Creamy and delicious, Crock Pot Chicken Casserole Recipe does not disappoint. Loaded with tons of ranch flavor, cream cheese and bacon for a meal that your family will go crazy for.
Crock Pot Chicken Casserole Recipe:
We love making crockpot recipes for busy seasons of life. It is so nice to come home to dinner ready and waiting for everyone to enjoy.
If you love our Crock Pot Crack Chicken Casserole Recipe, Slow Cooker Crack Chicken, Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta Recipe or our Crack Potatoes Recipe, your entire family will love this tasty Crock Pot Chicken Casserole Recipe. The ranch flavor combined with the bacon and cream cheese make this casserole anything but boring.
The kids will gobble this up and it is so easy to prepare. Spend less time in the kitchen and more time with your family. I love making recipe that my whole family enjoys.
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Casserole is a family favorite!
If you enjoyed our Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Recipe, you will love this delicious casserole. The chicken is so tender and amazing with lots of great flavor. This is very similar but in a casserole form.
We used egg noodles but really you can use any type of pasta. This chicken is amazing with anything. From penne and elbow to spaghetti and more use what you have.
What is Crack Chicken?
You may be wondering what exactly is crack chicken and why does everyone go crazy over it. It is the best chicken recipe! Crack chicken combines delicious chicken, cream cheese, bacon and ranch to make a mixture so tasty.
We added pasta to give Crack Chicken a twist. We love that everything cooks in the crock pot for a crowd pleasing meal.
Ingredients for Crock Pot Chicken Casserole recipe:
- Dry Elbow Macaroni
- Chicken Breast, Diced into 1 inch pieces
- Bacon, cooked and diced
- Cream of Chicken Soup
- Chicken Broth
- Cream Cheese, softened at room temperature
- Sour Cream
- Ranch Seasoning Packet (1 oz)
- Black Pepper
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese, divided
- Green Onions, thinly sliced
That is all you need. If you have just these few ingredients, you can make this amazing dinner for your family!
Keep scrolling for the full recipe. It is so simple and easy to make!
How to Make Slow Cooker Chicken Casserole:
- Combine Ingredients – In a large size bowl, beat together ingredients. Mix the cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, sour cream, ranch seasoning mix and pepper with a hand held mixer until creamy.
- Add other ingredients – Then gently mix in the chicken, half of the cheddar cheese and half of the chopped bacon. Stir by hand carefully until the ingredients are completely combined.
- Spoon in mixture to crock pot – Pour the chicken mixture into the crock pot.
- Cook Crack Chicken Casserole – Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours until the chicken is cooked through. We do not recommend cooking this one on high.
- Melt the Cream Cheese – Once the chicken is cooked through, stir in the cream cheese allowing it to melt.
- Cook Pasta – Cook the pasta based on the box instructions to al dente.
- Stir in Cook Pasta – After the cook time, gently stir the cooked pasta into the crock pot mixture.
- Add your favorite toppings – Top with the remaining shredded cheddar cheese, bacon and the sliced green onions.
- Melt cheese, then serve and enjoy – Cover and let the heat from the meal melt the cheese. Serve warm and enjoy.
Can I bake Crack Chicken Casserole?
Yes, you can bake this crack chicken casserole recipe. The process and the recipe is still the same, you will just pour the ingredients into a casserole dish. Then bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees.
Once it has baked for about 30 minutes, stir in pasta and top with cheese. This would be a great option if you have cooked chicken that you have leftover. Shred the chicken and add to the cream cheese mixture.
Can I make Crack Chicken and Rice Casserole?
Yes! Simply replace the pasta with rice for an amazing chicken and rice casserole type dish. It truly is the easiest recipe and just so simple to use what you have on hand.
We have used white rice, brown rice, and even cauliflower rice for a low carb option.
What to Serve with Crockpot Chicken Casserole:
Crock Pot Crack Chicken Casserole is a hearty meal, so we tend to make sides that are light. Here are some of our favorites.
