This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
Super cheesy and flavorful, this One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta is going to be your new family favorite. Simple to make with just a few ingredients and one pan for easy clean up.
Table of Contents
Ingredients
My One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta Recipe is super simple, with just a few ingredients:
- Chicken
- Onion & garlic
- Manwich
- Pasta
- Chicken broth
- Cheese
HOW TO MAKE CHEESY CHICKEN PASTA WITH MANWICH
One pot meals are the best for busy weeknights. My kids absolutely loved this meal and not only asked for seconds, but asked for it to be put in their lunches the next day, and that’s how I really gauge a winning recipe!
When I first created this recipe five years ago, I used pre-cooked, shredded chicken. It’s a super easy way to speed up the recipe. However, if you prefer to cook the chicken within the recipe, just start with cubed, raw chicken breasts (about 2 that are medium in size or about a pound total). When you start to cook the onions, add the chicken to the pot and season with salt and pepper. Stir the chicken a few times, making sure to get it browned (or at least cooked) on all sides. The chicken does not need to be cooked all the way through because it will continue to cook with the pasta.
Boil the chicken and pasta in the manwich and broth for 15-20 minutes and BAM! A complete chicken pasta meal in just 20 minutes!
HOW DO YOU MAKE CHICKEN PASTA SAUCE?
The beauty of One Pot Chicken Pasta recipes is that the sauce makes itself! The starch in the pasta is released during the cooking process, thickening whatever liquid you’ve include; in this case Manwich sauce and chicken broth. The final step is to add the cheese, which melts into the liquid, thus creating a luscious, creamy sauce!
WHAT SHOULD I SERVE WITH CHEESY CHICKEN PASTA
We love this chicken pasta recipe with a simple green salad on the side. However, you could serve just about any veggie with it, or even add some to the pot when you’re cooking, like carrots, broccoli or peas.
For more Chicken Pasta recipes, try these:
- Creamy Garlic Chicken Pasta
- Chicken Spaghetti
- Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta
- Lemon Garlic Chicken and Vegetable Pasta
- One Pot Chicken Alfredo
- One Pot Chicken Cacciatore
- Buffalo Chicken Pasta Salad
One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta
Ingredients
- Olive oil
- 2 cups shredded or diced cooked chicken breast or raw, cooked with the onions
- 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 1 10- ounce can Manwich Bold + 1 can water
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 1/2 pound of small dry pasta I used penne; about 2 cups
- 2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons green onion sliced (optional, for garnish)
Instructions
- Heat a small amount of oil in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and saute for one minute, then add cooked chicken (I keep THIS on hand) and saute for a couple of minutes. You could also start with raw chicken and cook it with the onion and garlic. (See notes).
- Stir in chicken broth, Manwich Bold Sloppy Joe Sauce, water and pasta to the pot. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for about 20-25 minutes, stirring once after about 15 minutes. Check for doneness at 20 minutes and continue to simmer with the lid off if there is still a lot of liquid or if the pasta isn’t quite al dente.
- Remove from heat and stir in shredded cheddar until well incorporated, reserving a handful to sprinkle on the top. Cover the pot for a few minutes to allow the cheese to melt, and stir.
- Garnish with sliced green onions and serve immediately.
We love this manwich pasta! I’m making it now for the third time since finding the recipe, my husband loves it and it’s one of the few things he will actually ask for. I use a rotisserie chicken which makes it even better and easier…and for some reason I can no longer find manwich bold so I use the regular for now. I’ve also doubled it before and it does really well reheated!
Thank you so much. I have two very, very picky eaters who are 2 and 3 and they loved it. Thank you again.
My family LOVES this recipe! I make it nearly once a week now. I do double the pasta though. Thanks!!
do you double anything else to it holly? or just the pasta
Gonna have to try this. I’m a semi-vegetarian due to an allergy to red meats (Which actually includes, beef, pork, venison, rabbit, etc) and leaves only poultry and fish for meat proteins. I’m always looking for new ways to jazz up fish and poultry. Thanks for the idea. 🙂
Do you think this would work in a crockpot?
This sounds good-I’d love to know if anyone has a copycat recipe for the can of Manwich. Due to food allergies we avoid almost all Con Agra brands.
I think you should be able to use tomato sauce. Not sure if that helps though…
You made something so basic look so good!!!
Is the onion supposed to be green onion? Looks like that in the pic, except the recipe doesn’t specify. Thanks! Looks delish!
Yes it’s green onion.
I made the one pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta tonight and I’m sorry to say my family did not like. Mine turned out much “soupier” than the one pictured here. They said it tasted more like chicken in tomato soup. Followed directions, so don’t know why mine looked so different.
So sorry to hear that! If you do give it another try, I would think you might need to allow the final mixture to sit for a bit longer. It definitely looks soupy before you add the cheese in, but the liquid with the cheese should create a nice sauce. Good luck!
You have given perceptive information to cook chicken pasta recipes. I will try to cook it.
Tried doubling this recipe to have leftovers, I had way too done pasta with excess water still 🙁 Going to try again and tweak some of the liquids!
i made this the other night, but used ground beef and beef broth. OMG YUM!
OK, I tried this, with a couple changes. We used regular Manwich (don’t think the kiddos are ready for Bold yet) and I added about 4 oz sour cream. Yum! At first, I thought I read the amount of cheese wrong – it looked like SO MUCH when I put it in there, but it turned out great! Also, I used raw chicken, diced, and just sauteed it with the onion and garlic. Worked just fine. Thanks so much! Everyone here LOVED it! P.S. Who won the giveaway?!?
Wow! This looks deee-licious! We’d love to have you share your recipe at our weekly Saturday Link Party ! Deb @ madefrompinterest.net
Saucy Chicken Wings! Who would’ve ever thought to use Manwich on wings?!?!? All my life it has been for ground beef…glad to see a new spin!
Thanks for the recipe. This looks yummy. I love chicken and cheese.
http://www.manwich.com/recipes-Sloppy-Joe-Slider-Pull-Aparts-2361 thanks
aunteegem@yahoo.com
My family would love the Unsloppy Janes!!!
I’d definitely try the saucy chicken wings. LOVE wings!
How clever is that to use Manwich to make the saucy chicken wings? I think I’ll give those a try!