Chicken breasts made in the slow cooker with pesto and butter then made into a cheesy pasta casserole with mozzarella cheese and parmesan.
For this recipe I tried the Mezzetta pesto, It did well in this recipe! Of course, homemade pesto would be better but I don’t have time for that! Besides topping the chicken with the pesto I also add fresh lemon juice and butter. The way the butter tastes with the pasta can’t be beat.
Start with chicken breasts, salt, pepper, lemon juice, pesto and butter. Yes, that is all you put in at first. It’s that easy.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 lbs. chicken breasts
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
1 cup jarred pesto I used Mezzetta
1/4 cup salted butter
1/2 lemon
These items don’t get added until the end
1 lb. rotini cooked and drained
1/2 cup parmesan
2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/4 tsp. dried basil to garnish
Instructions:
Add the chicken to the slow cooker. Sprinkle with the salt and pepper. Spread over the pesto, squeeze the lemon juice over the chicken. Cut the butter into slices and lay over the chicken.
Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
Near the end of the cooking time, cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain well.
Shred the chicken with 2 forks. Add the cooked pasta and the parmesan cheese, stir everything until the pasta is coated with the buttery pesto sauce and the chicken is evenly dispersed throughout the pasta. Add the mozzarella cheese over the pasta. Cover for about 15 more minutes or until the cheese has melted.
Serve and enjoy!