Cheesy Ranch chicken, also known as Crack Chicken, is a low-carb slow cooker recipe with 5 ingredients. Easily made into a dip or dinner, depending on how you serve it, this ultra-creamy combo of chicken, cheese, and bacon is sure to please!
If you’re looking for more of that crack combination of ranch seasoning, cheddar cheese, and bacon, you’re in luck! Check out other recipes like Keto Crack Biscuits, Easy Keto Crack Dip, and Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole to satisfy your craving for this irresistible flavor combo.
Table of Contents (click to view)
What is Crack Chicken?
This was the first question I had. What kind of recipe are we talking about here?
As it turns out, “crack chicken” is an amazing mixture of Ranch seasoned chicken cooked in a creamy cheese sauce, then topped with bacon. Wow!
I get that the name is kinda weird, so you can also call it “cheesy Ranch chicken”. I prefer that name myself.
Whatever name you decide on, the recipe is the same low-carb and gluten-free dish you can make again and again.
It’s a high-protein, high-fat combo that’s great for anyone one on a keto diet. I highly recommend this meal if you have picky eaters or little ones around! It’s very kid-friendly.
Additionally, a single recipe yields 8 servings so you know it’s an ideal choice for meal prep! Each serving is very filling due to all the fat and protein, so a little goes a long way. Dishing up portions straight from the crockpot saves dishes too and makes this an easy one pot meal with minimal clean up.
I’m sure you’ll find a place in your regular meal prep for this recipe. I know I’ll also save it as an easy appetizer because this is great party food for a crowd!
The versatility can’t be beat! Dress it up or down to best suit your needs.
How to Make Keto Crack Chicken
Gather five ingredients and you can prep creamy crock pot chicken in just five minutes!
Keto slow cooker recipes are some of the best for meal prep! This one doesn’t disappoint.
Ingredients
Chicken – Let’s add some protein to the dish! Choose bone-in or bone-out, skin on or off, thighs or breast.
You can also make crack chicken with rotisserie chicken, that’s a time-saving shortcut that has great flavor! If you use precooked meat, shorten the total cooking time by at least half. It will be much quicker since you don’t need to cook anything, but only want to make a warm sauce and get the flavors to infuse throughout the dish.
Cream cheese – This is essential for the creamy rich sauce!
Cheddar cheese – Not only does the orange cheese look beautiful once it’s melted on top, but it also brings an enjoyable tangy flavor and helps make the sauce ooey gooey.
Bacon – Cooked to a crisp, and then crumbled, the bacon gives a pleasant contrast of texture to the otherwise soft food.
Starting a subscription with a meat delivery service like ButcherBox is a great way to get organic and pastured pork bacon. Plus, having high-quality meat delivered to your door is so convenient!
Ranch seasoning packets – Here’s the big source of flavor! You can use pre-made packages or follow the DIY recipe listed in the recipe card below.
Need a grocery shopping shortcut? Check out ButcherBox and see if it’s the solution you’re looking for.
Meal prep is easier with top-notch protein, delivered to your doorstep. Having quality meals for a family without the grocery store chaos is one secret to stress-free cooking.
Directions
Follow along with these step-by-step directions, and you’ll make this keto slow cooker dinner perfectly the first time you try!
Add chicken to slow cooker and cover with seasoning. Top with cream cheese.
Cover the slow cooker with a lid. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours.
Once cooking time finishes, shred the chicken by using two forks and pulling the meat apart. Remove bones if needed. Stir well and thoroughly coat the chicken with sauce.
Fry bacon in a pan over medium heat on the stove. Remove and chop or crumble into small pieces.
Cover the chicken with bacon and shredded cheese. Put the lid back on and continue cooking on HIGH for 15 minutes until cheese melts.
Remove from heat. Mix bacon and cheese into the chicken or serve as is with them resting on top. Garnish with a tablespoon or two of fresh parsley if desired!
No slow cooker, no worries! If you want the deliciousness of ranch flavor with cheesy chicken, look no further than our Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole as another option. And if you need a creamy satisfying dip with similar flavors, try this Easy Keto Crack Dip Recipe!
Crack Chicken Recipe Cooking Tips and FAQ
You might be asking these common queries if you’re new to low-carb meal prep or don’t have much experience with slow cooking. Let me help!
This recipe is naturally low-carb. Per serving, there are 3g total carb, 2g net carb, 39g fat, and 37g protein. You can see it’s a very keto-friendly choice! You can check individual ingredient facts from FoodData.gov or reference this specific recipe’s nutrition per serving in the recipe card below.
Crack chicken is absolutely keto! It’s very versatile and great for the whole family. Plus, all ingredients are easy to find and budget-friendly.
The names comes from the original Crack Dip recipe and also hearkens to the dish being extraordinarily delicious and addicting.
As the ingredient list details above, this recipe only has 5 ingredients! You’ll need chicken thigh or breast, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, and Ranch seasoning. I give directions for a DIY seasoning mix in the recipe card, so you can choose between a homemade or store-bought option.
