Description
A simple and delicious Slow Cooker 3-Ingredient Crack Chicken recipe featuring tender shredded chicken cooked in cream cheese and ranch seasoning for a creamy, flavorful dish perfect for busy weeknights.
Ingredients
Scale
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts or thighs
- 8 oz cream cheese, cut into large cubes
- 2 tbsp dry ranch seasoning mix (store-bought or homemade)
Instructions
- Prepare the chicken: Place the chicken breasts or thighs in an even layer on the bottom of the slow cooker. If using both breasts and thighs, mix them together evenly to ensure uniform cooking.
- Season the chicken: Sprinkle the dry ranch seasoning mix evenly over the chicken, ensuring most of the surface is lightly coated with the seasoning.
- Add cream cheese: Scatter the cream cheese cubes over the top of the seasoned chicken, but do not stir at this point to keep the layers intact for slow cooking.
- Cook the chicken: Cover the slow cooker with the lid and cook on LOW heat for 4 to 5 hours or on HIGH heat for 2 to 3 hours, until the chicken becomes tender and fully cooked.
- Shred the chicken: Use two forks to shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker. Stir thoroughly to incorporate the melted cream cheese and ranch seasoning into the shredded chicken.
- Adjust seasoning and consistency: Taste the mixture and adjust seasoning as needed. If the sauce is too thick, add a splash of warm chicken broth or milk and stir until smooth and creamy.
- Serve: Switch the slow cooker to the WARM setting and serve the crack chicken straight from the pot, or transfer it to a serving dish for presentation.
Notes
- You can use either chicken breasts for leaner meat or thighs for a juicier texture.
- Feel free to add chopped cooked bacon or shredded cheese after shredding for extra flavor and texture variations.
- Serve over rice, pasta, or on sandwich buns for a versatile meal option.
- If you don’t have ranch seasoning mix, you can make your own with a blend of dried parsley, dill, garlic powder, onion powder, and paprika.
- For a lighter version, substitute the cream cheese with reduced-fat cream cheese.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 4 to 5 hours (LOW) or 2 to 3 hours (HIGH)
- Category: Main Course
- Method: Slow Cooking
- Cuisine: American
