It’s finally nice out again so to maximize our outdoor time, we must shorten our meal prep time! That could only mean one thing, we’re back with my favorite appliance and a 5 ingredient Slow Cooker Ranch Chicken recipe. It’s packed with protein, takes no time at all to prep, goes with multiple things, and will last you the whole week!

Start this with your slow cooker and 2 cans of cream of whatever you want, I use a cream of chicken. If you don’t have access to cream of anything, I’ll put a quick healthier recipe to make your own below.

Add your cream of cans or homemade mix into the bottom of your slow cooker along with 1 packet worth of a ranch seasoning mix, and 2 ounces of milk, water, or broth.

Homemade Cream Of

• 2 1/2 Cups (591ml) Broth (Chicken or Vegetable)
• 1/2 Cup (118ml) Milk (Fat Free)
• 3 Tablespoons (22.5g) Corn Starch
• 1/2 Teaspoon (3g) Salt
• 1/4 Teaspoon (.5g) Black Pepper
• 1/4 Teaspoon (1g) Garlic Powder
• 1/4 Teaspoon (.8g) Onion Powder

Instructions

1. Whisk your corn starch into your cold milk until smooth.
2. Bring your broth to a simmer, whisk in the “slurry” you just made.
3. Simmer for 2-3 minutes, whisking, until thick.
4. Add whatever mix-ins you want (mushrooms, broccoli, chicken).

Mix all those ingredients together until combined.

Take out 3 pounds of fat trimmed chicken breast or boneless thighs and put them into your slow cooker. Move them around a bit to best submerge them into your slow cooker ranch chicken mix as much as possible.

Ranch Seasoning Mix

If you don’t have access to buying packets, this recipe makes around 1 packet worth of a homemade ranch seasoning mix. No buttermilk powder needed as the recipe uses cream cheese.

• 1 Tablespoon (5.2g) Dried Parsley
• 2 Teaspoons (1.6g) Dried Dill
• 2 Teaspoon (8g) Garlic Powder
• 2 Teaspoons (6.4g) Onion Powder
• 3/4 Teaspoon (4.5g) Salt (Or Less)
• 1/2 Teaspoon (1g) Black Pepper

I’m using chicken breast today since they were on sale but for the most part, I almost always try to use boneless chicken thighs nowadays for their tenderness. If you’ve never tried them? Do it and let us know your preference in the comments below!

Last, break up 1 1/2 blocks of reduced or fat free cream cheese over the top. I use my hands to quickly do this. You can alternatively use more less cream cheese depending on how “creamy” you want. Super creamy, go with 2 blocks. Less creamy, go with 1 block.

If you’d like to add a little heat or other textures to it, think Jalapeños, bacon bits, chives, the list is endless.

Put your lid on and let your slow cooker ranch chicken cook on low heat for 4-5 hours.

Around 30 minutes before it’s done, give everything a nice mix so that your cream cheese is fully incorporated. This is also the time where you could shred your chicken using 2 forks or the mixer method.

What’s the mixer method? This is when you remove your chicken from the slow cooker, place it into a mixing bowl, and use your hand mixer to break/shred your chicken up over a low speed. It speeds up the process and gives you a better shred!

Pro tip? If you want it thinner and more soup-like, add more milk or broth until you reach your desired consistency.

If your sauce ends up too thin after shredding, take the lid off for the last 20-30 minutes and let some of that extra moisture cook off. Too thick? Stir in a splash of broth or milk until it loosens up to where you want it.

Another thing you can do before it’s done is to make this a bit more macro-balanced. You can do this by making some pasta (12 ounces is good) on the side. Add that in right before your slow cooker ranch chicken is done!

I portion mine out into meal prep containers then reheat them in the microwave for around 2-3 minutes, making sure to stir around halfway through. This should also last you in the fridge for around 4-5 days and freezes great.

You can eat this as is, with a pasta like we did today, in a sandwich or wrap, as a soup or dip, load it into a baked potato, and so on!

Ready for a dessert? How about some Cottage Cheese Mousse?