Crockpot Creamy Garlic Chicken Shells

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Creamy Garlic Chicken Shells

Ingredients:

• 1½ lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 12 oz medium pasta shells (uncooked, about 3 cups dry)
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1½ cups heavy cream
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
• ¼ cup roasted garlic cloves or paste (about 1 small head, mashed)
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian herb blend
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ½ teaspoon onion powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt (plus more to taste)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional garnish)

Instructions:

Prep Your Slow Cooker

• Give the inside of your 6-quart slow cooker a generous spritz of nonstick cooking spray.
• This prevents any pasta from sticking to the sides and bottom as it cooks and makes cleanup so much easier.

Layer the Pasta

• Scatter the uncooked pasta shells evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker.
• Spread them out as much as possible so they cook evenly and absorb the cream sauce throughout rather than clumping together.

Add the Chicken

• Lay the raw chicken breasts directly on top of the pasta shells, nestling them gently into the layer.
• You want the chicken sitting in a fairly even layer so it cooks uniformly and the pasta underneath gets good contact with the liquid.

Make Your Creamy Mixture

• In a medium bowl or large measuring cup, whisk together the chicken broth, heavy cream, freshly grated Parmesan, roasted garlic, Italian herbs, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
• The mixture might look slightly lumpy from the Parmesan and roasted garlic—that’s completely fine and will smooth out beautifully as everything cooks together.

Pour and Dot with Butter

• Pour the creamy garlic-Parmesan mixture slowly and evenly over the chicken and shells, trying to cover the pasta as thoroughly as possible.
• You want the shells mostly submerged in liquid so they cook evenly and don’t dry out on top.
• Then dot the butter pieces over everything—the butter enriches the sauce as it melts and adds another layer of silky richness.

Cook Low and Slow

• Put the lid on your slow cooker and resist the urge to lift it. Cook on LOW for 3½ to 4½ hours, or on HIGH for 2 to 2½ hours.
• The steam trapped inside is doing crucial work cooking the pasta evenly—every time you lift that lid, you release steam and add time to your cook.
• The dish is done when the chicken registers 165°F and the pasta is tender all the way through.

Shred, Stir, and Rest

• Remove the cooked chicken breasts and shred them with two forks into bite-sized pieces.
• Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and give everything a thorough stir until the chicken is coated in that gorgeous creamy sauce and distributed throughout the pasta.
• If the sauce seems too thick, add a splash of warm broth or cream and stir to loosen it.
• Let everything rest on the WARM setting for 5-10 minutes—the sauce will thicken slightly and the flavors will settle beautifully.

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