Crock Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken
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Published: Jun 17, 2022
Updated: Jun 30, 2023
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The BEST Crock Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken recipe is made with all the ingredients and flavors you love with the ease and simplicity of a slow cooker! A seriously addicting, creamy, comfort food ranch chicken recipe that you will love bite after bite!
Creamy Crock Pot Ranch Chicken
If you are looking for the most creamy and delicious chicken, Crock Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken is for you! Made with everyone’s favorite dry ranch dressing mix, cream cheese, and cream of chicken soup, there simply isn’t one thing to not love! If you’re looking for a crockpot chicken recipe everyone will love, be sure to save this!
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Creamy Ranch Chicken Ingredients:
- Chicken – boneless, skinless, breasts
- Cream cheese – softened
- Dry ranch seasoning – a premade packet or homemade ranch seasoning mix
- Cream of chicken soup – or you can use whatever you like: cream of celery soup, cream of chicken soup, cream of onion soup, or cream of mushroom soup.
- Milk – full fat or skim, your choice
- Parmesan cheese – shredded
- Bell pepper – diced (this ingredient is optional)
- Bacon – cooked and crumbled
- Pasta – penne pasta or pasta of choice. Think: egg noodles
Creamy Ranch Sauce
In a large bowl, mix softened cream cheese, ranch mix, cream of chicken soup, and milk. It’s okay if there are still a few small chunks of cream cheese in the mixture, these will melt during cooking. Stir in the parmesan cheese, red bell pepper, and crumbled bacon into the sauce mixture. Pour the yummy mixture over raw chicken breasts in the slow cooker.
Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low heat for 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked. The cook times will vary based on how much time you have! Once the chicken is fully cooked, shred it either on a cutting board using two forks or with an electric hand mixer.
Cook and drain pasta and stir pasta into the crockpot mixture. Stir until all pasta is coated in the tasty cheesy ranch sauce. Cook the creamy ranch chicken in the crock pot for additional 30 minutes on high heat. At this point, you can add additional salt and pepper to taste. If you love extra garlic flavor, consider sprinkling in some garlic powder.
Oh, I should say that the crockpot ranch chicken leftovers are SO delicious. Just in case you don’t finish it all tonight, you’ll have the best lunch or dinner tomorrow! This is a go-to recipe to keep on hand from September – to August 🙂 It is delicious when served along with a side salad, and other veggies, like green beans, broccoli, baby carrots, or even another protein, like pork chops. My favorite is the extra carbohydrate favorite: garlic bread!
Questions, Tips, and Extra Instructions
No, you can skip the pasta entirely if you’d like and serve this creamy ranch chicken with your choice of vegetables or over rice.Â
No, frozen chicken breasts are not recommended for a slow cooker recipe as the chicken would be sitting out too long at a low temperature. Always thaw the frozen chicken first.
Four large boneless, skinless chicken breasts are about 1 ½ to 2 pounds of chicken.
No, there is enough sauce to evenly coat all of the chicken and pasta but not a lot of sauce leftover. If you prefer more sauce, reduce the amount of pasta to 8 ounces instead of 12 ounces.
Storage
Refrigerate cooled leftovers for up to 3 days in a sealed food-safe airtight container.Â
More Dinner Recipes
Crock Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken Recipe
Crock Pot Creamy Ranch Chicken
Equipment
- 5 to 6-quart slow cooker
- measuring cups of various sizes
- Large mixing bowl
- Electric mixer
- cutting board and two forks (or electric hand mixer for shredding)
- spatula
- Non-stick cooking spray
- meat thermometer (optional)
- large pot for pasta
Ingredients
- 4 large boneless skinless chicken breasts (1 ½ to 2 pounds)
- 8 oz block of cream cheese, softened
- 1 envelope dry ranch seasoning mix
- 1 can condensed cream of chicken soup
- ½ cup milk
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 1 red bell pepper, diced
- 1 cup bacon, cooked and crumbled
- 12 oz penne pasta, or pasta of choice
- optional: chopped fresh parsley for topping
Instructions
- Spray a 5 or 6-quart slow cooker insert with non-stick cooking spray.
- Place raw chicken breasts in slow cooker.Â
- In a large bowl, mix together softened cream cheese, ranch seasoning, cream of chicken soup and milk. Beat on low until all ingredients are combined then beat on high for about a minute until most of the cream cheese is smooth. It’s okay if there are still a few small chunks of cream cheese in the mixture, these will melt during cooking. Â
- Stir parmesan cheese, red bell pepper and crumbled bacon into the sauce mixture.
- Use a spatula to pour the mixture over raw chicken in slow cooker.Â
- Cook (lid on crockpot) on high 3-4 hours or on low 6-8 hours until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Internal temperature of chicken breasts should be at least 165 degrees F.Â
- Once chicken is fully cooked, remove chicken (leave the extra sauce in the slow cooker for now) and shred chicken either on a cutting board using two forks or with an electric hand mixer.
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the sauce in the crockpot.
- Cook and drain pasta and stir pasta into the crockpot mixture. Stir until all pasta is coated in sauce.
- Cook (lid on crockpot) for an additional 30 minutes on high.Â
- Optional: top with chopped fresh parsley before serving.
Notes
- Refrigerate cooled leftovers for up to 3 days in a sealed food-safe container.Â
Can leftovers be frozen?
I suppose they could be frozen! 🙂
Can this recipe be cooked in an Insta-Pot to save time? If so, how long should it be cooked? Thank you!
Can cauliflower or some other low carb pasta be used?