Homemade Chicken Alfredo Using Your Crockpot Whole Chicken

This is post six in the series that started with the crockpot whole chicken.  Just finding out about this great series? Start here to catch up.

———————————————————————————————————————————

*As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

I am back again with a new recipe to add to your collection of ways to use your crockpot whole chicken.  Actually, I have two “recipes,” if you will, for you today because one is from scratch and one is the “it’s been a crazy day, I need something quick to keep me from going through the fast food drive-through” recipe.  Haha.

During the time when I was learning how to improve the meals that I was cooking for my family, moving more towards whole-food from-scratch meals and away from pre-made processed foods, this was one of the recipes I found and used.  It felt like I was cooking pasta from one of those boxed-pasta meals (easy!), but I knew it was better for my family because it only included whole food ingredients that were commonly found in my home and it even had some veggies in it! Bonus points! My kids love pasta, so anytime I can feed them pasta with veggies in it, it’s a plus.

My favorite part of this recipe? It’s a one-pot meal, meaning that there’s only one pot to clean when I’m done cooking! Thankfully, it is not very difficult even if you haven’t cooked the whole chicken ahead of time.  The only thing that changes is that you will have to cook the chicken breast thoroughly during the first step of the recipe, instead of just browning it a little like I explain below.

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or the cooked breast of your crockpot whole chicken)
*Note: If you’ve already used the breast of the chicken, simply use enough of the rest of the meat from
the legs, thighs, etc. of the chicken
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 cups of chicken broth
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 lb your choice of pasta (I like to use rotini for this)
2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 small bag of frozen peas
Salt and pepper, as needed

Steps:
1. If you already have your cooked whole chicken, cut the meat into bite-sized pieces, and season with salt and pepper as needed. (If you are starting with raw chicken breasts, cut the chicken into 1 inch pieces.  Season with 1/2 tsp of salt and a few turns of pepper.)

2. Brown the chicken from your crockpot whole chicken in olive oil over medium heat. (If you’re using raw chicken, brown the chicken over medium high heat until thoroughly cooked).

3. Once chicken is browned, add minced garlic and sauté for about one minute.

4. Add chicken broth, cream, and uncooked pasta to pan and stir.

5. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer.

6. Simmer for 15-20 minutes or until pasta is tender.  Add in frozen peas during the last 8 – 10 minutes.

7. Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheese.

8. Season with salt and pepper as needed. Enjoy!

If you are scrolling for the even easier recipe, here’s your “recipe” for chicken alfredo pasta:

Ingredients:
1 box of fettuccini noodles
1 jar of alfredo sauce
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 chicken breast from your crockpot whole-chicken
peas (optional) – they’ll need to be defrosted beforehand if frozen

Steps:
1.) Put noodles boiling in water, according to instructions on box

2.) Cut up cooked whole chicken into bite-sized pieces, brown slightly in pan with garlic

3.) Add Alfredo sauce from jar to the pan with the chicken, heat sauce.

4.) Add cooked pasta (and peas, if desired), mix thoroughly.

Remember, I am all about taking baby steps to improve your life.  If you use this second recipe, you’ve at least taken a step of improvement from the boxed pasta dinners.  Want to take a step further? Use the first recipe given.  This is one of the ways I slowly made the transition from processed, boxed foods to more whole-food meals.

Missed the previous recipes? Find them all here:

Recipe #5: Chicken Salad Sandwiches 
Recipe #4: Chicken Quesadillas 
Recipe #3: Chicken Caesar Wraps
Recipe #2: Homemade Chicken Broth 
Recipe #1: Crockpot Whole Chicken 

Liked this post? Share with friends: