Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken
Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken is an EASY dinner made with cream cheese and chicken breast slow cooked with ranch seasoning, topped with cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onions, perfect for a busy weeknight!
Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken is insanely easy to make, made with chicken breast seasoned and slow cooked with cream cheese, then shredded and mixed together with bacon, green onions, cheddar, and parmesan cheese.
This recipe works really well served over pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes. You can also turn this into sandwiches for a bbq! If you have leftovers, try adding a splash of broth or milk and stir everything together before reheating to keep it really creamy.
If you loved this recipe, you’ll also love my Crockpot Meatloaf and Potatoes, and my Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken!
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Set It and Forget It! This is my favorite recipe for busy weeknights, because I can put everything in the slow cooker and forget about it while I finish other tasks, instead of standing over the stove!
Crowd-Pleaser – This is also called Slow Cooker Crack Chicken for a reason! It’s a huge crowd pleaser, and everyone is going to love the meaty, cheese, savory chicken, bacon and green onion mixture!
Perfect for Game Day! This recipe is absolutely perfect for game day, because you can keep it warm in the slow cooker and serve it with gluten free hamburger rolls or tortilla chips.
Meal Prep – This also stores and reheats well, making it a really easy meal prep for this week’s lunches.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Chicken. I like to use boneless skinless chicken breasts for this recipe, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
Cream Cheese. One regular block of cream cheese is usually about eight ounces of cream cheese. For a little lower fat, you can also use Neufchatel cheese.
Ranch Seasoning. I have homemade ranch seasoning, so I went with about 2 tablespoons of seasoning. You can also use one packet, which will be about 3 tablespoons, which is fine for this recipe. Just check that it’s gluten free if you use store-bought.
You can also substitute this with Italian seasoning and extra garlic for a creamy garlic herb sauce.
Spices. In addition to the ranch seasoning, we’re also going to add a teaspoon garlic powder and onion powder, and salt & pepper to taste. You may not even need salt, because we’re adding bacon!
Bacon. This is all about the flavor! I like to cook the bacon until crispy, for a little added texture, too. Add this at the very end.
Green Onions. These add a really nice savory flavor. Save extra for topping!
Cheese. I use a combination of cheddar cheese and parmesan cheese for flavor. Add the parm and cheddar at the end, so it just melts into the chicken but isn’t overcooked.
Required Kitchen Tools
For this crock pot recipe you’ll need a 6-7 quart slow cooker.
How to Make Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
Add the chicken breast to the slow cooker and top with ranch seasoning, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. Place the cream cheese on top of the chicken.
Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours, or until the chicken is fully cooked and shreds easily with a fork.
Just before the slow cooker is done, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, and break into pieces.
Using two forks, shred the chicken while mixing it together with the cream cheese.
Once the chicken is shredded, add the parmesan, cheddar, green onions, and crispy bacon pieces, and stir everything together.
Place the lid back onto the slow cooker and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Stir one more time, top with extra green onions and crispy bacon, and serve.
Recipe Variations
- After the chicken is shredded, stir in 1/2 – 1 cup of heavy cream and 12 ounces of cooked pasta for a complete dinner!
- Try serving this over cauliflower rice or steamed vegetables for a low carb option.
- Make this spicy by adding buffalo wing sauce! Stir in about 1/2 cup sauce at the end, when you add the cheese. Add more as-needed. Make it even spicier with additional cayenne pepper, jalapeno (add in the beginning), or red pepper flakes.
- Instead of ranch, try adding taco seasoning and red pepper flakes. When you add the cheese at the end, add a can of fully-cooked black beans and corn kernels. Serve with warm tortillas or tortilla chips, salsa, and sour cream.
- Try adding 8 ounces of sliced white button mushrooms in the beginning, and replacing the Ranch with Italian seasoning, and cheddar cheese with a mixture of shredded Swiss and mozzarella cheese for a mushroom & Swiss version. Top with fresh parsley before serving.
- Try using chicken thighs instead of skinless chicken breast for a dark meat version. The dark meat will release a little more chicken broth while cooking.
Recipe Tip! Try using an electric hand mixer to shred the chicken and mix everything together even faster! Just don’t use this method if you have a crockpot liner in (the crockpot liner will get stuck in the mixer and make a mess).
Frequently Asked Questions
The main difference is that Neufchatel cheese is lower in fat compared to cream cheese, at about 23% compared to 33%. It’s a little bit lighter in texture and softer, with maybe a slightly more tangy flavor. You can use these interchangeably in most recipes, unless the recipe specifically calls for only cream cheese.
Recipe Tip! If your chicken with cream cheese mixture is too thick, try stirring in about 1/2 cup of half and half or heavy cream at the end.
More Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Steak and Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Pork Roast
- Crockpot Chicken Parmesan
- Slow Cooker Chicken Tacos
Storage
Refrigerate leftover cream cheese chicken in an airtight container for 3-4 days.
Freeze cream cheese chicken for 3-4 months in a freezer-safe container.
Cooking Tips
- This recipe works best with boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- I like to use an electric hand mixer to shred the chicken faster and mix everything together.
- I don’t recommend using frozen chicken breast, because they can release more chicken broth, and I like this recipe to have a thicker creamy texture.
- If you add more chicken than the recipe calls for to the crockpot, the cooking time might be slightly longer.
- Chicken breast can vary in thickness, so the best way to know if it’s done is to use a meat thermometer. It’s done when it reaches 165℉ in the center of the chicken breast.
- I usually season with salt and black pepper just before serving. Because we’re adding bacon, you may not even need extra salt for this recipe.
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Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast, boneless, skinless (about 3 breasts)
- 2 tablespoons ranch seasoning, (or 1 packet)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
- 8 ounces cream cheese, (1 block)
- 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
- 1/2 cup parmesan cheese, grated
- 6 pieces bacon, cooked crispy, chopped
- 4 medium green onions, chopped
Equipment
- 1 6-7 quart slow cooker
Instructions
- Add the chicken breast to the slow cooker and top with ranch seasoning, garlic powder, black pepper, and onion powder. Add the cream cheese on top of the chicken.
- Place the lid on the crockpot and cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours, or until the chicken is fully cooked and shreds easily with a fork.
- Just before the slow cooker is done, cook the bacon in a skillet over medium heat until crispy, and break into pieces.
- Using two forks, shred the chicken while mixing it together with the cream cheese. Once the chicken is shredded, add the parmesan, cheddar, green onion, and crispy bacon pieces and stir everything together.
- Place the lid back onto the slow cooker and cook for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until the cheese is melted. Stir one more time, top with extra green onions and crispy bacon, and serve.
Notes
- This recipe works best with boneless, skinless chicken breast, but you can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- I like to use an electric hand mixer to shred the chicken faster.
- I don’t recommend using frozen chicken breast, because they can release more liquid, and I like this recipe to have a thicker creamy texture.
- If you add more chicken than the recipe calls for to the crockpot, the cooking time might be slightly longer.
- Chicken breast can vary in thickness, so the best way to know if it’s done is to use a meat thermometer. It’s done when it reaches 165℉ in the center of the chicken breast.
- Because we’re adding bacon, you may not even need extra salt for this recipe.
- If your mixture is too thick, try stirring in about 1/2 cup of half and half or heavy cream at the end.
Nutrition
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