Dump-and-Bake Crack Chicken

In the oven or in the slow cooker, this Dump-and-Bake Crack Chicken is an addicting easy dinner recipe that your family will love! Serve the creamy, cheesy, bacon and Ranch chicken in sandwiches, in wraps, on a salad, or over rice or pasta.

Total Time: 1 hour

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In the oven or in the slow cooker, this Dump-and-Bake “Crack Chicken” is an addicting easy dinner recipe that your family will love! Serve the creamy, cheesy, bacon and Ranch chicken in sandwiches, in wraps, on a salad, or over rice or pasta. So versatile, and so delicious!

What is “Crack Chicken”?

I’ve seen a variety of “Crack Chicken” recipes across the internet over the years, and I have no idea where it actually originated. The name of this recipe suggests that the meat is so delicious that it’s as addicting as crack…but we obviously know that’s not literally true!😀

While there are different versions of the dish with the same name, most of the recipes include slow cooked chicken breasts that are combined with ranch seasoning, cream cheese and bacon. Today, I’ve taken those same flavors to create my own dump-and-bake version of this popular dinner — with just 10 minutes of prep!

How to make Crack Chicken in the Oven:

To start, you’ll need:

• 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast (or thighs)
• 1/2 cup cooked, diced bacon

Place the chicken and the bacon in a dish.

Next, prepare the sauce. You’ll need:

• a packet of dry Ranch seasoning and salad dressing mix (just the dry mix — not prepared according to package instructions)
• olive oil
• red wine vinegar

Whisk together the sauce in a measuring cup or bowl.

Pour the sauce over the chicken and bacon.

Cover the dish and bake the chicken at 375 degrees F for about 45 minutes (or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F).

Once the chicken is cooked through, remove the cover and add 8 ounces of diced cream cheese. Return the dish to the oven and bake, uncovered, for about 5 more minutes — just until the cream cheese starts to melt.

When you pull the dish out of the oven, the cream cheese will be soft, but it will not be blended into the sauce. That’s fine!

Just shred the chicken in the dish using two forks, and then give everything a good stir. The cream cheese will melt and blend right into the rest of the ingredients, creating a creamy, cheesy sauce for your meat!

How to serve Crack Chicken:

This versatile dish can be served in a variety of ways, so pick whichever option works best for your family’s preferences. Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• In sandwiches
• In wraps or lettuce wraps
• Over rice or cauliflower rice
• Over pasta
• On salad
• Over mashed potatoes or mashed cauliflower

Can Crack Chicken be frozen?

I find that cream cheese-based sauces do not freeze well because the cream cheese can “break” when it’s reheated. This won’t make the dish unsafe to consume, but the texture isn’t very appealing.

Can you eat Crack Chicken cold?

You can absolutely refrigerate any leftover chicken to use at a later meal. The chicken will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.

Since the cream cheese firms up when it’s refrigerated, the texture of cold Crack Chicken is not nearly as good as the warm version. As a result, I suggest reheating your leftover chicken before eating.

How to reheat Crack Chicken:

To reheat your chicken, place the meat in a microwave-safe container, cover, and microwave until warm (about 2 minutes). Alternatively, you can put the chicken in a saucepan on the stovetop, cover, and warm over low heat.

Cook’s Tips and Recipe Variations:

• Buffalo Crack Chicken: drizzle your chicken with buffalo sauce for a spicy kick!
• You can substitute with 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the breast meat.
• If you prefer, you can cook the chicken in a slow cooker instead of baking it in the oven. The Crock Pot instructions are included below.
• Garnish the cooked meat with fresh herbs (I love a bit of fresh parsley or chives) for a bright burst of flavor and color.
• I like to use store-bought cooked bacon for a shortcut, but you can certainly cook your own bacon to use in this recipe instead.

Other easy baked chicken breast recipes that you might enjoy:

• Southern Baked Chicken Parmesan
• Golden Baked Chicken Breasts
• 5-Minute Honey French Baked Chicken Breasts
• “No Work” Baked Chicken

Did you try this recipe? Don’t forget to rate it and leave me a comment below! You can follow me on Facebook, on Instagram, on Pinterest, and on Twitter!

5 from 1 vote

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Dump-and-Bake Crack Chicken

In the oven or in the slow cooker, this Dump-and-Bake Crack Chicken is an addicting easy dinner recipe that your family will love! Serve the creamy, cheesy, bacon and Ranch chicken in sandwiches, in wraps, on a salad, or over rice or pasta.

Course Dinner

Cuisine American

Keyword baked chicken breast recipes, crack chicken recipe, ranch chicken

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour

Servings 6 people

Calories 421 kcal

Author Blair

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts (I used 4 chicken breasts that were about 8 ounces each)
• ½ cup cooked, chopped bacon (about 6 slices)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 1 (1 ounce) packet dry Ranch salad dressing and seasoning mix
• 8 ounces cream cheese, diced into small squares
• Optional garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

FOR THE OVEN:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 2-quart baking dish with cooking spray.
2. Place chicken breasts and bacon in prepared dish.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar and dry salad dressing mix. Pour over the chicken and bacon.
4. Cover tightly with foil. Bake (covered) for 45 minutes, or until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. Add the cream cheese to the dish, cover, and return to the oven (uncovered) for 5 more minutes (or until the cream cheese starts to melt).
5. While the chicken is still in the dish, use two forks to shred the meat. Stir the chicken and sauce together until everything is combined. Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired.

FOR THE SLOW COOKER:

1. Add chicken and bacon to a slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar and dry salad dressing mix. Pour over the chicken and bacon.
3. Cover and cook on LOW for 4-6 hours or on HIGH for 2-3 hours (or until chicken is cooked through and tender).
4. Add cream cheese and cook for 5-10 more minutes. Shred the chicken, stir with the sauce, and garnish with fresh herbs.

Recipe Notes

• You can substitute with 2 lbs. of boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of the breast meat.
• If you prefer, you can cook the chicken in a slow cooker instead of baking it in the oven. The Crock Pot instructions are included below.
• Garnish the cooked meat with fresh herbs (I love a bit of fresh parsley or chives) for a bright burst of flavor and color.
• I like to use store-bought cooked bacon for a shortcut, but you can certainly cook your own bacon to use in this recipe instead.

Nutrition Facts

Dump-and-Bake Crack Chicken

Amount Per Serving (2 /3 cup of shredded chicken and sauce)

Calories 421 Calories from Fat 243

% Daily Value*

Fat 27g42%

Saturated Fat 10g63%

Cholesterol 147mg49%

Sodium 813mg35%

Potassium 659mg19%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 37g74%

Vitamin A 555IU11%

Vitamin C 1.8mg2%

Calcium 45mg5%

Iron 0.8mg4%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.