It's 5:30pm on a Tuesday night.
Your entire family just got home from all of their busy days. Your kids had sports and music practice, leaving them hungry. You and your spouse just got off work and the last thing you want to do is prepare a gourmet meal.
And between homework, chores and play time, there's little time for anything extra. Like, say, meals.
You're all hangry and tired and you need food stat.
I cannot even tell you how many time my family has been in this exact situation. Since then, we've put together tons of easy Slow cooker and InstantPot recipes that can be thrown together in 5 minutes in the morning, or taken care of in less than 30 (cooking time included!) in the evening.
So when you see this horribly, hangry weeknight situation headed your way like a runaway train, give this recipe a try:
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
I'm not kidding when I tell you this magical fact about Slow Cooker Crack Chicken:
it takes 4 ingredients and less than 5 minutes to put together.
No joke.
Also everyone – from my husband, to my 4 year old and even my in laws – all LOVE this!
It's super simple to make:
Put 4 chicken breasts in the bottom of a (linked) slow cooker. It's totally ok for them to be completely, totally frozen. Keep it easy.
Dump 2 packets of ranch dressing mix over the chicken breasts.
Then place 2 blocks of cream cheese on top of the chicken.
Set the slow cooker to low for 8 hours, then hustle out the door to work & school.
When it's almost time to serve the Crack Chicken, microwave some bacon, crumble it, an stir it in. Bonus points if you also microwave a broccoli steamer to serve the Slow Cooker Crack Chicken over.
Affiliate Links: the following links will take you to some of the tools I used to create this recipe. When you purchase through my link, I get a small commission, at no cost to you, which helps to support the cost of running this site. This means more FREE recipes and resources for you.
You May Also Like
- Crockpot Taco Soup (THM:S, Keto, Low Carb)
- InstantPot Cauliflower Soup with Crispy Sausage (Whole30, THM:S, Keto, Low Carb)
- Low Carb Mozzarella-Stuffed Meatballs (THM:S, Keto , Low Carb)
- Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Burgers (THM:S, Keto, Low Carb)
- Slow Cooker Spanish Chicken & Rice (THM:E)
- Quick Crockpot Cheesy Chicken & Broccoli Soup (THM:S, Keto, Low Carb)
- Slow Cooker Chicken Mushroom Stroganoff (THM:S, Keto, Low Carb)
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken is Low Carb, THM:S, and Ketogenic. Be sure to visit my Recipe Index for more Low Carb/Keto recipes!
Macros:
410 Calories
32 Fat
4 Net Carbs
28 Protein
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Recipe
- 4 Chicken Breasts, frozen (about 2 pounds)
- 2 Ranch Dressing Seasoning Packets
- 2 8oz Blocks of Cream Cheese
- 8 slices Bacon, crumbled
- Place the frozen chicken in a lined slow cooker. Shake the ranch dressing mix over the top.
- Top the chicken with both blocks of cream cheese, then cover and set to cook for 8 hours on low.
- minutes before serving time, shred the chicken and mix the cream cheese in with everything in the slow cooker. Microwave the bacon (directions linked above), then crumble, and stir into the chicken.
Throw this together in the morning, & then drop me a line and let me know how you like it!
xoxo,
Gretchen
Like easy recipes? Subscribe to the FMJ newsletter for access to new (free) recipes, tips, and exclusive discounts!
This post may contain affiliate links. See my disclosures for more information.
MrsSkiz says
December 15, 2017 at 1:28 pmCan this be made in the instant pot? I just received one early for Christmas so am new to this but I’m always forgetting to even do the crockpot and this recipe sounds wonderful.
Jenn says
December 18, 2017 at 5:05 pmI’m trying it in my pressure cooker tonight and can let you know how it turns out!
Lauren Hagood says
January 22, 2018 at 6:53 pmAny update on trying it in the Instant Pot?
Chelsea says
January 30, 2019 at 5:21 pmI made it in an instapot and cooked it on high for 15 min. Instant released it and then took chicken out shredded it. And then added bacon and chicken back stirred and served
Christina says
February 1, 2019 at 8:40 pmNot sure what instapot younhave but some how I bought a really smart one that has a burn feature on it and in less than 2 mins it burned…. did you add liquid to you pot?
Needless to say in the crockpot it went! Guess I’ll have it for breakfast!!
Also I calculated 8g carbs…. 4 from cream cheese and 4 from ranch. What am I doing wrong?
Cheese 2g x8 servings=16/4 servings…4g
Ranch 1gx16/4=4…
4+4=8g carbs
I’m doing 1/2 the recipe
Caylei says
February 7, 2018 at 10:04 amIs this 4 net carbs total or per serving?
Diane says
July 24, 2018 at 6:16 pmIt has to be per serving..just the carbs in the ranch and cream cheese alone..!! I’d like to know what a serving is??
Barbie says
August 30, 2018 at 8:49 amDo you think cauliflower rice might be good in it?…Sounds so yummy just thinking of the old time chicken and rice dinner..what ya think?
