Secret Ingredient Creamy Ranch Slow Cooker Chicken
The secret ingredient here is just like in my secret ingredient chocolate chip cookies…..CREAM CHEESE! There are many recipes like this floating around on Pinterest. Each one changes an ingredient or 2, so I took a chance and made my own version of this popular crockpot dish. I admit, I was skeptical at first! The sauce seemed to almost look broken as it cooked. BUT, hang in there because at the end, after a stir, this was the most amazing and creamy chicken! This is definitely a WOW dinner. I shredded the chicken off the bone at the end and poured the sauce over it. This chicken was so good served with rice in taco shells!!! I hope your family loves this one as much as mine did!
You’ll Need:
A Crock Pot
Ranch Packet Dressing
Secret Ingredient Creamy Ranch Slow Cooker Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 lbs chicken thighs bone in and skin on (Use 4 lbs if you want less sauce for pasta)
- 1 T.olive oil
- 1 onion diced
- 8 ounces cream cheese room temp cut in cubes
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 package Ranch Dressing Mix You are using the dry mix in this recipe!
- chives for garnish
- 4 slices bacon cooked and crumbled for garnish (I forgot to add this!!!!!! Next time for sure!!!)
Instructions
- Heat oil.
- Saute onion.
- Add chicken and brown both sides in oil.
- Remove chicken to plate and drain excess oil.
- Pour in the chicken broth.
- Stir in the ranch dressing mix powder.
- Top with cubes of cream cheese.
- Add chicken back in.
- Cook on high 4 hours. I stirred mine every hour or so to help the sauce along and combine the cream cheese into the sauce. Don;t be worried if sauce looks funky, it will come together in the end!
- Remove from sauce and shred chicken, discarding skin/bones.
- Pour sauce over chicken and top with chives ad bacon crumbles.
- *NOTE: I just made an updated version of this! I poured 1 cup broth on the bottom of crockpot. Laid 3 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts on top. Sprinkled the ranch dressing on top and added the cubed cream cheese. Cooked on low 8 hours, used 2 forks to shred the chicken and stirred the sauce. Topped with bacon and it was amazing!
