Slow Cooker Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken is wonderfully creamy, seasoned to perfection and is as easy as dump and run!
This Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken makes the perfect make ahead filling for taquitos, tacos, enchiladas and burritos! It’s the perfect busy weeknight dinner because you can virtually prep it and forget it until it’s time to load in enchiladas, quesadillas or Baked Fiesta Ranch Chicken Tacos! 
Everything is better when its creeeeeeeeeeamy, right?!
This Slow Cooker Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken was inspired by the traditional crockpot cream cheese chicken, sometimes called “Crack Chicken” in which you slow cook chicken with Italian seasoning or ranch seasoning, shred it and mix with cream cheese. It makes a wonderfully easy chicken pasta sauce or sauce over rice. The last time I devoured it was at a large family gathering where its ease and deliciousness fit the bill. While I enjoy that comforting version of crockpot cream cheese chicken, I looooove this spin into Slow Cooker Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken with more depth of flavor, endless possibilities and crazy little effort.
This make ahead Mexican Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken is is the perfect busy weeknight dinner as you can prep the chicken and virtually forget it until dinner time then quickly assemble into tacos (like my Baked Fiesta Ranch Chicken Tacos!!), or whatever your heart belly desires. Serve your chicken tacos with Cilantro Lime Rice or Restaurant Style Mexican Rice, Corn Salad or Southwest Salad and/or Pina Colada Fruit Salad or Fruit Salad with Honey Citrus Dressing.
What sets this chicken apart from traditional, often bland, Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken is the punch of Mexican seasonings. We mix a tablespoon olive oil with cumin, ancho chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, oregano and smoked paprika and rub it all over our chicken. Although I personally use ancho chili powder a lot, I shy away from sharing it in recipes because I try and use common pantry spices so you don’t have to go buy more for one recipe – but this ancho chili powder makes this chicken.
Ancho chili powder comes from ground dried poblanos and is more mild than cayenne or chipotle powder but still has a deep rich, smoky, mild sweet heat AKA perfect for this Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken. So I promise if you buy ancho chili powder I will start using it more in my recipes so it won’t go to waste – and you can start with this recipe and my Blackened Fish Tacos – so so good!
The chicken cooks in the marinade of spices until it is tender enough to shred. You shred your chicken, return it to the crockpot and then top it with cubed cream cheese and ranch seasoning. Cook for another 20 minutes to melt the cream cheese then stir it all together for creamy, tangy Mexican ranch chicken. The perfect canvas as is (I was devouring this chicken plain with a fork), or ready to make the best Mexican meal/tacos/enchiladas/nachos/burritos in minutes with beans, salsa, pico de gallo, guacamole and/or salsa verde. Because I love you.
Looking for more crockpot shredded chicken recipes?
- Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken
- Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken
- Slow Cooker Pineapple Salsa Chicken
- Slow Cooker Fajita Chicken
- Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
- Slow Cooker Honey Buffalo Chicken
- Asian Sweet Chili Sesame Chicken
- Slow Cooker Mongolian Chicken
Want to try this Slow Cooker Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken?
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©Carlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com
| Prep Time | 5 minutes |
| Cook Time | 4 hours |
| Servings | servings |
- 2 tablespoons water
- 2 pounds chicken breasts (not frozen)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ancho chili powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 1 (1 oz.) packet dry ranch seasoning mix (3 tablespoons)
- 8 oz. 1/3 less fat cream cheese, cubed
- Hot sauce to taste
Ingredients
ADD LATER
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- Lightly grease slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add two tablespoons water.
- In a small bowl, mix olive oil and seasonings EXCEPT Ranch seasoning. Rub mixture all over chicken then place chicken in the bottom of your slow cooker along with any remaining mixture. Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred, being careful not to overcook.
- Remove chicken to a cutting board, and let rest 5 minutes before shredding. Drain excess liquid in slow cooker. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker.
- Top shredded chicken with cubed cream cheese and sprinkle with ranch seasoning. Cook on HIGH an additional 20 minutes then stir in cream cheese until chicken is evenly coated. Taste and add hot sauce to taste if desired.
- Delicious as filling in tacos, taquitos, burritos, enchiladas, etc.
*1/3 less fat cream cheese is already quite soft but if you use regular cream cheese, then you will need to soften it before adding to slow cooker.
©Carlsbad Cravings Original
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You might also like:
Baked Fiesta Ranch Chicken Tacos
Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Honey Lime Chicken
30 Minute Mexican Chicken Corn Chowder
Crispy Jalapeno Popper Beef Taquitos
Cheesy Taco Pasta Bake (lightened up)
One Skillet Mexican Chicken and Rice
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