Fiesta Ranch Creamy Crockpot Chicken

Wonderfully creamy and seasoned Fiesta Ranch Chicken Crock Pot recipe

up close of a wooden spoon scooping up crockpot cream cheese chicken


 

This Crockpot 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!

This is our favorite Crockpot Ranch Chicken

Everything is better when its creeeeeeeeeeamy, right?!ย  This Crockpot 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. ย It makes a wonderfully easy chicken pasta sauce or sauce over rice.ย  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 Crockpot Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken with more depth of flavor, ย endless possibilities and crazy little effort.

The chicken cooks in a marinade of spices until it is tender enough to shred, then is shredded and topped with with cubed cream cheese and ranch seasoning. until the cream cheese melts, then then stir it all together for creamy, tangy Mexican ranch chicken AKA 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. ย  Because I love you.

slow cooker cream cheese chicken in a white bowl
ingredient icon

Fiesta Ranch Chicken Crock Pot Ingredients

Let’s take a closer look at what you need to make this recipe (measurements in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

  • Chicken:ย Both chicken breasts or chicken thighs will work in this recipe โ€“ your preference! If using chicken thighs, youโ€™ll likely need to reduce the cooking time.
  • Olive oil:ย Just 1 tablespoon helps insulate the chicken and prevent it from drying out while cooking.
  • Seasonings:ย The homemade fiesta spice rub is made of ground cumin, ancho chili pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dried oregano and salt.
  • Ranch seasoning:ย Use one (1 oz.) packet dry ranch seasoning mix (3 tablespoons). I use the Hidden Valley Ranch brand.
  • Cream cheese:ย Use 8 ounces of block cream cheese, not the kind that comes in the tub.
  • Hot sauce:ย Spice up your cream cheese chicken with hot sauce or cayenne to taste.
showing how to make Cream Cheese Chicken by adding chicken to crockpot

Seasoning Creamy Crockpot Chicken

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 donโ€™t have to go buy more for one recipe โ€“ 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.  Chili powder, on the other hand, often has other spices mixed with it where as ancho chili powder is 100% poblano peppers with nothing else included.

I personally think ancho chile powder is 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 wonโ€™t go to waste – and you can start with this recipe and my Blackened Fish Tacos  – so so good!

How to make Crock Pot Ranch Chicken

Let’s take a closer look at how to make this recipe with step-by-step photos (full recipe in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post):

To make Crockpot Cream Cheese Chicken:ย 

  • Prepare slow cooker.ย Lightly grease slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray. Add two tablespoons water.
  • Season Chicken.ย ย 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 chicken until tender.ย Cook on high for 2-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours or until chicken is tender enough to shred. ย  If your chicken is not easily shredding, it simply needs more time to tenderize.
  • Shred chicken.ย ย Remove chicken to a cutting board, and let rest 5 minutes then shred.ย  Drain excess liquid in slow cooker. Return shredded chicken to slow cooker.
  • Add cream cheese.ย ย 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.

adding Cream Cheese Chicken to tacos

Slow Cooker Cream Cheese Chicken in tacos

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ยฉCarlsbad Cravings by CarlsbadCravings.com

Slow Cooker Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken is wonderfully creamy, seasoned to perfection and is as easy as dump and run! It makes the perfect make ahead filling for taquitos, tacos and burritos!

Crockpot Ranch Chicken

Crockpot Fiesta Ranch Cream Cheese Chicken is wonderfully creamy, seasoned to perfection and is as easy as dump and run! ย  It makes the perfect make ahead filling for taquitos, tacos, enchiladas and burritos!
Servings: 8 servings
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours

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Ingredients

ADD LATER

  • 1 (1 oz.) packet dry ranch seasoning mix (3 tablespoons)
  • 8 oz. ⅓ less fat cream cheese, cubed
  • Hot sauce to taste

Instructions

  • 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.

Notes

*⅓ 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.

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