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Home » Dinner » Crack Chicken

February 10, 2019 By Sara 37 Comments

Crack Chicken

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This crack chicken is creamy ranch flavored chicken that’s cooked in the crock pot until tender. A super easy slow cooker recipe that only contains 3 ingredients.

I make a lot of slow cooker dinners like apricot chicken, beef stroganoff and sloppy joes, but this crack chicken has to be one of our all time favorites. It takes just 5 minutes of prep time and the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed a crowd.

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A crack chicken sandwich topped with cheese, bacon and green onions.

Today we’re talking about crack chicken. You’re probably wondering where it got that unusual name, and the reasoning is, this chicken is so good it’s addictive! You won’t even believe how easy it is to make, simply throw the ingredients in the crock pot and come back later to a delicious meal.

How do you make crack chicken?

This crack chicken has just 3 ingredients – boneless skinless chicken breasts, ranch powder, and cream cheese. Everything goes into the slow cooker and simmers away until the chicken is tender enough to shred into bite sized pieces.

Chicken breasts topped with ranch seasoning.

You may be tempted to add some liquid to your crack chicken, but additional liquid is not necessary because the chicken will release juices as it cooks.

Chicken breasts, cream cheese and ranch powder in the crock pot.

Tips for crack chicken

  • You can use chicken thighs instead of chicken breast if you prefer.
  • Do not use low fat cream cheese, it won’t melt as well as regular cream cheese.
  • You can use flavored cream cheese, such as jalapeno or garlic and herb cream cheese, for an extra level of flavor.

How do you shred chicken?

After your chicken is done, simply grab two forks, shred your meat and mix everything together, and dinner is ready! You can serve this crack chicken as-is, but I highly recommend adding a topping of crispy bacon and sliced green onions.

A slow cooker full of shredded crack chicken topped with bacon and sliced green onions.

How do you eat crack chicken?

There are so many different ways to eat crack chicken, it’s great in the following preparations

  • Piled onto buns
  • Served over pasta
  • As a pizza topping
  • In lettuce wraps
  • In a casserole

The most common way to eat crack chicken is in sandwich form. I pile the chicken onto brioche buns and add a slice of cheddar cheese, bacon and green onions for a satisfying meal.

A bowl of crack chicken topped with bacon and green onions.

You can add other toppings to your crack chicken to mix things up a bit, some of my favorites are

  • Diced tomatoes
  • Green chiles
  • French fried onions
  • Red onion
  • Sauteed mushrooms

However you serve your crack chicken, it’s sure to be a big hit! Admittedly this is not the most beautiful dish, but what it lacks in looks, it makes up for in flavor. Your family will certainly agree.

More easy chicken dinners

  • Chicken Ranch Tacos
  • Monterey Chicken
  • Buffalo Chicken Tacos
  • Chicken Alfredo Stuffed Shells
  • Bacon Wrapped Chicken
A crack chicken sandwich topped with cheese, bacon and green onions.
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5 from 9 votes

Crack Chicken

This crack chicken is creamy ranch flavored chicken that's cooked in the crock pot until tender. A super easy slow cooker recipe that only contains 3 ingredients.
Course Main
Cuisine American
Keyword crack chicken
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Total Time 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings 6
Calories 430kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
  • 1 ounce packet ranch seasoning
  • 16 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes
  • cooked crumbled bacon and green onions for serving optional

Instructions

  • Place the chicken breasts, ranch seasoning and cream cheese in a slow cooker.
  • Cook on HIGH for 4 hours or LOW for 6-8 hours.
  • Shred the chicken with two forks. Stir until everything is thoroughly combined.
  • Serve, topped with bacon and green onions if desired.

Nutrition

Calories: 430kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 29g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Cholesterol: 179mg | Sodium: 418mg | Potassium: 663mg | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1060IU | Vitamin C: 1.8mg | Calcium: 82mg | Iron: 0.8mg

Filed Under: Dinner, Slow Cooker Tagged With: Bacon, Chicken, Low Carb, Ranch

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Comments

  1. Sonya says

    April 16, 2020 at 6:29 pm

    I have 2 packets of ranch dips mix… think that would work in place of the dressing mix?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      April 16, 2020 at 8:38 pm

      Yes it’s the same thing!

      Reply
  2. Tonya says

    March 28, 2020 at 8:22 am

    Any idea how long I should cook if my chicken is frozen to start?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      March 28, 2020 at 12:43 pm

      Add another hour!

      Reply
  3. Sandi Schoenberg says

    March 5, 2020 at 1:19 pm

    Is this served warm or cold?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      March 5, 2020 at 2:21 pm

      It’s best served warm!

      Reply
  4. Jill says

    December 1, 2019 at 1:20 pm

    I’m replacing the breast with 2packs of skinless boneless thighs about 12 thighs do I cook them longer than 4hours on high in crockpot ? Or the same amount of time ?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      December 1, 2019 at 6:25 pm

      It’s the same amount of time!

      Reply
  5. Lara Trottier says

    October 23, 2019 at 6:18 am

    I made this yesterday, I’ve made it several times. I just literally dump it all in to the crockpot, I don’t even cut up the cream cheese. It’ll cook on low from 7am-5pm so a long time. I do have my daughter stir it up around 3:30 and it just shreds with a wooden spoon because it’s been cooked so long. We love it. I just throw some shredded cheese on top of the bun.
    I’v e also served it over rice, although it’s really stiff for rice, maybe some sour cream stirred in after would loosen it up.

    Reply
  6. Hailee French says

    June 11, 2019 at 6:53 am

    What is the serving size in? Ounces, cups, grams?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      June 11, 2019 at 3:10 pm

      The serving size is 1 chicken breast, about 1 cup.

      Reply
  7. kyla says

    April 26, 2019 at 6:57 am

    approx. how many breasts is 2lbs?

    Reply
    • Sara says

      April 26, 2019 at 11:16 am

      About 6!

      Reply
  8. Claire says

    March 17, 2019 at 5:22 am

    Can this recipe be made as a freezer meal? Tia

    Reply
    • Sara says

      March 17, 2019 at 7:42 am

      I think that would be fine, although I’ve never tried it that way!

      Reply
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With 3 young kids, dinner can feel like feeding time at the zoo! I'm a mom on a mission to create easy, healthy and family friendly recipes ...Read More
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