This creamy, comforting Chicken Pot Pie Pasta brings all the classic flavors of a homemade pot pie to the dinner table without the hassle of making a crust. It is a hearty, “dump-and-go” slow cooker meal that transforms simple ingredients into a rich, savory dinner the whole family will love.
Loaded with tender chicken, colorful vegetables, and perfectly cooked pasta in a velvety sauce, this dish is the ultimate cozy comfort food.
Recipe Details
This recipe is designed for ease and flavor, utilizing the slow cooker to melt everything together before finishing with pasta and cream. Here is what you can expect:
- Flavor Profile: It tastes exactly like the filling of a traditional chicken pot pie savory, herbaceous from the poultry seasoning, and rich from the cream and soup base.
- Texture: The sauce is thick and velvety, coating the soft veggies, tender shredded chicken, and chewy rotini pasta perfectly.
- Time: It cooks hands-off for 3-4 hours on High or 6-8 hours on Low, with just a few minutes of active finishing time at the end.
- Difficulty: This is a very easy recipe, suitable for beginners, as it mostly involves combining ingredients in the slow cooker.
What You’ll Need
To make this meal, you will need a 5-6 quart slow cooker (Crock Pot) and a separate pot for boiling the pasta. The base is built on cream of chicken soup and chicken bouillon for deep flavor, while frozen mixed vegetables keep prep time to a minimum. You will finish it off with heavy cream for richness and rotini pasta to soak up the sauce.
Ingredient Notes
- Cream of Chicken Soup – This serves as the primary thickener and flavor base. You can use regular, low sodium, or no sodium versions depending on your salt preference.
- Chicken Better Than Bouillon – This concentrated paste packs a much bigger flavor punch than powdered bouillon cubes. It gives the sauce a slow-simmered taste.
- Chicken Tenderloins – These are naturally tender and cook relatively quickly. They shred effortlessly after a few hours in the slow cooker.
- Mixed Vegetables – A standard frozen bag (usually corn, peas, carrots, and green beans) adds texture, sweetness, and that classic pot pie look without any chopping.
- Heavy Cream – Added at the end, this transforms the condensed soup mixture into a luxurious, silky sauce.
- Rotini Pasta – The spirals are perfect for holding onto the thick, creamy sauce.
- Poultry Seasoning – A crucial ingredient that provides the signature “pot pie” aroma with herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary.
Add-ins and Substitutions
- Onion – If you don’t have fresh yellow onion, you can use a little extra onion powder, but the fresh onion adds nice texture as it softens.
- Pasta Shapes – While rotini is great, you can also use penne, medium shells, or farfalle (bow tie) pasta.
- Vegetables – If you prefer fresh veggies, you can chop carrots and celery, but they may need slightly longer to soften than the frozen mix.
- Topping – Since there is no crust, serving this with biscuits on the side makes it feel even more like a traditional pot pie.
How to Make Chicken Pot Pie Pasta
- Combine the base. To a 5-6 quart crock pot add the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, finely chopped yellow onion, bag of mixed vegetables, chicken Better Than Bouillon, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, and black pepper. Stir well to combine these ingredients into a thick mixture.
- Add the chicken. Add the chicken tenderloins into the pot and gently stir to incorporate them with the other ingredients, ensuring they are coated.
- Cook. Cover the crock pot and cook on High for 3-4 hours or on Low for 6-8 hours.
- Cook the pasta. During the last 30 minutes of the cooking time, cook the rotini pasta according to the package directions in a separate pot of boiling water. Then drain well.
- Shred the chicken. Once the slow cooking time is up, shred the chicken directly in the pot using two forks (or remove the meat, cut it up with a knife, and return it to the pot). Mix well to combine the meat with the sauce.
- Add cream and pasta. Add the heavy cream to the crock pot. Then, add the cooked, drained pasta to the crock pot. Stir gently until everything is combined and coated in the sauce.
- Season and serve. Taste the pasta to see if any salt is needed. Add 1/8 of a teaspoon of salt at a time if you find it needs it. Sprinkle the dried parsley on top and serve!
Pro Tip: When shredding the chicken, do it right inside the stoneware to keep all the juices in the sauce. If the tenderloins are fully cooked, they should fall apart easily with just a little pressure from a fork.
Recipe Tips
- Don’t add dry pasta: It is important to cook the pasta separately on the stove. Pasta needs boiling water to cook properly; putting it dry into the thick sauce might result in gummy or undercooked noodles.
- Adjusting consistency: If the sauce seems too thick after adding the pasta, you can splash in a little milk or chicken broth to reach your desired consistency.
- Seasoning at the end: Because the soup and bouillon contain salt, it is best to wait until the very end to taste and add extra salt. This prevents the dish from becoming too salty.
- Better Than Bouillon: If you don’t have the paste, you can substitute 2 cubes of chicken bouillon, crushed up, but the paste really provides the best flavor depth.
