Crockpot ranch chicken
Shredded chicken in a creamy, cheesy ranch sauce that cooks itself, piled onto fluffy baked potatoes with green onions.
- 265 min total
- 20 min hands-on
- Anyone can make this
- Serves 6
- About $2.94 a serving
- 580 calories
- Good the next day
- Gluten-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 6 servings.
- 2 lb chicken breasts
- 2 tbsp ranch seasoning mix
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 6 russet potatoes, scrubbed
- 3 green onions, sliced
Each serving has about 580 calories, 46 g protein, 46 g carbs and 24 g fat, and costs about $2.94 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No chicken breasts? Boneless chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins work.
- No chicken broth? Vegetable broth or bone broth works.
- No shredded cheddar? Cheddar cheese or Mexican blend cheese or Monterey Jack cheese works.
- No russet potatoes? Yukon Gold potatoes work.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Lay the chicken in the slow cooker, sprinkle the ranch seasoning over both sides, and pour in the broth.
Scatter the cream cheese over the top.
Cube. Cubing means cutting food into chunky, even squares, usually three quarters of an inch to an inch. Same-size cubes cook at the same speed and brown on every side.
How you’ll know: Your pieces look like a handful of sugar cubes, a little bigger than diced, all close to the same size.
Cover and cook on LOW for 3 to 4 hours, until the thickest breast reads 165°F.
Timer: 210 min
Food safety: Chicken and turkey are done at 165°F in the thickest part. A thermometer is the only sure check. Without one, cut into the thickest piece: it should be white all the way through, with no pink.
the chicken right in the pot with two forks and until the cream cheese turns into a creamy sauce.
Shred. Shredding means making thin strips, either on the big holes of a grater or by pulling cooked meat apart with two forks. Shreds soak up sauce and mix evenly through a dish.
How you’ll know: Cooked chicken pulls apart into strands with little effort, and cheese comes off in long, loose strips.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Melt. Melting means gently heating something solid, like butter or cheese, until it turns liquid. Low or medium heat keeps it from browning or burning.
How you’ll know: It’s smooth and liquid, and butter may foam a little but hasn’t turned brown.
Dolly’s tip: If the cream cheese looks lumpy, keep stirring. It smooths out as the chicken breaks up.in the cheddar, cover, and leave it on WARM while you cook the potatoes.
Stir. Stirring means moving food around with a spoon or spatula so it cooks evenly and doesn’t stick. Unless the recipe says constantly, every so often is plenty, and it gives food time to brown.
How you’ll know: When you drag the spoon across the bottom, nothing is sticking or scorching.
Prick the potatoes all over with a fork and microwave them 12 to 15 minutes, turning halfway, until a knife slides in easily.
Timer: 13 min 30 sec
Split the potatoes, pile the ranch chicken on top, and scatter the green onions.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
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