Crockpot Italian Chicken & Pasta

     Like all good crockpot recipes, this Italian chicken recipe was a cinch to make!  But the best thing about this recipe is that it is very versatile!  You could serve the chicken breasts whole with a side of vegetables or over top of some brown rice.  I wasn't exactly sure how I wanted to serve this chicken, but I decided to shred it and toss it with some warm pasta.  I was happy with my decision and so was the hubby!  Feel free to serve your chicken differently than I did and let me know how it was!

3 chicken breasts (I used frozen)
2 cans cream of chicken soup
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
1 packet of Italian dressing seasoning
1 tsp. garlic salt
1 tsp. ground pepper
½ box of large shell pasta (optional)

     In a small bowl, mix together the soup, cream cheese, and seasonings.  Pour half the mixture into the bottom of the crockpot.  Place the chicken breasts in the crockpot and cover with remaining soup mixture.  Cook on low for 4-6 hours.
     As mentioned earlier, there are several ways to serve this dish.  From here I choose to boil water and cook the pasta according to the directions on the box.  I took the chicken out of the crockpot and shredded it on a plate, using to forks to pull the chicken apart.  Next, place the shredded chicken over top of the cooked pasta.  Use some of the soup mixture from the crockpot to coat the chicken and pasta.  You should not need all of the soup mixture, just enough to reach desired taste.  Serve warm.  Makes 4 servings.

Nutritional information per serving: 537 calories, 13 grams of fat, 49 grams of carbohydrates, 50 grams of protein, 3 grams of fiber.  **Calculations are based on fat free cream of chicken soup, 1/3 fat cream cheese, and using only half of the soup mixture for the sauce.**