Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches, also sometimes referred to as “crack chicken” are made with bacon, cream cheese, chicken, cheddar cheese and ranch seasonings and they’re a family favorite!
We love using our slow cooker during the fall and winter months because the food that it makes is always so comforting, like our favorite Ultimate Slow Cooker Pot Roast and Slow Cooker Brown Sugar Garlic Chicken which are family favorites.
Slow Cooker Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches
Crack Chicken may not be a term of endearment I’d use for this chicken but it is widely known by the name so we should at least mention it. Let’s refer to it here on out though at Chicken Bacon Ranch Sandwiches, which I don’t know about you but that makes my mouth water.
The process of making this recipe is pretty hands off and fairly similar to the one used in making Buffalo Chicken Dip. The chicken and cream cheese and cheese and seasonings are all added to the slow cooker ahead of time. The only thing you have to add to your sandwich separately is the extra cheddar if you’d like it and the crumbled bacon.
Side Note: I know we’d love a dump and go crockpot crack chicken recipe but there’s no version of this that tastes good where you add the bacon to the crockpot. Just either buy crumbles or know you’re going to cook it off before making the sandwiches for the best flavors.
We love slow cooker sandwiches on the site, I’m sure you’ve probably seen them. Here’s some of our favorites!
- Ultimate Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Chicken Caesar Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker Philly Cheese Steak Sandwiches
- Slow Cooker BBQ Beef Sandwiches
HOW DO YOU MAKE PULLED chicken SANDWICHES IN THE SLOW COOKER? HERE ARE SOME GREAT TIPS!
- Use skinless meat: Use skinless and boneless meat so you don’t have a lot of extra fat in the recipe.
- Season well: Since you’re adding all the seasonings in here and liquid will be a part of the results you want to season really well. in this case your packet of seasoning does the job for you but in other recipes make sure to season aggressively.
- Thicken your sauce in the slow cooker: If you’re adding sauce to your sandwiches, warmed sauce is infinitely more delicious that cold bottled sauce and the meat will stay moist in the slow cooker with the added sauce. In this case the sauce the sauce comes with the recipe, but in general be sure to manage your liquids in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts boneless skinless
- 16 ounces cream cheese 2 boxes
- 1 packet ranch seasoning
- 1 cup cheddar cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 8 slices bacon crumbled
- 8 slices cheddar cheese
- 8 hoagie rolls
Instructions
- Add the chicken, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, cheddar cheese and garlic powder to a slow cooker and cook on low for 7-8 hours or on high for 3-4 hours.
- Toast the hoagie rolls, scoop on the chicken and top with cheddar slice and crumbled bacon.
Nutrition
How many ounces or grams is a serving?
I’d say about 1 cup is a serving.
Sabrina, can you use ranch dressing and if so how much would you you use?
No, you need the seasoning dry mix.
What is the calorie count without the hoagie roll? Plus the Carb count is that with out the hoagie roll since the roll has to have more carbs in it then the dish itself?
This nutritional facts include the hoagies roll but it looks like there’s a glitch in the program because the carbohydrates should read at 38g not 3g. I’ll have my developer look into it, thanks!
Can you use buttermilk ranch packet?
Yes 🙂
Do you shred the chicken?
I like it shredded so at the end of the cook time, I take two big forks and just shred the chicken while it’s still in the slow cooker.
I must have missed something but do you take the chicken out at some point and shred it, or just cut slices when it’s finished cooking? Thnx
I usually just take two forks and shred it while it’s all in the slow cooker before serving.
What would need to be done if I wanted to add potatoes to the slow cooker??
I would make them separately.
Love this recipe. We call it Chicken Crack. I serve it on Hawaiian Sweet Hamburger or Slider Buns toasted.
I also add 1 extra packet of ranch (my family loves ranch)
1 can of cream of chicken soup
2 dashed of Louisiana hot sauce
Then they add more hot sauce if they want it.
This really was crack chicken, super rich and delicious and surprisingly filling. Only thing we changed was using leftover sesame buns from another recipe of yours, and we decided to toast them in the leftover bacon grease
Can you used pre-cooked chicken like shredded rotisserie chicken for a shorter cook time?
Of course!
Can I use frozen chicken?
No, it needs to be completely thawed otherwise it’ll release a lot of liquid and make it all soupy.
This was so easy and good! I did take one persons advice and use 1 cup of sour cream instead of one cream cheese. The crumbled bacon make it delicious and worth the time! Thanks for this recipe!
I will have to try and remake it this way. The cream cheese was a bit over powering for me.
