CrockPot Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe
May 23, 2015
Originally posted 5/23/08.
Image and post updated 5/15 via deposit photos @imagesetc
Day 144.
Cream cheese chicken is usually one of the first dishes tried in a crockpot. It is delicious. There are many different variations, but the standard recipe revolves around a can of cream-of-something soup, a package of Italian salad dressing mix, and a block of cream cheese.
I have a freezer full of cream of mushroom soup, so I made this recipe fully from scratch. But it's okay with me if you use the packaged stuff. It's really good either way.
PS: I also have an EVEN EASIER WAY!!
PS: I also have an EVEN EASIER WAY!!
But the made-from-scratch way gives you lots of bragging rights.
The Ingredients.
FROM SCRATCH RECIPE:
2 cups homemade cream of mushroom soup
(OR SEE EVEN EASIER WAY!)
3 - 4 pounds chicken (I used frozen breast tenderloins)
2 cups homemade cream of mushroom soup
(OR SEE EVEN EASIER WAY!)
3 - 4 pounds chicken (I used frozen breast tenderloins)
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon white granulated sugar (weird, I know.)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon kosher salt (if you only have table salt, use about 1/4 teaspoon)
2 cloves minced garlic
1 thawed block of cream cheese (to add later)
or you can make it with:
--1 can cream-of-something soup
--1/2 cup chicken broth
--frozen chicken pieces
--packet of Italian salad dressing mix
--2 cloves minced garlic
--8 ounce block of cream cheese (to add later)
OR EVEN EASIER:
Put 2 tablespoons salted butter in a large skillet.
Brown 16 ounces sliced mushrooms for a VERY LONG time on medium heat. (longer than you think --- a good 20 minutes or so, you want them to shrink in half and get nice and brown.
Add a few twists of ground pepper. Then add to crockpot -- juice from pan and all.
The Directions.
Put everything except for the cream cheese into the crockpot.
Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and begins to shred.
Shred the chicken with two large forks, and mix in the block of cream cheese.
Switch the crock to high and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted.
Cook on low for 6 hours, or until the chicken is cooked through and begins to shred.
Shred the chicken with two large forks, and mix in the block of cream cheese.
Switch the crock to high and cook for another 30 minutes, or until the cream cheese is fully melted.
Serve over pasta. We are gluten free so I used gluten free noodles.
The Verdict.
This is really, really, really, really good. I like the original cream cheese chicken an awful lot, but this truly did taste better.
The homemade mushroom soup just tastes better and gives it that "restaurant" flavor.
The homemade mushroom soup just tastes better and gives it that "restaurant" flavor.
My six-year-old retorted that this was the very best pasta she's ever had. I let her skip bathtime.
I have made the original version many times and I love it. Love it. The flavors are so good. Love it!
ReplyDeleteGotta tell ya, I love the site. I have passed the URL on to several friends I have, including one who has Celiac's and does everything gluten free. She was so excited!
Do you put the pasta in the crock pot or cook it separately?
ReplyDeletethank you, sissy!
ReplyDeleteanon, nope. you've got to cook the pasta on the stove.
xox
steph
I love this recipe. I usually use wine in place of the broth. So yummy.
ReplyDeleteDo you think low fat cream cheese would work with this?
ReplyDeleteI made this recipe for dinner tonight and it was a big hit! I did use canned cream of mushroom soup, but I'd love to try and make the homemade soup.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the great recipes!
Another version for you (this is for a large family):
ReplyDeletehowever much chicken you want, bone in, skin on, whatever, I have even use a whole chicken)in the crock pot, one large sliced onion, 2 cans of cream of whatever (I use chicken)and 6Tbsp Ranch dressing powder, and some pepper. Cook on low 8 hours, stir, remove bones (using a pair of tongs to squeeze and "feel" your way through is a tremendous help, without a mess) and toss in a brick of softened cream cheese. It is a favorite :)
I just LOVE your blog. In fact today I did a write up about your blog in my blog!
ReplyDeleteadventuresofgrandmahoney.blogspot.com
Jill
Yes you can use low fat cream cheese.
ReplyDeleteIve never heard of this recipe until recently.. but Im for darned sure going to try it now. Keep up the great work chicky!!! :)
ReplyDeleteI just made this tonight and loved it!!!! I did make my own cream of chicken soup(since I wasn't going to the store last night just for that) and my usually picky husband said it was even good w/o the cream cheese in it
ReplyDeleteI have made this twice now-once with cream of celery and once with cream of chicken. We are not garlic fans so I leave that out. This is the absolute best recipe I've ever made in a crockpot.
ReplyDeleteSteph, I made this today, with my own variations, and it was fab-tabulous! Thanks for the inspiration!
