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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.

Cheesy Chicken Pasta on a fork.
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Ingredients

My One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta Recipe is super simple, with just a few ingredients:

  • Chicken
  • Onion & garlic
  • Manwich
  • Pasta
  • Chicken broth
  • Cheese
A pot of cheesy chicken pasta.

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!

A spoonful of cheesy chicken pasta.

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!

How to make cheesy chicken pasta 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.

A plate of cheesy chicken pasta.

For more Chicken Pasta recipes, try these:


Recipe
A pan of Cheesy Chicken Pasta

One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta

4.60 from 25 votes
One Pot Cheesy Chicken Pasta is creamy and simple to make with just a few ingredients and one pan for easy clean up. It’s the perfect weeknight dinner!
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 4 servings

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)
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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.

Notes

*If you prefer to start with raw chicken, cook the chicken about halfway through while you cook the onions. It should be brown on all sides, but doesn’t have to be cooked through. Continue with the remaining steps.
Keyword cheesy chicken pasta, chicken pasta, one pot pasta

Nutrition

Calories: 609kcalCarbohydrates: 52gProtein: 42gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 13gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 109mgSodium: 799mgPotassium: 696mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 932IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 448mgIron: 3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer Kristin Maxwell of “Yellow Bliss Road” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. For accurate calorie counts and other nutritional values, we recommend running the ingredients through your preferred online nutritional calculator. Calories and other nutritional values can vary depending on which brands were used.

Kristin Maxwell

Kristin Maxwell is the creator and main recipe developer, writer, and photographer of Yellow Bliss Road. A self-taught cook and self-appointed foodie, she specializes in easy, flavorful and approachable recipes for any home cook.

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4.60 from 25 votes (18 ratings without comment)

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Comments

  1. Kristen says:

    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!

  2. liz says:

    Thank you so much. I have two very, very picky eaters who are 2 and 3 and they loved it. Thank you again.

  3. Holly says:

    My family LOVES this recipe! I make it nearly once a week now. I do double the pasta though. Thanks!!

    1. robin says:

      do you double anything else to it holly? or just the pasta

  4. Meaghan says:

    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. 🙂

  5. KarLee says:

    Do you think this would work in a crockpot?

  6. gale says:

    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.

    1. Kristin says:

      I think you should be able to use tomato sauce. Not sure if that helps though…

  7. Peter @Feed Your Soul Too says:

    You made something so basic look so good!!!

  8. Liz says:

    Is the onion supposed to be green onion? Looks like that in the pic, except the recipe doesn’t specify. Thanks! Looks delish!

    1. Kristin says:

      Yes it’s green onion.

  9. Cherise Morris says:

    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.

    1. Kristin says:

      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!

  10. Eric Parker says:

    You have given perceptive information to cook chicken pasta recipes. I will try to cook it.

  11. Unknown says:

    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!

  12. Ashley LaRocque says:

    i made this the other night, but used ground beef and beef broth. OMG YUM!

  13. Tonya says:

    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?!?

  14. Made From Pinterest says:

    Wow! This looks deee-licious! We’d love to have you share your recipe at our weekly Saturday Link Party ! Deb @ madefrompinterest.net

  15. sling1 says:

    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!

  16. Linda had a little Lamb says:

    Thanks for the recipe. This looks yummy. I love chicken and cheese.

  17. Kristin Kocher says:

    My family would love the Unsloppy Janes!!!

  18. Whitney says:

    I’d definitely try the saucy chicken wings. LOVE wings!

  19. Jasmine B says:

    How clever is that to use Manwich to make the saucy chicken wings? I think I’ll give those a try!