Do you think I could cook the bacon just a bit and then pop the bits into the slow cooker with the rest of the ingredients? Maybe an hour before finished? Something about the bacon mixed in sounds really yummy… Especially if you were doing it over pasta and not in a roll
Sure 🙂
Got 2 thumbs up from the whole family. My husband mentioned that this would be amazing as an appetizer. And have toasted bread to dip in. So yummy!
Absolutely delicious! Perfect directions!
I cannot wait for tomorrow to come so I can have more!
Thank you!!!?
Is the calorie intake with hoagie rolls and how many cups is a serving size? Thank you for your help!
Yes though it may need to be adjusted depending on the size of your roll. Each serving is around 1/2 cup. Enjoy!
I make this all the time. My family loves it.
I see several comments about serving it with rice. Any thoughts on mixing in pasta, like a penne maybe, or is that a terrible idea?
I’ve never tried it but I think it would be delicious! Try serving it over the pasta as a start.
Can this be made in an instant pot?
I haven’t tested it but I’m sure you might be able to find a similar recipe online using one and follow that as a guideline.
I’ve had a friend make this and bring it into work on a potluck day, it was AMAZING!
I was curious if you think cooking it on low for 10hrs would be okay… I work 10hr shifts and wouldn’t have time to stir it or anything until after that. Thanks in advance.
I made this for a small family get together and it was a hit. If I made it again I would use half the amount of cream cheese. I love cream cheese but it was a bit rich, even for me. So easy! The texture was perfect..about like chicken salad. I thought it would be soupy as it cooked but it turned out great.
Hi Sabrina, this was excellent, my whole family enjoyed them, even my son who is extremely picky. I made them just the way you recommended and turned out perfectly. Will be making them again.
If i double the recipe will i need to cook it longer? Thanks in advance.
oh sorry and im in australia so i have to make my own ranch seasoning could you please tell me how many grams 1 pack of ranch seasoning is please? thanks again
I believe it’s 28.3 grams. Good luck!
My husband and I loved it! I used more chicken and put it in small tortillas shells.
Maybe about 30 minutes longer but make sure not to overcrowd the slow cooker so you may need to use a larger one so that it cooks evenly. Good luck!
Do you think I could make this Friday at home, put it in a container and heat it up Saturday in a crock pot?
Headed out ice fishing with my family and like to have all my meals prepped and done just need to heat it.
Thanks
Yes, just make sure it doesn’t dry out when reheating.
Does this need to be stirred or should the chicken be flipped over Half way through ? Thanks !
You can stir it up if you’d like. No need to flip the chicken.
I am interested in making this today, but have a Nesco. What temperature should I bake this on since I do don’t have the crockpot “high” or “low” settings.
Low would be around 200 degrees and high would be 300 degrees f. Hope this helps.
This recipe is so yummy and so easy! We put it over rice! Love!
Thanks for coming back to let me know how much you enjoyed it!
Kinda soupy
Oh no! Was your chicken completely thawed before adding it to the slow cooker?
Can I add cream of chicken to it for more liquid? Just seems weird I don’t need to add any liquid .
I’ve never tried it so I’m not sure how that will turn out. The chicken will release some liquid when it’s cooking down so you don’t need to worry about adding additional liquids. I hope you decide to give it a try.
If you add any more liquids to it, it will come out very soupy. The cream cheese breaks down and mixes with the juice from the chicken and creates the perfect consistency. Hope that helps 🙂
It was a hit at our house for football Sunday. Great for a bunch of hungry guys and kids!!
This is perfect for football Sundays and hungry crowds lol! 🙂
I have made this a few times now and we all fight for the last drop!! This stuff is addictive and so yummy!! We’ve made sammies, used it on crackers like a dip, and served it over rice! I add a package of real bacon bits (like the salad topping kind) right in the mix then add more bacon slices on the sammies. I like to cook on high for 2 hrs and then switch to low for about 4 more hrs.
While this is richer and saltier than we normally eat, it’s pretty tasty and makes for great leftovers. I tend to make this when my brothers-in-law are over, they love it and there is never anything leftover.
It’s definitely not something we indulge in all the time, but it’s a great treat when people come over!
I love this taste but find it a little thick/pasty. Any ideas for thinning it out a little? Thanks
I would stir in some chicken broth until you get the consistency you are looking for. 🙂
Just awful. Cooked on low for 8 hours. Consistency and taste of salty, cheesy, burnt baby food. Not my cup of tea. Sorry.
So sorry to hear that it wasn’t to your taste. Thanks for letting me know.
I forgot to take a picture before we started eating it. I needed to cook it longer than four hours on high. That’s okay because I was able to stir it to shred the chicken. This was amazing. The hoagie buns I got were smaller commercial ones and we have some left over. Worked out for the five of us. Thanks for the recipe. Delish!