ReplyDeletehttp://onpansandkneadles.blogspot.com/2008/06/crockpot-cream-cheese-chicken.html
Yep, this is goooood stuff!! I used cream of chicken soup. Next time I'm thinking I might add just a little curry powder...or maybe saute some apple and onion to throw in...but then again, part of the beauty of this is how simple it is!
ReplyDeletemmmm, I am eating this right now!
ReplyDeleteSo good. Thank you for posting it. I am looking forward to making more of your stuff!
youcancallmetiff@yahoo.com
What size crockpot would I use to do this? Do I use breasts or thighs oro something else. Great site, I've got you bookmarked in my toolbar, and are passing your link all around.
ReplyDeleteThis recipe was awesome. My husband and I ate it 2 nights in a row and it was great every time. I used half cream of mushroom and half cream of onion. The only bad thing is that when I am home and making these recipes I am constantly tasting it. It is delicious! I will def be making this again.
ReplyDeleteHi anon, I usually make our family meals in a 6qt Smart Pot CrockPot. This dinner can be made in a 4qt or larger---the larger the pot, the more quickly you'll find that it cooks.
ReplyDeleteCrockPots work the best when they are about 2/3 or more full.
anon, I'm so glad that you enjoyed this dish! It's one of our favorites, too.
xox
steph
I made this last night and it was AMAZING!!! I think that this will be made at least every other week. My 5 yr old daugther even requested this for her Bday dinner. Kudos to you!!!!
ReplyDeleteMy husband wanted me to add frozen peas at the end. Oh my god outstanding! Try it.
ReplyDeleteJoanne
I made this cream cheese chicken it was great!
ReplyDeleteThe next night I made cream cheese chicken enchiladas. YUM!
(I just added onions, peppers, olives and a little bit of taco seasoning to the left over chicken and used it as my enchilada filling.)
WOW! This is FANTABULOUS! I just made it today. I searched high and low for the Italian seasoning packet, finally found it in the grocery store, and then could not find it this morning when I wanted to put everything in the crockpot. I substituted Tastefully Simple's Dried Tomato & Garlic Pesto seasoning. YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteMy husband made this last night. OMG was it good. We dn't like mushrooms so he used Cream of Chicken and Cream of Celery soup. He also used fresh celery cut up. YUMMY!
ReplyDeleteMy neighbor made this yesterday and brought me over a sample. I'm making it today and the smell is KILLING ME!!! How do you survive the wonderful aromas that taunt you early in the day and just get stronger throughout the day?
ReplyDeleteI also tossed in some extra sliced mushrooms and I know they'll be YUMMY after soaking up all that flavor!
http://ishouldhavebrediguanas.blogspot.com/
Hi - I've failed miserably at crock pot stuff before, but want to try this recipe - will it work with frozen chicken tenders, too? Or just chicken breasts (I have both, but would love to use up the tenders)? Thanks!
ReplyDeletehi anon, the tenders will work, but might cook a bit faster. Keep an eye on it. I'd use 12-15 tenders.
ReplyDeletexox
steph
Whoops, I went on memory with your recipe and left out a bunch of ingredients, but it was really so good and so easy...I just cooked boneless skinless chicken thighs with the packet of Italian seasoning mix, then added two blocks of cream cheese at the end (thighs were juicy, so it needed the second block)
ReplyDeleteHubby commented that it was better than any other time I made it, and he wanted to give the recipe to a pal that is a crockpotter...was just forwarding him your site when I realized I forgot the cream of something soup, garlic, & broth...Ah well, thought folks might want to try the variation.
Hello! I am a lurker on your blog but I wanted to say I tried this recipe tonight and it was delicious! We didn't have the celery seed but I'm not sure it made a difference. Definitely a keeper! Can't wait to try more!
ReplyDeleteI just found your blog and I am really enjoying it. We tried this dish tonight and we all thought it was great, even our 4-year-old who believes McDonald's is gourmet.
ReplyDeleteNext up...the candy chicken.
Thanks for such a great blog!
I discovered the blog about a week ago thanks to a forum I frequent who posted about it. I LOVE the blog and made this recipe today, the version with the Italian dressing mix. It was great and our friends want the recipe! I'm hooked!
ReplyDeleteThanks!!!!
Suze
Steph--I have made this twice, and both times it was awesome.
ReplyDeleteI made it first with canned cream of celery soup and chicken broth, but I used your seasonings instead of the packet.
The second time I wanted to use homemade "cream of" soup, but I don't do mushrooms ("don't do" is definitely an understatement), and your homemade cream of mushroom soup seems more mushroom-y than the canned stuff. So I found this recipe for homemade cream of celery soup.
The C of C soup was delicious! It made enough to put 2 cups in this recipe, plus freeze 2 cups, plus i got to eat a little bowl of it...mmm. Next time I'll make a double or triple recipe and freeze a bunch.
