Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
Slow cooker creamy ranch chicken and potatoes is a super-easy dinner to make, and it only takes a few minutes to get it prepped and cooking. The delicious recipe, featuring plenty of ranch flavor, is perfect for those busy days when you don’t have a lot of time to cook but you need to feed the whole family.
A Family Favorite
Using the Slow Cooker
I love using my Crock Pot, or slow cooker, and try to take advantage of using it often, and I use it several times a week because it makes life easier.
You can place chicken, pork, ground beef, soup, or even cake in the slow cooker, and you don’t have to do much after prepping it and starting the timer.
I always enjoy trying different ways to make gravy, and this is one of the best and creamiest I’ve tasted. And, it’s super easy to make it with the combination of only a few ingredients. The gravy cooks up so wonderfully and tastes great on top of the chicken, pork, or beef. Typically, I put potatoes in the slow cooker with pot roast, but I decided to add them to this recipe, and they tasted amazing with chicken.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by adding two cans of condensed cream of chicken soup to a large bowl. You can either use two cans, or one large can of soup.
The fun thing about this recipe is that you can switch out the cream of chicken for cream of mushroom or celery to get different flavors for different meals.
Secondly, pour the milk into the bowl.
Thirdly, sprinkle the dry ranch dressing mix into the bowl.
Finally, add the minced onion, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix.
The Slow Cooker
Start by slicing the red potatoes into quarters and adding them to the slow cooker. You can use any type of potato that you like, such as russet potatoes or Yukon gold potatoes, just be sure to slice them into smaller pieces. Before I add the potatoes, I will grease the Crock Pot. It’s not necessary, but it does make clean-up a little easier.
Next, place the chicken breasts on top of the potatoes.
Pour the chicken soup mixture over the top of the chicken, add some butter, and close the lid. Set the timer on low for seven hours and don’t open the lid, if you can avoid it until the timer goes off.
You can also cook this on high for about four to five hours, but I personally think the chicken comes out more tender if you cook it on low for seven hours.
If you’re like me and forget to defrost your chicken, you can still place it in the Crock Pot frozen, but add at least one more hour to the cooking time.
Once the chicken is done cooking, take two forks and shred it. It should be super easy to shred because it’s so tender.
Once you shred the chicken, give everything a good stir and serve. I sprinkled a little bit of dry parsley over the top to make it look pretty, but that’s optional.
This tender chicken recipe fed all four of us–and my two boys can eat a lot– and we had plenty of leftovers. So, this meal will feed six to eight people, and it’s very filling.
Optional Additional Ingredients
- Baby carrots
- Bell peppers
- Diced green onions
How To Store The Easy Slow Cooker Recipe
Store any leftovers in an airtight container or cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.
Variations and Substitutions for the Recipe
This recipe is versatile and can be changed on occasion to get some different flavors. Here are a few variations you can try:
- Use boneless, skinless chicken thighs instead of chicken breasts for a juicier and more flavorful dish.
- Swap out the red potatoes for sweet potatoes, Russet potatoes, or butternut squash for different flavors.
- Add some chopped onions, diced bell peppers, or sliced mushrooms to the slow cooker for something different.
- Use a different seasoning mix, such as Italian seasoning or a packet of taco seasoning, to switch up the flavor of the dish.
More Mouthwatering Chicken Dinners
- Filled with tender chicken and fluffy dumplings, these cheap and easy Southern chicken and dumplings are the perfect cozy meal for fall.
- Hearty and simple, this crock pot chicken and rice is a set-it-and-forget-it dinner that’s both filling and family-approved.
- Topped with a buttery cracker crust, this Ritz cracker chicken casserole delivers the ultimate in creamy, comforting flavor.
- Full of savory ranch seasoning, this baked chicken and ranch dinner is an easy way to get a flavorful meal on the table fast.
- Smothered in rich, homemade gravy, this baked chicken and gravy recipe turns a simple dinner into a warm and comforting favorite.
Slow Cooker Creamy Ranch Chicken and Potatoes
Ingredients
- 4 boneless chicken breasts
- 2 – 10.5 ounce cans condensed cream of chicken soup
- 8 small red potatoes
- 1 ounce dry ranch seasoning mix
- 1 cup milk
- 1 Tbsp. dried minced onions
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. pepper
- 4 Tbsp. butter
Instructions
- Add the cream of chicken soup, milk, dry ranch seasoning, minced onion, salt, and pepper to a large bowl and mix.
