Oh yes—Slow Cooker Creamy Garlic Parmesan Chicken Shells are creamy, cheesy, and perfectly tender—comfort food at its finest! 🐔🧄🧀 Here’s a full recipe:
Ingredients (serves 4–6)
For the chicken:
- 1.5–2 lbs (700–900 g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- Salt & pepper to taste
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
For the sauce:
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 4 oz (115 g) cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp Dijon mustard (optional)
- Salt & pepper to taste
For the pasta:
- 12 oz (340 g) medium or large pasta shells
- Optional garnish: chopped parsley or extra Parmesan
Instructions
- Prepare chicken:
- Season chicken with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning.
- Place in the slow cooker.
- Make creamy sauce:
- In a bowl, whisk together chicken broth, heavy cream, Parmesan, cream cheese, garlic, and Dijon mustard.
- Pour over the chicken.
- Cook chicken:
- Cover and cook on low 4–5 hours or high 2–3 hours, until chicken is fully cooked and tender.
- Cook pasta:
- About 15 minutes before serving, cook pasta shells according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
- Combine pasta and chicken:
- Remove chicken from slow cooker and shred or slice.
- Stir pasta into the creamy sauce in the slow cooker.
- Add shredded chicken back in and stir to coat.
- Serve:
- Spoon onto plates, garnish with parsley or extra Parmesan, and enjoy!
Pro tips:
- For extra creaminess, stir in ½ cup of shredded mozzarella or fontina cheese before serving.
- You can add spinach or peas to the sauce in the last 10 minutes for a veggie boost.
- If the sauce is too thin, mix 1–2 tsp cornstarch with a little water and stir in, then cook another 5–10 minutes to thicken.
I can also give a one-pot stovetop version that’s ready in under 30 minutes if you want a quicker dinner option. Do you want that version?
