you pour it over raw chicken breasts and dry cavatelli pasta right in the slow cooker. By dinner time, the chicken will be soft and tender, the pasta will have soaked up all that yummy flavor, and the sauce will be smooth and creamy.

It reminds me of the church potlucks from when I was a kid in the rural Midwest — simple ingredients cooked low and slow turn into something really tasty and special.

Scoop the creamy chicken and cavatelli into warm bowls. Add extra fresh thyme or a sprinkle of grated Parmesan on top if you like. A fresh green salad with a tangy dressing goes really well with this rich dish, and buttered green beans or steamed broccoli make a nice side too.

Warm crusty bread or soft dinner rolls are great for soaking up every last bit of sauce. If you like wine, pour a small glass of the same dry white wine you used in the recipe to make the whole meal feel complete.

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts
8 ounces dry cavatelli pasta
6 ounces goat cheese, softened and crumbled
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup dry white wine
½ cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 tablespoons oil from the sun-dried tomato jar (optional but tasty)
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves, plus extra for topping
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon salt, plus a little more if needed
¼ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional, for a little heat)
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese (optional, for serving)

Goat Cheese Chicken Cavatelli: Directions

Spray the inside of a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker lightly with cooking spray. This helps stop the food from sticking to the sides.
Place the raw chicken breasts flat in one layer at the bottom of the slow cooker. Sprinkle a small pinch of salt and pepper on top if you’d like.
Spread the dry, uncooked cavatelli pasta evenly around and over the chicken, letting the noodles fall into the gaps between the chicken pieces.
In a medium bowl, make the sauce. Add the crumbled goat cheese, chicken broth, white wine, chopped sun-dried tomatoes, sun-dried tomato oil (if using), thyme leaves, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.
Stir the sauce well until the goat cheese is mostly smooth and everything is blended together. It may look a little lumpy, but that’s okay — it should still be easy to pour.
Slowly and carefully pour the sauce over the chicken and pasta in the slow cooker, trying to cover as much of the pasta as you can so it cooks evenly.
Use the back of a spoon to gently push down any pasta pieces sticking out of the liquid. Do not stir everything together — try to keep the chicken mostly at the bottom so it cooks the right way.
Put the lid on the slow cooker. Cook on LOW for 3½ to 4½ hours, until the chicken is fully cooked (it should reach 165°F inside) and the pasta feels soft.
Check the pot around the 3-hour mark. If you see dry pasta sitting on top, gently push it down into the sauce, then put the lid back on.
Once cooking is done, use two forks to shred the chicken right in the pot, or cut it into thick slices if you like bigger pieces.
Stir everything together gently so the chicken, pasta, and creamy sauce all mix nicely.
Taste the dish and add a little more salt or pepper if needed. If the sauce looks too thick, stir in a small splash of warm chicken broth or hot water to loosen it up.
Serve the creamy chicken cavatelli hot. Sprinkle extra fresh thyme and grated Parmesan cheese on top if you’d like.