- Next, cut the potatoes into quarters and add them to the slow cooker.
- Place the chicken breasts over the top of the potatoes.
- Pour the ranch mixture over the top of the chicken, top with butter and close the lid on the slow cooker.
- Set the time for seven hours and put the slow cooker on low.
- After the chicken cooks for seven hours, remove the lid, shred the chicken, stir the recipe, and serve!
That looks so tasty and I love how easy it is to make!
Thanks so much, Carlee!
How can I cook this in a Dutch oven? I’m out of town and my crock pot isn’t with me?
Hi Nancy, I haven’t made it in the Dutch oven yet, but I think you would cook it for about 1-1/2 to two hours on the stovetop. I am adding a link to a conversion guide in the post, toward the bottom near the recipe card. Thanks for your question!
7 hours on high or low ?
Hi Rylie! Seven hours on low. Hope you enjoy it!
How many pounds of chicken did you use? Thank you!
Hi! It was about two pounds. I used four chicken breasts for the recipe. Enjoy!
Made this in my instant pot last night…my 5 year old ate 2 helpings of it, most if the time I have to fight her to eat her food…will definitely be making it into the meal rotation.
Wow! I love to hear that. Thanks so much for sharing!
@Tyerra Nunley, How long did you leave it in the instant pot?
@Franchesta Rodriguez,
I cooked mine for 15 mins in the IP followed my a quick release.I used thawed boneless skinless chicken breast. Hope that helps!
Could you use chicken thighs instead of breast?
I’ve never used thighs, but I bet you could. Let us know how they work if you try it.
What time would you use if you wanted to speed things up and cook it on high?
I would try for 3.5 to 4 hours and then check the chicken. Hope you love it!
This is probably a dumb question, The ranch dressing seasoning. Are you talking about the ranch dressing you make from the package or is there another type for ranch seasoning?
Thanks
Not dumb at all! Great question. I either use the dip seasoning or ranch seasoning. You can make dip or ranch dressing. Both taste great. I will link what I use here.
https://www.hiddenvalley.com/products/ranch-dips/dips-mix-packets/original-ranch-dips-mix/
https://www.hiddenvalley.com/products/ranch-seasonings/seasoning-mix-packets/original-ranch-seasoning-mix-packet/
I will get the one ounce packets. Sometimes they come in a box of several and I will get that. If you can’t find them, you can also get generic.
Hope that helps!
Can I use frozen chicken breast and if so, how long to cook.
Hi Joan, I use frozen all the time. I am cooking a Crock Pot meal today and used frozen chicken. I would add maybe half an hour to 45-minutes to the time.
Could you please list the weight of the chicken breast, also the weight of the potatoes. Size varies so much with these items.
Thanks!
Hi Mother Mae,
I didn’t check the weight on these, but small or large potatoes and chicken will work with this dish. I usually serve one standard size chicken breast per person. The red potatoes should be a standard size. But, you can always add less or more. We love potatoes so we add extra potatoes sometimes. It won’t affect the time the meal cooks. That time and temp will stay the same. Hope that helps!
Can you dice up the chicken and then put in crock pot on top of potatoes instead of having to shredded it at the end?
I haven’t done that, but I think it would work great!
I just finished making it and it tastes a lot like a roast where I have a dominance of the potato flavor. Do you think it would be a good idea to add some extra ranch season now that it’s finished, or should I do that next time instead?
Hi Nathan, sorry I didn’t see this earlier. I would add extra when you’re cooking it. You can always add a little ranch dressing when it’s done if you want more of that flavor. What did you end up doing?
@Julie Pollitt,
I have a bottle of the ranch seasoning so I add a little extra in there. This has been one of my absolute favorite meals and I make it almost every time someone comes over!
Hi Nathan,
Ranch is always so delicious! Thanks for sharing and I am so glad you like it!
Making this tonight!!! Can’t wait to dig in!
I hope you love it!
So say I wanted to not add the potatoes and just do the chicken and the sauce, how would you suggest going about that?
Hi Lacy,
I would do everything the same, but maybe just use 1/2 cup of milk so there’s not as much liquid. Hope you love it!
Can you use russet potatoes instead of red potatoes?
Definitely! The cooking time and directions will remain the same. Hope you love it!
Could I make my own ranch mix if I don’t have any on hand?
You definitely can!