Description
Slow Cooker Creamy Crack Chicken Soup: A comforting and crowd-pleasing dish made with cream cheese, ranch seasoning, and tender chicken. Easy and delicious!
Ingredients
Scale
- 1½ pounds (680g) boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 8 slices (½ pound/225g) bacon, cooked crispy and crumbled
- 8 ounces (225g) cream cheese, softened and cubed
- 1 packet (1 ounce/28g) ranch seasoning mix
- 4 cups (950ml) chicken broth
- 2 cups (475ml) half-and-half or heavy cream
- 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 cup/150g)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups (300g) corn kernels (fresh, frozen, or canned)
- 1 cup (100g) shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoons (16g) cornstarch (optional, for thickening)
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (adjust to taste)
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Step 1: Prepare Your Ingredients Begin by cooking your bacon until crispy either in a skillet or in the oven. Once cooled, crumble it and set aside. Remember to reserve about one-third for garnishing later. Place your chicken breasts in the bottom of your slow cooker, making sure they’re arranged in a single layer for even cooking. Season them with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper.
- Step 2: Add Base Ingredients Pour the chicken broth over the chicken breasts. Add the diced onion, minced garlic, and red pepper flakes to the slow cooker. Sprinkle the entire packet of ranch seasoning evenly over everything, ensuring it’s distributed well throughout the liquid. The ranch seasoning is what gives this Slow Cooker Creamy Crack Chicken Soup its distinctive flavor profile.
- Step 3: Start the Cooking Process Cover your slow cooker and set it to cook on low for 6 hours or on high for 3-4 hours. The low and slow method yields the most tender chicken, but both approaches work well. Resist the urge to lift the lid during cooking as this releases heat and extends cooking time.
- Step 4: Shred the Chicken Once the chicken is cooked through and tender, remove it from the slow cooker and place it on a cutting board. Using two forks, shred the chicken into bite-sized pieces. The chicken should pull apart easily – if it doesn’t, it may need more cooking time. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker.
- Step 5: Create the Creamy Base Add the cubed cream cheese to the slow cooker and stir gently until it begins to melt. Add the half-and-half or heavy cream, corn kernels, and two-thirds of the crumbled bacon. Stir to combine everything well. Cover and cook on low for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is completely melted and incorporated.
- Step 6: Finishing Touches About 10 minutes before serving, add the shredded cheddar cheese and stir until melted and incorporated. If you’re using the cornstarch slurry for thickening, add it now and stir well. Taste your soup and adjust seasonings as needed. Your Slow Cooker Creamy Crack Chicken Soup should now have a rich, velvety consistency and amazing aroma.
Notes
Fresh ingredients will always yield the best flavor results.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1.5 cups
- Calories: 450 calories per serving
- Sugar: 6 grams
- Sodium: 1050 mg
- Fat: 28 grams
- Saturated Fat: 14 grams
- Unsaturated Fat: 10 grams
- Trans Fat: 0 grams
- Carbohydrates: 15 grams
- Fiber: 1 gram
- Protein: 30 grams
- Cholesterol: 145 mg