For the slow cooker:
1½ pounds raw chicken breast
1 cup pesto (store-bought or homemade)
¼ cup salted butter
Juice of ½ a lemon
Kosher salt & fresh ground black pepper
To add later:
1 pound rotini pasta, cooked and drained
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
3 basil leaves, chopped (optional)
Add the chicken to the slow cooker. Season with salt and pepper, and cover with pesto sauce.
Squeeze the juice from half a lemon over the chicken, and cut the butter into pieces and place the pieces the chicken.
Cover the crock pot, and cook the chicken on low power for five hours. Avoid opening the lid during the cooking process.
Just before the end of the cooking time, prepare the rotini pasta according to the packaging for al dente. Drain and set aside.
When the chicken is cooked, carefully shred the chicken inside the crock pot using two forks or tongs.
Add the cooked pasta and Parmesan cheese to the crock pot, and stir until everything is fully mixed and the pasta and chicken are coated with pesto.
Sprinkle the mozzarella cheese over the pasta, and re-cover the crock pot with the lid. Cook until everything is brought up to temperature and the mozzarella cheese has melted on top, about 15 minutes.
Serve with a large spoon directly out of the slow cooker. Garnish with fresh chopped basil, and serve hot immediately.
Pro-tip: Any kind of pasta could work for this dish, but we like rotini, rigatoni, or penne to hold on to the pesto sauce.
Pro-tip: Add extra vegetables like chopped plum tomatoes or artichokes at the end of cooking for some extra bursts of Italian flavor.