- Simple Side Salad
- Corn on the Cob
- Delicious Roasted Green Beans.
Tips for Crock Pot Chicken Casserole:
- Cheese – When adding in the cheese, make sure you shred your own. Pre-shredded cheese contains added ingredients.
- Chicken – We used chicken breast, but you can easily chicken thighs or chicken tenderloins. We have even used rotisserie chicken for an easy option.
- Cooking in the Crock Pot – We recommend cooking this casserole on low only.
- How to cook in the Instant pot – Try our Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pasta Recipe
Variation Ideas:
- Change the Pasta – We used elbow macaroni pasta, but you use penne, rigatoni or even spaghetti.
- Add in Vegetables – Mix in some broccoli, bell peppers, or anything that you have on hand.
- Use Rice – Instead of using pasta, mix in some white rice or cauliflower rice.
- Cheese Variations – We used Cheddar Cheese but you can also use other types. Colby Monterrey Jack Cheese or Pepper Jack Cheese is a great option.
- Ranch Seasoning – You can use the dry seasoning packet or you can make Homemade Ranch Seasoning.
How to Store, Freeze and Reheat Crack Chicken:
- Storing – Store crack chicken casserole in an air tight container and place in the refrigerator. It will be good for about 3 days. We think it taste best the next day as all the ingredients have really marinated together.
- Reheating – You can place the casserole in a sauce pan to reheat or in the microwave. We like heating in the sauce pan so you don’t get hot spots from heat in the microwave.
- Freezing – If you plan on freezing the crack chicken, I would not mix in the pasta. Keep separate until you are ready to serve then mix in cooked pasta.
Print Recipe here for Crock Pot Crack Chicken Casserole:
Crock pot Crack Chicken Casserole Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 chicken breasts (Diced into 1 inch pieces)
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened at room temperature)
- 1 can cream of chicken soup (10.5 oz can)
- 1 packet dry ranch seasoning mix (1 oz packet)
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 12 slices bacon (cooked and diced) divided
- 1 cup sour cream
- ½ tsp pepper
- 1 ½ cup elbow macaroni
- 3 cups Shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 green onions (thinly sliced)
See how we calculate recipe costs.
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat together the cream of chicken soup, sour cream, chicken broth, ranch seasoning, and pepper until creamy.
- Gently stir in the chicken, half of the shredded cheddar cheese, and half of the cooked bacon.
- Pour the mixture into the crock pot.
- Cover and cook on low for 5–6 hours, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Do not cook on high.
- Near the end of the cooking time, prepare the elbow macaroni according to the package directions until al dente. Drain well.
- Stir the cream cheese into the crock pot until melted and smooth.
- Gently stir in the cooked macaroni.
- Top with the remaining cheddar cheese, bacon, and sliced green onions.
- Cover until the cheese melts, then serve warm.
How many pounds of chicken is needed for this recipe? Whenever I buy chicken breast they are different sizes. Same issue with thighs. Thank you.
Great question! I recommend using about 2 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for this recipe. Hope that helps!
Can I use potatoes instead of macaroni?
Pam – I haven’t tested that yet but I think it would work and be delicious! I would peel and dice the potatoes and add them into the crock pot with the chicken so that they get tender. If you try it out, please come back and let me know how it turns out!
I did do potatoes. I had a bag of small washed Yukon potatoes. It was 1.5 lb potatoes and I just cut them in 4th I mixed them in with sauce, chicken and bacon and put in crockpot. It was delicious. I left skin on and potatoes didn’t get mushy, skin stayed on and it was awesome.
This sounds delicious as printed above.
However, it also sounds like it would be just as good without the macaroni as
a topping for Baked Potatoes.
I’m going to try this – both ways in the next week or so.
I’ll let you know how they turn out
Sharon
Sharon – Let me know what you think about the variations! Have a great day.
Could you use rotisserie chicken in this Crack chicken recipe?
Judy – Yes, you can use rotisserie chicken, but the cooking time would need to be adjusted since the chicken has already been cooked. Let me know if you try it.