It did great in the cream cheese chicken recipe, and I felt good about it being "really" homemade, without the canned soup!
I have just bought a slow cooker and am loving your blog, loads of inspiration! Particularly this cream cheese and chicken bad boy.
ReplyDeleteI am English though, so just to check on some stuff... What is the Italian dressing packet thing? Is it just the same as mixed herbs/italian seasoning? Cheers!
Hi anon! no, the dressing packet is a bit different. Here's a clone recipe.
ReplyDeleteIs there a "print" that I am missing. It makes it so easy to put the recipe in my binder. I'll be trying this recipe this week. Can't wait! THANKS!!
ReplyDeleteI made this today and served it over pasta alla gricia (Picture: http://snipurl.com/9twqe). It was fantastic, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI made this tonight for the first time and it was great. I did make it a little different as I found the recipe on another site. I added chopped onion, diced celery and carrots..only about 2 hand fulls of each. I buy produce and dice a head of time and store in those awesome zip lock sealer bags. I also used an 8 oz packet of cream cheese with a can of cream of chicken soup. I placed this in the microwave to melt. AWESOME taste!!!
ReplyDeleteHi Steph, I wanted to make this w/ your first version, but w/ canned soup - should I just use 2 cans of soup? Thanks! Love your blog!!
ReplyDeleteHi Jess,
ReplyDeleteif you're using canned soup, use one can. It's very condensed.
or you can make it with:
--1 can cream-of-something soup
--1/2 cup chicken broth
--frozen chicken pieces
--packet of Italian salad dressing mix
--2 cloves minced garlic
--block of cream cheese (to add later)
xoxo
steph
I tried this last week and it was delicious! I prepped everything the night before and e-mailed my work-at-home hubby and told him when to put the stoneware on and start cooking. It was fantastic to come home to dinner already made, and it was very yummy! My husband is already requesting it again.
ReplyDeleteI am so thrilled to find this blog. I absolutely LOVE my crock pot (I am only 24 but when I got married last October, it was the first thing on the registry!) and I am beside myself to find a place that is dedicated to crock pot recipes and also provides a review of the final product and user comments/suggestions. Plus I love the GF - my sister is GF and recipes like this make her feel like she's eating more "normally." I've added you to my iGoogle page to track the posts so that I don't miss anything!
Just wanted to let you know that I have been lurking for a while and finally took the plunge and made this recipe. It was delicious. We don't have Italian Dressing packages in Australia, and I didn't have all the ingredients for your "clone recipe", so I just put in some fresh onion and garlic and some onion flakes, salt and pepper and some dried "Italian herbs". I used cream of chicken soup and added some chopped up mushrooms, too. Everyone loved it!! Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteOne quick question--what size block of cream cheese did you use? I couldn't really tell from the picture. In Australia we have 125g or 250g which equates to approx 4 or 8 oz, I believe. I bought a 250 g, but panicked at the last minute and so only used half! It tasted fine, but just wondered what you recommend.
Just finished eating this for dinner...yummy yummy! Thanks.
ReplyDeleteI tell EVERYONE I know about your site. I've even mentioned it in various classes I've attended about cooking, food storage cooking, and coupon classes.
Your the best! - julie
Made this yesterday with fresh boneless, skinless chicken thighs and added an onion. Also stirred in some frozen peas and corn at the end. It was really yummy and I think the leftovers will be great.
ReplyDeleteHello I know that this is an old post but I wanted to let you know that I too tried this recipe from memory and whoops... Well I remember the italian dressing but missed the packet word and put in frozen chicken that had been marinated in itallian dressing I added the can of cream of something soup (I forget which one) and the cream cheese at the end. It was the best mistake I ever cooked.
ReplyDeleteOn a side note when I tried it a second time according to the actual recipe everyone still liked it but not nearly as well as the first time. Oh well. Thanks for the recipe and I guess that is just the fun of the crock pot.
I actually make this with a little bit of a simpler recipe.
ReplyDelete1 stick butter
1 pk. italian dressing
1 # chicken
put those in the crock pot for 4 hours, then add in 1 pk. cream cheese, 1 can cream of chicken soup, 1/2 can water and mix til chicken is shredded. Keep in the crock for another hour or so until warmed all the way through. Then I just serve over egg noodles and pair with a salad.
I make a version of this all the time, but I think it's even easier!
ReplyDelete-Chicken
-Italian seasoning packet
-Cream cheese
-Cream of chicken soup
I think the chicken broth is unnecessary, but certainly couldn't hurt. ;0)
Also, no need to really shred the chicken, because it falls apart after cooking for hours! I just pull pieces out and put on top pasta (we like farfalle). Yum!