Heather says
February 10, 2018 at 9:10 amCan you cook this on high?
Addie says
February 10, 2019 at 1:33 pmAlso wondering this! Was thinking high for 4 hours. Did you try?
Jo says
February 17, 2018 at 3:27 pmWhich brand of ranch seasoning do you recommend? All the ones I found are very high in carbs (typically 1-3 carbs per 1/2 teaspoon)!
JD says
March 31, 2018 at 3:06 pmJust made this chicken and holy moly, it’s good! We’re always looking for new low carb recipes to add to our meal prep rotation and this was added! Thanks so much!
Kerry Gillespie says
April 4, 2018 at 11:08 amCan i use ranch dressing instead?
Scott says
April 7, 2018 at 2:15 pmMade this last night very delicious 👍👍
Gretchen Lindow says
April 9, 2018 at 9:28 amYes! Sooo glad you loved it!
Laura says
April 8, 2018 at 11:45 am4 whole chicken breasts ? 2 blocks of cream cheese and two packets of ranch seem like alot???
Gretchen Lindow says
April 9, 2018 at 9:28 amYep, that’s correct!
Carol says
April 19, 2018 at 6:36 pmYou could always half it and use 2 breast 1 pkg ranch and 2 block of cream cheese
Caitlin Gentry says
November 10, 2018 at 10:49 amHow would you adjust the cooking time when halving the ingredients like this?
Katie says
October 30, 2018 at 4:34 pmSome people do have bigger families. This is perfect for my family size. Thanks!
Sus says
April 11, 2018 at 11:42 amI don’t know the answer to this question, but I agree. Not only is it super high carb, but all commercially made ranch dressing I find has MSG, or gluten hidden as “other seasoning”. I make my own. I bought bags of onion powder, garlic powder, and buttermilk powder from Amazon, then added spices I already had on hand. People loved it so much I gave it all away as gifts, and the non=celiac people never missed the sugar, gluten or carbs. Just google homemade gluten free ranch dressing mix- there are dozens of recipes out there and they have different spice combos. I add chipotle powder to mine for a a spicy version my kid loves.
Deb says
May 5, 2018 at 8:18 amHi I agree with you! “Low carb recipe” but do not want to make with chemical laden packaged dressing- it is not healthy! Thanks for the tip on homemade ranch. Never heard of powdered buttermilk.
Lynda says
April 11, 2018 at 2:44 pmWhat r people serving with the crack chicken?
Cindi says
June 27, 2018 at 2:39 pmI have tried this recipe before and love it! I was thinking about shredding the chicken after it’s all cooked and serving on large portabella mushrooms. I think it would work and be good!
Cindi says
June 27, 2018 at 2:43 pmShred the chicken and serve over large portabella mushrooms
Holly Wilde says
January 9, 2019 at 8:15 pmWe are doing Shiritaki noodles (keto friendly), with a large side salad.
I’m also making keto garlic bread sticks I found on Pinterest.
http://www.delish.com/cooking/recipes-ideas/a22687489/keto-garlic-bread-recipe/
terra anderson says
April 16, 2018 at 1:46 pmGreat recipe just looking for serving size? I see there’s 8 servings to recipe. Tia
Tricia Mitchell says
April 17, 2018 at 7:45 amMy chicken is already thawed. What happens if I use thawed chicken instead of frozen?
Stacie says
December 30, 2018 at 2:30 pmI was hoping to see the answer to this. My chicken is thawed, worried i need to add a little liquid. I have seen other recipes that call for broth or water. I may put a half cup of water.
Jill says
February 6, 2019 at 7:56 pmThe recipe doesn’t require frozen chicken; it just says that you CAN use frozen chicken if you’re in a hurry.
Angie Luke says
April 17, 2018 at 10:34 amHow long would you cook fresh chice on low?
Lara says
June 24, 2018 at 5:12 pmI love crack chicken! I’ve only made it in my Instant Pot before, but I was looking for a recipe to share with my Aunt who doesn’t have an Instant Pot and I found yours. Thank you!
Shelley says
November 6, 2018 at 9:47 pmHello Laura. I would like to make it in my instapot. How did u do it? I’m new to instapot
Brittany says
June 26, 2018 at 5:18 pmThis was great! Made it with mashed potatoes but was a little too rich. Going to try it in a wrap for work lunches!
Tiffany says
October 3, 2018 at 8:09 amBet it would be fabulous as a lettuce wrap!
marg k says
July 3, 2018 at 7:55 amyou give directions for a slo cooker but promote the hot pot. how long would you do it in the hot pot? fast cool down or slo
Dana says
July 19, 2018 at 11:34 amHow many cups in a serving
Jimmy says
July 31, 2018 at 6:37 pmWill it be ok if it slow cooks and stay on warm four hours longer? I work 12 hr shift.
Michelle says
September 13, 2018 at 11:16 amIf I’m going to be longer I sometimes plug the slow cooker into a timer and then it can turn on whenever I want.
