Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta (BWW Copycat)

If you love the garlic parmesan flavor from Buffalo Wild Wings, this Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta turns that same craving into a full slow cooker dinner. Tender shredded chicken, rotini, and a creamy garlic parmesan sauce all come together in one pot — and most of it is hands-off.

I make this on the weeks when I know I won’t have time to think about dinner. The chicken and sauce cook low and slow, then the pasta goes in right at the end so it finishes in the same pot. No straining, no extra pan, and the noodles soak up all that garlicky sauce instead of getting rinsed down the drain.

Why This One Earns a Spot in the Rotation

• Genuinely dump-and-go. Chicken, sauce, dairy — everything but the pasta goes in at the start. You come back hours later and finish it in about 30 minutes.
• That Buffalo Wild Wings garlic parmesan flavor. The store-bought sauce does the heavy lifting, so you get the restaurant taste without measuring out a dozen spices.
• It feeds a crowd. One batch covers a family dinner with leftovers, or a potluck.
• Kid-approved. It’s creamy and mild — no heat unless you add it.
• One pot, minimal cleanup. The pasta cooks right in the sauce.

What Buffalo Wild Wings Garlic Parmesan Sauce Tastes Like

If you’ve never had it, the sauce is buttery and creamy with a strong roasted-garlic backbone and a salty parmesan finish — closer to a garlic alfredo than a hot wing sauce. There’s no real spice to it, which is exactly why it works as a pasta base. You can find it in the wing-sauce aisle of most grocery stores or order it online.

Ingredients You’ll Need

You only need six ingredients (full amounts are in the recipe card below):

• Boneless chicken breast — the protein base; it shreds beautifully after slow cooking. Boneless thighs work too and stay even juicier.
• Buffalo Wild Wings Garlic Parmesan Sauce — the flavor of the whole dish. Bottled in the wing-sauce aisle or online.
• Milk — loosens the sauce so it coats the pasta instead of sitting heavy.
• Cream cheese — bring it to room temperature first; it melts in smoothly instead of leaving lumps.
• Shredded parmesan cheese — adds salt, nuttiness, and body to the sauce.
• Rotini — the spirals grab the sauce. Penne or bowtie work the same way.

From-scratch option: No bottled sauce on hand? Whisk together ½ cup melted butter, 4 minced garlic cloves, ½ cup grated parmesan, and a pinch of salt and pepper. It won’t be identical, but it lands in the same garlic-parmesan neighborhood.

How to Make Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken Pasta

Step 1: Prep the crockpot. Lightly coat it with cooking spray so nothing sticks at the edges.

Step 2: Layer everything but the pasta. Put the chicken in the bottom, then add the garlic parmesan sauce, milk, cream cheese, and parmesan. Give it a quick stir to combine.

Step 3: Cook low and slow. Cover and cook on LOW for about 5 hours or HIGH for about 3 hours, until the chicken is fork-tender.

Step 4: Shred and add the pasta. Pull the chicken out, shred it with two forks, and return it to the pot. Stir in the uncooked rotini.

Step 5: Finish the noodles. Cover and cook another 30–45 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the pasta is tender. Taste, adjust salt, and serve.

Tips From Making It

• Want heat? Stir in a pinch of red pepper flakes or a drizzle of hot sauce at the end — keeps it kid-friendly until then.
• Add the cream cheese soft. Cold cream cheese fights the sauce and leaves curds. Room temperature melts clean.
• Watch the pasta at the end. Slow cookers vary — start checking the rotini at 30 minutes so it doesn’t go past al dente into mushy.
• Stir once after adding the noodles. Pasta likes to clump on the bottom; one stir keeps it even.
• If the sauce gets thick, loosen it. A splash of milk or warm chicken broth brings it right back.
• Thighs for extra juicy chicken. They hold up to long cook times better than breasts.

What to Serve With It

This is rich, so I lean toward bright, simple sides. A crisp green salad cuts the cream nicely, and air fryer garlic bread is non-negotiable for mopping up the sauce. For something green and a little fancier, grilled asparagus holds up well next to all that parmesan.

Storing and Reheating

• Fridge: Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3–4 days.
• Freezer: Cream-based pasta can separate slightly when frozen, but it freezes for 2–3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge.
• Reheat: Add a splash of milk or broth before warming on the stovetop or in the microwave — the pasta drinks up sauce as it sits, so it needs the liquid back.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen chicken? Thaw it fully first so it cooks evenly and safely. Adding frozen chicken to a slow cooker keeps it in the unsafe temperature range too long.

Can I cook the pasta in the crockpot, or separately? Both work. Cooking it in the pot (as written) means less cleanup and more flavor. If you’d rather guarantee the texture, boil it on the stovetop and stir it in at the end.

What other pasta shapes work? Anything short with ridges or curves — penne, bowtie, cavatappi, or shells. Adjust the final cook time to the shape.

How do I make it dairy-free? Swap in dairy-free cream cheese and a dairy-free parmesan-style cheese, and use unsweetened plant milk. The texture changes a little but it still works.

Is this spicy? No. Buffalo Wild Wings garlic parmesan sauce is creamy and garlicky, not hot. Add red pepper flakes if you want a kick.

More Recipes You’ll Like

If this is your kind of cozy, creamy dinner, try Crockpot Million Dollar Pasta next. And for more easy chicken dinners:

• Air Fryer Coconut Lime Chicken
• Air Fryer Texas Roadhouse Smothered Chicken
• Air Fryer Chicken Stuffed with Artichoke Dip
• KFC Honey BBQ Wings

Made this? Leave a star rating and a quick comment below — it helps other readers and tells me what to make next.