So happy that they turned out for you! Thanks for letting me know!
For left overs the next day, do you think it could be used cold as like a chicken salad in a wrap?
That sounds like it would be delicious!
Instead of on a roll, thoughts on having over rice or noodles. Thanks.
I bet that would be great, especially over the rice!
Making for the 3rd time. Big hit with my son. Only use 1 pk cream cheese think it tastes better.
Glad you and your boy love it! Thanks for letting me know it’s a hit!
I made this with chicken breasts and actually left them whole. I used the sauce over top as an entrée and not as a sandwich. This was delicious! No changes for me! I just omitted the shredding and the roll. Breasts were totally tender and juicy! Thanks so much for sharing!
So glad you liked it!
This recipe sounds amazing! Do you know if there’s room in the crockpot to double the recipe? I have a large family to feed!
I think as long as your slow cooker is at least a 6 qt you should be fine. You just don’t want it too overcrowded. You need room left for it to cook thoroughly. Good luck!
If I double the recipe in a 6.5qt crockpot, how much longer should i cook it?
You might need an additional 30 minutes but I would keep checking so it doesn’t dry out. Good luck!
Sorry, I’m still confused about the cream cheese. 16 oz total or 32 oz total? I bought 16 and am ready to load the slow cooker but now I’m confused after reading all the reviews and don’t want to waste all my ingredients if I need to buy another 16 oz. Thanks for anyone’s help. Sounds yummy.
So sorry for the confusion, I know it’s been a little all over the place!
You are using 2 8oz boxes of cream cheese, for a total of 16 oz.
Hope this turned out okay!
Thank you for the clarification! I’ll be making it tomorrow and will let you know how it turns out. Looking forward to it!
You’re welcome! Can’t wait to hear how it goes!
This was absolutely DELICIOUS!! I made mine with boneless, skinless chick thighs. Cooked in crockpot for 4.5 hrs on low and then I added REAL bacon. Gotta do that! So stir it up and the chicken will fall apart on its own. It would be great with rice. This is rich but very good!! We ate it as it was with rice and a veggie on the side! Thank you for this and it will be on our rotation! Oh, btw…I think it would be great as sliders or as a chip dip kind of thing.
We aren’t fans of ranch seasoning. Are there other seasonings that would work?
I haven’t tried it using any other type.
Has anyone tried this with the instant pot?
I’m about to. Im wondering if I should do the chicken alone with the seasonings and then add the cheese, or just go all in. I’m going to try high pressure for 20 minutes and a natural release.
How did it turn out?
C’mon guys, this was so easy to make I can’t see how it didn’t turn out for some people. Just follow Sabrina’s instructions which is to add everything to the slow cooker except the bacon and cheese slices. Of course you have to shred the chicken in the end to serve, do you need to be told to do that??
That being said, I found this recipe to be too rich for my palate although I’m sure others would love it. I had to serve it with dill pickle slices to cut the richness.
Sabrina, thank you for your simple to prepare delicious recipes. I’ve made your rosemary chicken countless times and your chicken marsala is the bomb!
At what point do you shred the chicken? How often do you stir the ingredients – is it just when everything is melted at the beginning? Thanks
I just gave it a quick stir in the beginning and shredded the chicken at the end. Enjoy!
Can i use lquid ranch instead of powder?
No
Pretty good! Made it last night and it turned out delicuious! The recipe didn’t say to shred the chicken but I assumed it to be the case and was perfect. My only addition was sliced green onions. I had a bunch left over from another recipe so I threw them in and it blended well!!
Can’t wait to try! Are you referring to the 0.4 Oz ranch seasoning packets?
It should be a 1 ounce packet. I hope you enjoy it!
this is so good! it lives up to its name! thank you for sharing it. the only thing i did different was use only half a pack of ranch because i cant stand much salt. I put it on onion rolls. perfect
Thank you for the recipe. My family enjoyed it. I did freeze some of it, would you please tell me how do I thaw it. Also can this dish be warmed up. Please let me know. Thank you!!
I would place it in the refigerator overnight to thaw. To warm back up, place it either in the microwave or on the stove top with a bit of water to help keep it moist. So glad you enjoyed it.
I work long shifts , which means I would have to leave this in there for abt 11hrs. do you think this would be okay? What if I used half frozen chicken to make sure it doesn’t dry out?
You don’t want to start with frozen because it’ll release too much liquid during the cooking process making it soupy. As far as being in the slow cooker for longer, as long as yours has a warm setting that it automatically switches to, you should be ok. Good luck!