The ingredient list almost precisely mirrors the Crack Dip recipe ingredients but adds chicken. With the additional protein, the recipe becomes a more satiating and complete meal.
What to Serve with Crack Chicken
Cheesy ranch chicken is delicious as a dip or complete dinner meal! There are a variety of ways to serve crack chicken depending on your preference.
To serve as a dip, just scoop the mixture from the slow cooker and put it in a pretty bowl. Sliced bell pepper, cucumber rounds, celery sticks, and flax crackers are great for dipping.
This yummy dip is a nice appetizer or snack for a crowd or just yourself!
Make a keto dinner by pairing the cheesy Ranch chicken with steamed vegetables like broccoli, green beans, or cauliflower. It’s also nice over a bed of lettuce. Simple but satisfying!
I have to be honest and say it’s pretty amazing sandwiched between toasted psyllium husk keto bread too. Think about a creamy sloppy Joe and you’ll get a good idea of the experience. There are a lot of variations to try with this dish.
More Keto Slow Cooker Recipes
- Slow Cooker Keto Beef and Broccoli
- Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew
- Slow Cooker Keto Pot Roast
- Keto Shepherd’s Pie
- Slow Cooker Keto Ground Beef Stroganoff
Make keto Alice Springs chicken if you love cheesy chicken comfort food. It’s a crowd-pleasing dinner that never fails.
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken (Cheesy Ranch Chicken)
Equipment
- Slow Cooker
Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken thigh or breast
- 12 ounces cream cheese
- 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded
- 8 ounces bacon cooked and crumbled
- 2 1-ounce Ranch seasoning packets or follow the DIY option below
Ranch Seasoning
- 2 teaspoons parsley dried
- 2 teaspoons dill dried
- 2 teaspoons chives dried
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
- Add chicken to slow cooker and cover with seasoning. Top with cream cheese. Use the back of a spoon to smear the cream cheese over the meat.3 pounds chicken thigh, 12 ounces cream cheese, 2 teaspoons dill, 2 teaspoons chives, 2 teaspoons onion powder, 2 teaspoons garlic powder, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper, 2 1-ounce Ranch seasoning packets
- Cover the slow cooker with a lid. Cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH 3-4 hours.
- Once cooking time finishes, shred the chicken by using two forks and pulling the meat apart. Remove bones if needed. Stir well and thoroughly coat the chicken with sauce.
- Fry bacon in a pan over medium heat on the stove. Remove and chop or crumble into small pieces. Cover the chicken with bacon and shredded cheese. Put the lid back on and continue cooking on HIGH for 15 minutes until cheese melts.8 ounces bacon, 1 cup cheddar cheese
- Remove from heat. Mix bacon and cheese into the chicken or serve as is with them resting on top. Garnish with a tablespoon or two of fresh parsley if desired!2 teaspoons parsley
Notes
Nutrition & Macros
To obtain the most accurate representation of the nutritional information in a given recipe, please calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients and amounts used, using your preferred nutrition calculator. Under no circumstances shall the this website and the author be responsible for any loss or damage resulting for your reliance on the given nutritional information.
More Keto Chicken Dinners
- Keto Chicken Paprikash
- Fried Cabbage and Sausage Skillet
- 8 Keto Chicken Soup Recipes
- Keto Chicken Francese
Can this be made in an oven?
Hi Dave, I haven’t tried this recipe in an oven, but I’m sure it can be done. Start by following the recipe using an oven-safe dish instead of a crock pot. Then monitor the cooking time, generally, you half the time of slow cooker recipes when adapting to the oven. But it’s important to be aware of the food as it cooks and keep an eye on it. I suggest using a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken so you know it’s cooked through before shredding. Hope these tips help! Good luck!
My kids loved this!! I called it cheesy ranch chicken for them and now it is known as CRC in our house.
I usually serve it with rice (we aren’t keto) and the kids get so excited when it says CRC and rice on the menu planner 🙂
So easy to make and so much flavor. THANK YOU!
CRC! I love it! Thanks for the review Claire.
This recipe has all the magic words: chicken, cheddar, cream cheese and let’s not forget the best of all bacon.
We all love it so much that it has ben requested again, and soon.
Thank you.
Yes, ma’am. How can you go wrong when you see a recipe that this? So glad you’re family is loving it!
Brought this slow cooker crack chicken for a potluck and it was a crowd favorite! It was bursting with flavors and incredibly delicious. Such a keeper! Everyone was impressed!
Nice choice to bring this to a potluck! That’s a great idea. Thanks for sharing, Sharina.
My family devoured this dish. Even the picky eaters loved it.
Right?! How can you say no to cheesy chicken with bacon? Thanks for the review, Lisa.
My family flipped for this delicious chicken! What an easy meal. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Thanks for giving it a try and leaving a review. I’m so glad your family likes the recipe!