Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken

This Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken is a favorite go to dinner for busy nights!  If you have a crock pot, chicken, and a ranch packet, you are ready to go!  This meal only takes a 4 ingredients and just minutes of prep, let the crockpot do the work, and you have delicious creamy ranch chicken.  

this Recipe

Ranch is one of our favorite flavors in our house.  I often use a ranch packet or homemade ranch seasoning mix to as a shortcut to add flavor to my recipes.  This recipe makes a great base protein to eat on its own or use for something else.

All you need is a crockpot, chicken, and a ranch packet!

Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken can be served by itself, but is super delicious in meals like tacos, pizza toppings, on salads, sandwiches, wraps, and so much more.

Make sure to see all of my serving ideas below!

For more easy chicken recipes, make sure to check out my shredded chicken ideas here and my easy baked chicken ideas here!

Recipe Notes

This recipe is super simple and easy.  Even the most inexperienced in the kitchen can put this together and have it turn out beautifully.  I will share a couple of tips here I use to get the best result preparing the chicken, but make sure and hop down to get the full recipe in the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Ingredients

This recipe couldn’t be easier with just 4 simple ingredients!

• Chicken– I use chicken breast, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs will also work really well
• Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packet– or substitute my homemade ranch seasoning
• Chicken broth– sub water in a pinch, but broth has more flavor
• Cream cheese– I use regular cream cheese, you can substitute low fat cream cheese as well. Fat free doesn’t work well since it doesn’t melt smoothly.

How to Make Creamy Ranch Chicken in the Slow Cooker

Recipe Tips

1. Don’t overcook the chicken– Chicken does not need to cook for an extra long amount of time in the slow cooker. Doing so can produce dry, or chewy chicken.
   
   Though the time will vary based on the size of your slow cooker and the temperature and thickness of your chicken, a general rule of thumb, is to not cook chicken breast any more than 4 hours on low or chicken thighs more than 6 hours on low.
   
2. Soften the cream cheese– To get the cream cheese fully mixed and incorporated into the ranch chicken without lumps, make sure that it is completely soft before you mix it in. You can use one of these methods:
   • Leave it out- Take it out a few hours ahead of time and let it sit on the counter
   • Microwave it- Place the cheese (without packaging) on a microwave safe plate and microwave in 20 second increments until soft.
   • Crockpot- Place the cold cream cheese on top of the warm chicken in the crockpot. Without stirring, place the lid on the slow cooker and let it sit in the pot for 5-10 minutes. Then remove the top and stir.
     
3. Shredding the chicken– My favorite way of shredding chicken after cooking it is with my hand mixer.  It is so easy and takes about a minute to shred.  You can also use a fork if you prefer.

Recipe Variations

If you love this recipe as much as we do, try some of these other variations for fun new flavor options.

1. Chicken Bacon Ranch– Make recipe as directed. Once done crumble crispy bacon crumbles over the top. I highly recommend my homemade bacon bits! You can also add cheddar cheese for more flavor!
   
2. Slow Cooker Buffalo Ranch Chicken– Make recipe as directed. Once done, stir in 1/4-1/2 cup of prepared buffalo sauce to the chicken until combined.
   
3. Slow Cooker Chipotle Ranch Chicken– Make recipe as directed. Once done, add in diced chipotle peppers in adobo, along with a couple of spoonfuls of the sauce. Add more or less to preference.
   
4. Pulled Ranch Chicken– This is a non-creamy (dairy free) version of slow cooker ranch chicken

Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken Leftovers

You can freeze this chicken in an air tight container for up to one month.  You can also store the leftovers in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days.

Leftover Recipes

I love this chicken because you can add it to so many different recipes as the main protein.  This chicken is fine by itself but adds extra flavor when added to a few of my favorite recipes:

• Ranch Chicken Tacos – Change up your taco night by using ranch chicken.
• Ranch Chicken Chopped Salad –  I love a good salad, loaded with veggies.  Chop up some of your favorite veggies, add a hard boiled egg, cheese, ranch chicken, bacon and drizzle with ranch dressing.
• Ranch Chicken Pita –  Place your chicken on top of pita bread, add lettuce, tomatoes, olives, and feta, and drizzle with ranch dressing.
• Ranch Chicken Burrito Bowls –  This is my favorite way when serving a large crowd.  Pile all of your options inside a bowl.  I usually use romaine lettuce, black beans, rice, cheddar cheese, diced pepper, corn, avocado and of course top with ranch chicken drizzled with ranch dressing.
• Bacon Ranch Stuffed Baked Potatoes –  Place chicken, cheese, bacon on top of a baked potato. Broil for a few minutes to get to toppings crispy.  Then top with a dollop of sour cream.  YUM!

This should get you started with some really great ideas!  And if you need some ranch dressing to drizzle over the top of these dishes, my homemade ranch is easy to make.  Also I have a dairy free ranch too for those sensitive to dairy or on a Whole30 diet.

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