{"id":8172,"date":"2026-10-26T06:25:19","date_gmt":"2026-10-26T06:25:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/?p=8172"},"modified":"2026-10-26T06:25:19","modified_gmt":"2026-10-26T06:25:19","slug":"crock-pot-creamy-cheddar-bacon-chicken-rigatoni","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/2026\/10\/26\/crock-pot-creamy-cheddar-bacon-chicken-rigatoni\/","title":{"rendered":"Crock Pot Creamy Cheddar Bacon Chicken Rigatoni"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Crock Pot Creamy Cheddar Bacon Chicken Rigatoni<\/h1>\n<p>Tender shredded chicken, crispy bacon, and perfectly cooked rigatoni come together in a rich, creamy cheddar cheese sauce. This easy slow cooker dinner is packed with comforting flavors and makes a delicious family meal for busy weeknights.<\/p>\n<h2>Ingredients<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts<\/li>\n<li>12 oz rigatoni pasta<\/li>\n<li>6 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled<\/li>\n<li>2 cups shredded cheddar cheese<\/li>\n<li>1 cup heavy cream<\/li>\n<li>1 cup chicken broth<\/li>\n<li>4 oz cream cheese, softened<\/li>\n<li>3 cloves garlic, minced<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon onion powder<\/li>\n<li>1 teaspoon paprika<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon black pepper<\/li>\n<li>\u00bd teaspoon salt, or to taste<\/li>\n<li>2 tablespoons butter<\/li>\n<li>2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (optional)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Instructions<\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Place the chicken breasts in the Crock Pot. Season with minced garlic, onion powder, paprika, black pepper, and salt.<\/li>\n<li>Pour the chicken broth over the chicken. Cover and cook on LOW for 4\u20135 hours or HIGH for 2\u20133 hours, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165\u00b0F (74\u00b0C).<\/li>\n<li>Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it using two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the Crock Pot.<\/li>\n<li>Add the softened cream cheese, heavy cream, and butter. Stir until the cream cheese melts and the sauce becomes smooth.<\/li>\n<li>Meanwhile, cook the rigatoni in a large pot of salted boiling water according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.<\/li>\n<li>Stir the shredded cheddar cheese and crumbled bacon into the chicken mixture until the cheese melts and the sauce becomes creamy.<\/li>\n<li>Add the cooked rigatoni to the Crock Pot and gently stir until the pasta is evenly coated in the sauce.<\/li>\n<li>Cover and cook on LOW for another 10\u201315 minutes, stirring occasionally, until everything is heated through.<\/li>\n<li>Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and extra crumbled bacon if desired. Serve warm and enjoy!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2>Tips<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>For the best flavor, use freshly shredded cheddar cheese.<\/li>\n<li>Cook the pasta separately to prevent it from becoming too soft.<\/li>\n<li>Add a splash of reserved pasta water or extra chicken broth if the sauce becomes too thick.<\/li>\n<li>For extra cheesiness, sprinkle additional cheddar cheese over the top before serving.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Serving Suggestions<\/h2>\n<p>Serve with garlic bread, a crisp green salad, or roasted vegetables for a satisfying family dinner.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Crock Pot Creamy Cheddar Bacon Chicken Rigatoni Tender shredded chicken, crispy bacon, and perfectly cooked rigatoni come together in a&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":8173,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-recipe"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8172","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8172"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8172\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8174,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8172\/revisions\/8174"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8173"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8172"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8172"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/recipes.ukbiddingdirectory.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8172"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}