Crockpot chicken with olive garden dressing and cream cheese

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This Lightened Up Copycat Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta is a delicious and easy weeknight dinner that the entire family will love. Made with 6 simple ingredients-chicken breasts, sun dried tomatoes, Italian dressing, Parmesan cheese and light cream cheese. Toss into a slow cooker-and in just a few hours-you have yourself a tasty meal!  Serve with a salad and garlic bread for a complete meal. 

Makes 8 servings

What is Olive Garden Chicken Pasta?

There are many variations of Olive Garden Chicken Pasta recipe out there-however, the classic Olive Garden Chicken Pasta is basically; skinless, boneless chicken breasts smothered in olive garden dressing, parmesan cheese, and cream cheese all tossed in cooked pasta. It’s a slow cooker recipe-which makes it so simple to make!

This Lightened Up Copycat Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta version has been lightened up-using the light Olive Garden Italian dressing, light cream cheese, in addtion-I added sun dried tomatoes-for added flavor-the grated parmesan and if you’d like you an use whole grain Penne pasta to keep the points down if you have whole grain pasta as a zero point food on the WW PersonalPoints program!

Can I make this without the pasta?

You bet! This could be made with or without the Penne pasta! Just serve by itself or with your favorite steamed vegetables. It’s creamy and delicious!

What ingredients do I need to make this Lightened Up Copycat Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta?

• Chicken tenders or breasts-boneless and skinless 
• Light Olive Garden Italian dressing– you can find this at most grocery store near the salad dressings. It has less calories, fat, and points than their original dressing. You can also find a 3-pack HERE on Amazon.
• Grated parmesan
• Sun dried tomatoes-not in oil, chopped. These are optional, but add some nice flavor to the dish. You can find these at most grocery stores in a ziplock bag or HERE on Amazon.
• Light cream cheese– I use light cream cheese or whipped Greek cream cheese. I don’t recommend using fat free cream cheese- it tends to curd.
• Penne pasta or whole grain penne– uncooked. You could also use Gluten-Free Penne pasta as a substitute. Fiber Gourmet is a great high fiber, high protein pasta option that is lower in points than regular pasta. You can find that online at Amazon HERE.

How do I make this Lightened Up Copycat Slow Cooker Olive Garden Chicken Pasta?

Place the chicken breast in a large slow cooker and pour the whole bottle of the light Olive Garden dressing over the chicken.

Top with parmesan cheese and chopped sun dried tomatoes.

Then lay the light cream cheese on top.

Cover with the lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
Once the chicken is cooked, shred it using two forks. When you’re ready to serve, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. 
Add the cooked pasta to the chicken and sauce in the slow cooker, and toss to combine.

Serve with a salad and breadstick for a complete and tasty meal, if desired.

Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or you can freeze for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lbs. skinless, boneless chicken tenders or breasts
• 16 oz. bottle of the light Olive Garden Italian dressing
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes, not in oil, chopped
• 8 oz. light cream cheese or whipped Greek cream cheese
• 1 ( 16 oz.) box Penne pasta, gluten free Penne pasta, or whole grain Penne, uncooked 

Directions:

1. Place the chicken breast in a large slow cooker and pour the whole bottle of the light Olive Garden dressing over the chicken. 
2. Top with parmesan cheese and chopped sun dried tomatoes, then lay the light cream cheese on top of everything.  
3. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it using two forks. When you’re ready to serve, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. 
5. Add the cooked pasta to the chicken and sauce in the slow cooker, and toss to combine.
6. Serve with a salad and breadstick for a complete and tasty meal, if desired.
7. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or you can freeze for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.

Makes 8 ( 1 and 1/4 cup) servings 

3-11 PersonalPoints™ per serving*

*This number shows the PersonalPoints™ range. The points will vary based on your individualized plan.

How do I know how many points this is on my WW individualized plan? 

Click the link below to go to the recipe builder. You’ll first need to sign into your WW account and then the recipe builder will upload.  The recipe builder is the most accurate way to create, obtain, and track the Personal Points on your individualized plan.

The recipe builder link only works for WW members located in the United States. If you are located outside of the United States, you’ll need to access the WW app manually to create the recipe in the recipe builder. 

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 4 hours

Additional Time 2 hours

Total Time 6 hours 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 ½ lbs. skinless, boneless chicken tenders or breasts
• 16 oz. bottle of the light Olive Garden Italian dressing
• 1/4 cup grated parmesan
• 2 Tbsp sun dried tomatoes, not in oil, chopped
• 8 oz. light cream cheese or whipped Greek cream cheese
• 1 ( 16 oz.) box Penne pasta, gluten free Penne pasta, or whole grain Penne, uncooked

Instructions

1. Place the chicken breast in a large slow cooker and pour the whole bottle of the light Olive Garden dressing over the chicken. 
2. Top with parmesan cheese and chopped sun dried tomatoes, then lay the light cream cheese on top of everything.  
3. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
4. Once the chicken is cooked, shred it using two forks. When you’re ready to serve, cook the pasta according to the package directions. Drain and set aside. 
5. Add the cooked pasta to the chicken and sauce in the slow cooker, and toss to combine.
6. Serve with a salad and breadstick for a complete and tasty meal, if desired.
7. Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or you can freeze for up to a month. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave.

   Makes 8 ( 1 and 1/4 cup) servings

   3-11 PersonalPoints™ per serving*

   *This number shows the PersonalPoints™ range. The points will vary based on your individualized plan.

Notes

Smartpoints: GREEN: 11 Smartpoints per serving if using wholte grain pasta, BLUE: 9 smartpoints per serving if using whole grain pasta, PURPLE: 3 smartpoints per serving if using whole grain pasta

You can use Fiber Gourmet Penne Pasta which is a great low point pasta option.

You can use Whole grain pasta if you have it as a zero point food to keep the point value lower.

The pasta will soak up most all of the liquid/dressing the longer it sits or is refrigerated-which can cause the pasta dish to dry out. I recommend adding a little unsweetened almond milk or skim milk when reheating.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: