Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
948 CommentsUpdated Oct 17, 2024
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Slow Cooker Crack Chicken has everything that is good and addicting in it! Filled with bacon, cheese, cream cheese, and ranch dressing mix.
Who doesn’t love a recipe with cream cheese in it! If you have extra cream cheese also try my olive garden chicken pasta or artichoke mushroom chicken.
I finally got around to trying this Slow Cooker Crack Chicken recipe. My neighbor told me about this crack chicken, though she makes instant pot crack chicken.
This crack chicken recipe is a creation by Shelly from the website Cookies and Cups. I am so glad I gave this recipe a try the flavors go so good together and go great over white rice which helps take away a bit of the saltiness.
How to make Crack Chicken:
I start with chicken thighs instead of breasts. I feel the thighs have more moisture, and the overall dish turns out decadent with the thighs. I also only use one ranch packet to cut back on the sodium.
You will need these ingredients:
- Chicken thighs – trim off excess fat
- Ranch dressing seasoning mix (can use dip mix if that’s what you have)
- Cream cheese
- Cheddar cheese
- Cooked bacon
- Green onions
- Add the chicken to the slow cooker.
- Top with the ranch packet and cream cheese. Wait to add the other ingredients.
How long do I cook?
- Place the lid on the slow cooker
- Cook on low for 7 hours and do not open the lid during the cooking time.
- After the cooking time is up, shred the chicken with 2 forks. I do this right in the slow cooker, no need to remove the chicken and dirty a plate.
- Add the cooked bacon then top with the cheddar cheese. Place the lid back on to let the cheese melt. Sprinkle over green onions if desired.
What to serve this with
- Over white rice (my favorite option)
- Eat it as is if you are on a low carb or keto diet
- Over-toasted hamburger buns
- Mashed potatoes
- Inside of baked potatoes
- With crackers; serve as a dip
- Add a salad on the side with any of the above options
This dish is so rich and creamy! I am dreaming about making it again this week. Such a fun recipe to try for a Sunday dinner or even to entertain guests. Give this recipe a try and let me know how you like it. Have a great week.
Here are my other favorite slow cooker chicken recipes:
- Slow Cooker Mississippi Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken with Bacon Gravy
- Slow Cooker Root Beer Chicken
- Slow Cooker Chicken Pot Pie
- Slow Cooker Basil Chicken
- Slow Cooker Hot Chicken
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Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
How to Video
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken thighs, (trim off excess fat if desired)
- 1 oz. packet ranch seasoning mix
- 16 oz. cream cheese
- 8 slices bacon, (sliced, cooked and drained)
- 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup sliced green onions
Instructions
- Add the chicken thighs to the slow cooker. Sprinkle over the ranch seasoning mix. Place the cream cheese on top of the chicken.
- Cover and cook on LOW for 7 hours without opening the lid during the cooking time.
- Shred the chicken, I do this right in the slow cooker with 2 forks. Stir the cooked cream cheese into the shredded chicken and also stir in the bacon. Spread out into an even layer. Sprinkle over the cheese. Cover for 10 more minutes to allow the cheddar cheese to melt.
- Serve over rice and sprinkle over the green onions. Enjoy! Other great ways to serve is over a baked potato or on sandwich rolls.
Sarah’s Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition info is auto-generated. This information is an estimate; if you are on a special diet, please use your own calculations.
I’m making this but don’t have time to cook that long. Gonna try to just cook it o high for about 3 hrs. I’ll let you know if that worked.
Did it work?
Did it work
Yes I cook on high for 4 hours. Turns out great.
Silly question ut do i drain the water before adding everything
The chicken juices at the end of the cooking time? No, leave them. They help thin the cream cheese.
What about adding spinach to it also?
I use spinach and it’s great. Just add towards the end. Broccoli is good too, but I put that in right at the start.
I made it a couple of weeks ago for the first time and it was great. Making it today but now I have to go out of town. CAN IT BE FROZEN ONCE COOKED??
It should do fine in the freezer.
Silly question.. are the calories on this recipe for the entire meal or per serving?
One serving. This is the most fattening recipe on my site, though it’s lower in carbs.
Keep in mind that the serving is 1/3lb of chicken. That’s a lot of chicken when you factor in all the other ingredients.
I’ve meal prepped this for the week and have lost weight. Just gotta have control and save yourself some calories.
I spiraled zucchini noodles as a side and my girlfriend absolutely loved it.
My $.02….
Love this recipe as my jumping off point for some fun substitutions.
Chix Breast? No. You are adding fat from everything else, the bacon, the cheese, the cream cheese. You draw the line at chicken breasts v. Chicken thighs? That is your line in the sand? Your choice I guess, but a silly one. The dish will suffer and your arteries will still clog.
For a Colorado or New Mexico vibe, roasted green chiles. Canned and diced if you must, but fresh roasted hatch elevates by a lot.
For a different south of the border vibe, consider adding a healthy dose of diced chipotles in adobo sauce.
Lastly,
I think bell peppers should be one of the base ingredients, with onions added as either raw in the beginning, or caramelized or fried at the end.
Cilantro and flat leaf parsley are welcome additions to the green onions at the end as well.
Can you do high for 4 hours?
Yes! You may get away with 3.5 hours on high.
Added a few tablespoons of diced purple onion and a quarter cup of chopped pickled jalapeño to the pot. Used a smoky uncured bacon and served it over rotini and bowtie pasta. New favorite.
The options are limitless!!! This recipe is so good. My whole family devoured it. I used raw onion and added green bell pepper, seasoned with paprika, fresh ground pepper, sea salt, and garlic. I used raw chicken and cooked it all in my crock pot pressure cooker to cut down on time. It is definitely as addictive as I imagine crack is lol. You can eat it over rice, with tortilla chips, on a hamburger bun; or for a low carb option, use half the cream cheese and eat with low carb flour tortilla or as is.
Oh my, this is really good, I just made it and tasted it with a tortilla chip (we’re actually going to have it with rice tonight). I’m hoping there will be some left for lunch tomorrow!
Great to hear Susan! It’s great however you serve it.