Merrideth says
August 2, 2018 at 1:33 pmThis looks fantastic! I’ve tried something similar, but I added the bacon whole, and put it in way too early! I’ll have to try it this way. I can’t wait to see if it turns out better than my disaster.
S says
August 8, 2018 at 8:55 pmSO. MANY. CARBS!?!?
I made this for my husband and me during our first week of Keto. I thought, 3 carbs? This will be a perfect tasty dish!
While the dish was delicious, I went back and calculated all the carbs in the cream cheese and the ranch. We went WAY over our daily limit😩 The cream cheese itself was 64 carbs and the ranch packets were close to 60. I just used the full fat store brand cream cheese and hidden valley ranch packets. If there are certain brands with lower carbs, please comment, as I would love to try the dish again.
124grams(ranch, cream cheese)/8 servings=15 grams of carbs per serving. Again, it tasted great and we thought there weren’t too many carbs so we had seconds. Only to find out we had eaten 30 grams of carbs in one meal. Sad day.
Again, great dish but definitely not low carb.
Riesa says
August 11, 2018 at 9:00 amS, use the Philadelphia cream cheese. The nutrition shows <1 carb per ounce and full size packages are 8oz. I also think it tastes the best. I'm going to try this recipe this weekend!
Lillian T. says
August 16, 2018 at 9:21 amPhiladelphia cream cheese is <1 carb per oz and Hidden Valley Ranch is 16 carb per packet. The fitmomjourney listed macros is accurate.
Kimberley says
August 21, 2018 at 8:27 pmI tried this recipe today with my new instant pot and it was an epic fail. Was I supposed to stir the mixture together midway through or something? Also, the food feels warm not hot, so I stirred everything together and turned the heat up to medium. I’ll let it cook for 2 more hours and see how it turns out.
Miranda Siebenmorgen says
August 23, 2018 at 11:09 amCan I use boneless chicken thighs for this recipe?
Le says
September 19, 2018 at 11:16 amWhat size ranch packets are you using? I’m using the jar of dry mix and took a guess but it looked like a lot
T.P. says
September 20, 2018 at 5:39 amTried this recipe lady might but it was totally burnt when I checked it later. I only used 1 pack of cream cheese (only had 3 small chicken breast) and cooked it on low. Not sure what went wrong.
Gretchen Lindow says
September 20, 2018 at 11:44 amIt is most likely your slow cooker. Some run hotter than others. I used to have one like that and I had to get rid of it…
Lumena says
October 1, 2018 at 9:38 amMaybe your chicken wasn’t frozen? That adds additional moisture.
Laura says
September 22, 2018 at 8:19 amThis tasted so good. However, using the 2 packets of ranch made it sooooooooooo salty! I love salt but it was too much even for me so I think one packet would be just fine, I will definitely make this again!
Kelly says
October 7, 2018 at 2:40 pmFor serving size, if you are using a liner in your crockpot, weighing the final dish is super easy. Then all you have to do is divide by 8.
Lisa says
October 18, 2018 at 3:56 pmServing size???? Also I added spinach to mine and it was delish … a little salty but I love salt
Stacy M says
November 5, 2018 at 8:06 amCan i put this with spaghetti noodles? Im gonna try it out tonight!! Thanks
Gretchen Lindow says
November 6, 2018 at 12:55 pmIf you are keeping carbohydrates low, no spaghetti noodles. But if you’re eating carbs, then yes!
Nikky says
November 29, 2018 at 3:54 amOh yum. This is so so addictive. I made it both in the slow cooker and instant pot and can’t decide which version I love most.
Tracey says
January 22, 2019 at 5:44 pmHow long did you cook in the instant pot?
Fitlum says
December 5, 2018 at 12:17 amThis was so incredibly yummy! And easy! which was simply amazing. We will definitely be making this again! Thanks so much!
https://fitlum.com/low-carb-tortilla-chips-recipe/
Kimberly Gavin says
December 11, 2018 at 4:07 pmI made this and felt like the cream cheese was overwhelming. Wonder if there is something I could add or maybe I didn’t have enough chicken.
Janet says
January 28, 2019 at 9:10 pmI made it tonight, so good. I think I’ll kick it up a notch and put it over riced cauliflower then cover it in shredded cheddar and bake it until bubbly next time.
Gretchen Lindow says
January 29, 2019 at 12:14 pmYUM!
Richard says
February 19, 2019 at 7:15 pmHi,
In your recipe you’re instructing those who wish to cook this Crack Chicken to “Line their Crock Pot”.
My question is what do I line it with? Olive oil spray, Crisco, Parchment, etc,.
Yes, I’m new at cooking with a Crock Pot, hence my question.
Regards,
Richard
I says
February 26, 2019 at 12:08 amThey sell plastic liners for crockpots
Sherri says
April 19, 2019 at 12:50 pmHave you ever use thighs? I am going to use boneless chicken thighs and hoping it will be just as good. This sounds amazing…I’ll let you know! Thanks for sharing!