FAQs
Can I use chicken breasts instead of tenderloins? Yes, you can use boneless, skinless chicken breasts. They may take slightly longer to cook depending on their thickness, so just ensure they shred easily before adding the pasta.
How do I store leftovers? Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You may need to add a splash of milk when reheating, as the pasta will soak up the sauce while it sits.
Can I put the frozen veggies in later? The instructions call for putting them in at the beginning, which makes them very soft and integrated into the sauce. If you prefer them to have more “bite,” you could add them halfway through the cooking time.
Serving Suggestions
This is a very filling meal on its own, but it pairs well with simple sides to balance the richness.
- Biscuits or Rolls: Serve with warm buttermilk biscuits or dinner rolls to mimic the “crust” element of a pot pie.
- Green Salad: A crisp green salad with a vinaigrette dressing helps cut through the creamy, savory sauce.
- Roasted Broccoli: Simple roasted green veggies make a great side dish if you want to add more greens to the meal.
Make This Recipe in Advance
This is a great meal for meal prep, though it is best eaten fresh.
- Prep Ingredients: You can chop the onion and measure out the spices the night before.
- Freezing: It is not recommended to freeze the fully assembled dish because the cream sauce may separate and the pasta can become mushy upon thawing. However, you can freeze the cooked chicken and sauce mixture before adding the pasta and cream. Thaw, heat, then add cream and fresh cooked pasta.
Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Pasta (Creamy Crock Pot Comfort)
- Total Time: 3 hours 10 minutes (High)
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
Description
This Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie Pasta delivers the creamy, savory, herbaceous comfort of classic chicken pot pie filling without the fuss of a pastry crust. It’s a simple, hands-off “dump-and-go” recipe where tender chicken, frozen mixed vegetables, and pasta cook in a rich, velvety sauce, making it the perfect hearty and cozy family dinner.
Ingredients
Slow Cooker Base
- 2 (10.5 ounce) cans cans cream of chicken soup
- 1/2 cup finely chopped yellow onion
- 12 ounce bag mixed vegetables (frozen)
- 1/2 Tablespoon chicken Better Than Bouillon paste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Protein and Finishers
- 1 1/2 pounds chicken tenderloins
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 8 ounces rotini pasta (measured before cooking)
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
Step 1: Combine the Base
To a 5-6 quart slow cooker (Crock Pot), add the 2 cans of cream of chicken soup, finely chopped yellow onion, the bag of mixed vegetables, chicken Better Than Bouillon paste, garlic powder, onion powder, poultry seasoning, and black pepper. Stir all of these ingredients together well until they form a thick, uniform mixture.
Step 2: Add the Chicken
Place the chicken tenderloins into the crock pot. Gently stir to ensure the tenderloins are mostly submerged and coated in the creamy sauce mixture.
Step 3: Cook
Cover the crock pot with the lid and cook the mixture on the High setting for 3-4 hours or on the Low setting for 6-8 hours.
Step 4: Cook the Pasta
During the last 30 minutes of the slow cooker time, cook the 8 ounces of rotini pasta in a separate pot of boiling water according to the package directions until al dente. Drain the cooked pasta well and set it aside.
Step 5: Shred the Chicken
Once the slow cooking time is complete, use two forks to shred the tender chicken directly inside the crock pot stoneware, allowing the meat’s juices to enrich the sauce. Stir the shredded chicken well to combine it with the sauce and vegetables.
Step 6: Add Cream and Pasta
Pour the 1 cup of heavy cream into the slow cooker and stir. Then, add the cooked, drained rotini pasta to the crock pot. Stir gently until all the ingredients and pasta are evenly coated in the luxurious sauce.
Step 7: Season and Serve
Taste the final dish and add additional salt if necessary (start with 1/8 teaspoon at a time). Sprinkle the dried parsley on top for garnish and serve immediately.
Notes
Don’t Add Dry Pasta: It is crucial to cook the pasta separately in boiling water on the stovetop. Adding dry pasta directly to the thick slow cooker sauce will result in gummy, undercooked noodles and a much thicker, pasty sauce.
Adjusting Consistency: If you find the finished sauce is too thick after adding the cream and pasta, you can easily thin it out. Simply stir in a splash of milk (about 1/4 to 1/2 cup) or chicken broth until you reach your desired creamy consistency.
The Best Reheating Method: Leftovers store well in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. When reheating, the pasta will have soaked up a lot of the sauce. Reheat gently on the stovetop or in the microwave, adding a splash of milk or broth to revive the creamy sauce.
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 3 hours (High) or 6 hours (Low)
- Category: Main Dish
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 1/2 cups
- Calories: 590
- Sugar: 8g
- Sodium: 1250mg
- Fat: 31g
- Saturated Fat: 13g
- Unsaturated Fat: 14g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 45g
- Fiber: 4g
- Protein: 30g
- Cholesterol: 100mg
Keywords: slow cooker chicken pot pie, pot pie pasta, crock pot dinner, easy comfort food, dump-and-go meal, creamy chicken pasta
