Penne alla Vodka is a classic Italian dish made with tomatoes, heavy cream, and a bit of vodka. It is, of course delicious. I wanted to create a dish with similar flavors for chicken and pasta, and I was in a hurry and didn’t have time for an hours-long hands-on dish. The following Almost Chicken alla Vodka is absolutely non-authentic, but very delicious and will remind you of the classic dish. It takes only a few minutes to put together, and cooks in the slow cooker unsupervised for hours. You’ll want to serve it with Penne pasta, of course, a salad, and crusty Italian bread.

I recently discovered a Microwave Pasta Cooker that eliminates the need to boil a pot of water on the stove and watch it closely. You just simply put pasta in the cooker, add water and a little salt, cover and microwave. These microwave pasta cookers (there are several on the market to choose from) even have holes to drain the pasta in the sink. Penne takes 16 minutes in the microwave at my altitude, so it can be cooking unattended while I get the table set, make the salad, and get the bread ready for dinner. I gave one of these timesaving marvels to my daughters and some friends and they all love it too.

8 Serving


2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breast halves, cut into 8 serving pieces
1/4 cup vodka

1 28 oz. can spaghetti sauce
1 16 oz. jar Alfredo sauce, (any flavor) or 13.5 ounce jar

1 pound penne pasta, cooked in boiling salted water until al dente and drained

Parmesan cheese

1. Arrange the chicken pieces on the bottom of a slow cooker.
2. Sprinkle the vodka over all.
3. Pour the spaghetti sauce and Alfredo sauce over all.
4. Cover the slow cooker, turn to the low setting, and let cook 4-6 hours or until the chicken is tender.
5. Serve over the cooked penne pasta and top with fresh Parmesan (I like the thick shreds).

Amount Per Serving
Calories 508 Calories from Fat 171
Percent Total Calories From: Fat 34% Protein 29% Carb. 34%

Nutrient Amount per Serving
Total Fat 19 g
Saturated Fat 6 g
Cholesterol 143 mg
Sodium 1117 mg
Total Carbohydrate 43 g
Dietary Fiber 1 g
Sugars 1 g
Protein 37 g

Vitamin A 22% Vitamin C 21% Calcium 0% Iron 21%