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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

4.66 from 23 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)

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.

Nutrition

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

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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Comments

  1. I’m sorry but I did not like this recipe. The Manwich Bold gave it a very vinegar taste that to me was not a good taste.

  2. I came across this recipe today and I followed it exactly…the only ingredient I did not have on hand was the Manwich Bold, which I found at the Dollar General. I often have shredded chicken in the freezer, already divided into bags of 2 cups each. PERFECT for this.
    It was delicious! My husband called it a WIN, let’s make it again. Thank you for sharing this recipe for a yummy, yet super simple, meal!

  3. Hi Kristin! I am a new follower and am counting my calories. Is there any way to include nutrition values to your recipes? There are actually some I can make but not sure of the portion sizes to fit my calorie counts. Thanks for the help!

    1. Hi Kathy, Yes, we are working on adding the nutritional information to all of the recipes. It’s a tedious process, and takes some time. If there’s something you’re looking for specifically you can use an online tracker like myfitnesspal.com

  4. Easy to make and yummy! Although I think the manwich bold was a bit overpowering. May try making this again, just with less manwich or try to substitute it?

    1. You could use a different flavor if you want. Tomato sauce would also be a suitable substitute if you’re looking for a more mild flavor.

  5. This recipe is awesome! Ignore the haters because you are so generous to even respond to people this much with how busy you must be!! Thanks for the help with cooking. ❤️ Keep up the awesome work kind lady!

  6. Just wondering how much onion to cook with the chicken? The ingredient list only mentions green onions, the garnish. Thanks so much for clearing that up! Can’t wait to try it!

    1. Looks like that was accidentally deleted when we updated the recipe last year. So sorry about that! You need about 1/2 cup diced onion.

    1. You could use a different flavor of Manwich, or maybe try tomato sauce and add some extra spices.

    1. I haven’t tried freezing this recipe, but I think if you freeze it in a baking dish, then reheat in the oven it could work. Try 350 for 20 minutes. You just want to be careful not to let the meal dry out.

  7. Should onion be on the print version of the recipe? The first line says to add onion and garlic and saute for one minute then add chicken. I do not see it in the ingredients list.

    thanks

  8. I came from Yummly and the app doesn’t have all the ingredients on it, so I came home and realized that I didn’t have the manwich. Had to go back to the store, kind of frustrating. If you could make sure that manwich is on the Yummly list of ingredients that’d be awesome

    1. Hi Jasmin, I’m not associated with Yummly. It’s just an app that people like you can add recipe pages and sites like mine too. All of the ingredients are listed correctly in the recipe on the site, so I’d recommend going straight to the website rather than trusting Yummly to be correct.

      1. You are seriously such a bitch. Every time I see you respond to your followers its all about how you’re right and they’re wrong- and you’re always so rude. I’m done following you- it’s your followers who made you, so you shouldn’t treat them so badly.

        1. Hey Samantha, Merry Christmas! I am not a bitch, and I am not always so rude. It’s not my followers who made me, although I am super grateful for each and every kind person who follows along and enjoys the recipes that I freely share. I respond to as many questions and comments as I can, often trying to help them figure out if something went wrong in a recipe and why. I am quite shocked that you would take the time to be so incredibly nasty. The comment you are responding to was an explanation of what went wrong. I built this site from scratch and have been sharing my content for 10 years, and make quite a handsome income doing so. I do get the occasional exceptionally ugly and nasty troll, and sometimes I give it right back, like today. Sometimes I kill them with kindness. And sometimes I don’t respond at all. Today seems to be an ugly internet troll day, so bye Felicia.

          1. Trying your recipe this weekend. I love how u respond to haters. Someone always have something negative to say.

        2. If you actually took the time to really read her comment it was not rude at all, it was a simple explanation. Sounds to me like you are the Witch here.

        3. Omg wow. I’ve been making this recipe for at least 2 years (maybe longer?), have made it countless times, and I just noticed “Samantha’s” comment… wow. How utterly rude and out of left field… uncalled for. Kristin, I love this and other recipes on your site and appreciate you very much! Keep up the good work! We make a double batch of this because the leftovers are just as yummy. ??

        4. she wasn’t or isn’t a bitch. follow the recipe. she is just saying she doesn’t know about yummly. I am making this tonight and it smells good. I used bigger pasta so I put in another can of manwich and a little more broth. Just tasting this is delicious.

  9. Has this recipe been taken down? I only see the pictures of it but no actual recipe is showing up.

  10. I have made this a few times. I have used regular and Thick manwich. I also have used ground beef instead of chicken. All comes out yummy!

    Thank you!

  11. i just made this recipe… I left out the meat, put in a bit more cheese and used white onion instead of green. Also used a whole box of pasta. The cook time should be less. Mine was done in about 17 minutes. But smelled amazing and my family loved it!!

    1. Thanks for the tip – cooking time will vary from kitchen to kitchen, especially if you change the ingredients. Glad you enjoyed the recipe!

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