I just put this in my croc pot for tonight's dinner. I know it might seem a little heavy for a June recipe, but it's cold at night and winter down here in Australia right now (boy, how I wish I was home in Nor Cal right now enjoying the summer weather and baseball!). It looks wonderful and now I just have to decided whether or not to toss it on some pasta like you have pictured or whip up some mashed potatoes. I will be linking to your recipe later if this is a success!
ReplyDeleteThis one was DELISH!, I used canned cream of mushroom and roasted garlic soup! My husband and daughter both said 'eh' to it but I know I will be making it again! I served mine over a mixture of white and brown rice that I had as leftovers in the fridge.
ReplyDeleteI have made a couple versions of this recipe but this one is definitely the best I've tried! The addition of the 1/2 cup of broth keeps the chicken from being too dry and makes a sauce of perfect consistency. I served it over bow-tie noodles. Will make again and again!
ReplyDeleteSteph, I've read your blog for a long time. I know this is an old one, but I had forgotten about it and saw it today and decided to make it again. My hubby came home and thought it was chicken a la king and we should have it on toast. Instead he made homemade biscuits and we had it on that instead of pasta...OH MY GOODNESS!!! SOOOO YUMMY! Just a suggestion.
ReplyDeleteMy friend told me about your blog and I love it!! This recipe is fabulous! My husband and kids loved it!Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThis was amazing! My mother in law had two servings she loved it so much which is rare because my in laws are fairly picky!
ReplyDeleteI just love the loads of cheese in there. I think this is perfect for me. Thumbs up!
ReplyDeleteThis recipe was delicious! I had it for dinner last night and for lunch today. But, instead of using pasta we had it over brown rice and it was GREAT!
ReplyDeleteomg, i made this last night for guests, hoping it wouldnt be epic fail like my last 2 attempts at crockpotting. i used your first recipe but with a can of cream of chicken and 1/2 cup veggie broth instead of soup. it came out AWESOME! my hubby put the leftovers in the fridge and my friend was using a roll to wipe up the sauce on the bottom of my crockpot! we had some of it tonight with stuffing and are eating the rest (now mostly sauce with little chicken bits) over pasta again tomorrow night. DEFINITELY a keeper!
ReplyDeleteI know this recipe was posted forever ago, but I just found this site and we made this yesterday for dinner, it was a hit! I just got a crockpot for Christmas and I am bookmarking this site.
ReplyDeleteOf course I made some substitutions based on what we had - Canned cream of mushroom soup, 2 T. Pampered Chef Italian seasoning and fresh garlic and low fat cream cheese. I don't think this can be messed up.
What a great recipe! I used a 10 oz can of cream of potato soup and only 2 pieces of chicken (since it just me to cook for). I had to add a little flour to thicken it up, but it tastes amazing! I almost lost it when I came home and the smell hit me! Delicious!
ReplyDeleteI've used this recipe tons of times for company now and it's always so good. We've even used it for shredded chicken sandwiches to great success. Thank you so much for publishing this! I love your website, bought your first book and I can't believe I have to wait for 3 other people at our small local library before I can even check out your second one.
ReplyDeleteI made this recipe today, after letting the mushroom soup simmer overnight in the CrockPot. After it was all finished, I boiled some macaroni and threw it into the pot. It was the only pasta besides spaghetti that we had. It was absolutely delicious! My son loved this and it had the whole apartment smelling absolutely scrumptious!
ReplyDeleteI love your blog!
I made this last saturday and I used cream of celery soup, it was very, very good, served it over tri-colored rotini pasta, everyone loved it but suggested trying over spatzel (sp) dumplings, so I am making it again today and we're going to try the dumplings, I dont think it can go wrong served over anything, The first time I made it we had leftovers the next day and it was even better than I remembered it being the first day we ate it,
ReplyDeleteI bookmarked this site and love using my crock pot, thanks for the great recipes,
and one more thing I wanted to mention:
its I something I really love now is crock pot liners, OMG I love cooking in the crock pot even more because clean up is so much easier, found them in the groc store, by the garbage bags, sandwich bag stuff, they are so worth the 2.39 I paid for 4 liners, I am on my second box because I use the crock alot more now that I found the liners.
Thanks again for all the great ideas and recipes
I just made this recipe and it is very tasty. I'm a newlywed who was thrilled to receive a crockpot. I immediately bookmarked your blog when I came across it and am so glad I did :) Can't wait for my hubby to get in and try this dish! Thanks for sharing!!
ReplyDeleteHoly yum, Batman!!!
ReplyDeleteI made this for my boyfriend as we are TRYING not to eat out so often and save some $$$... Since I had most of the ingredients (and by me saying I 'had' them I mean I raided my mom's pantry!) it was a VERY cheap option.. (I only had to buy the italian dressing mix)
ReplyDeleteOMG! not only was it a wonderfully cheap (and easy!) meal, but my boyfriend raved about it and asked what I was cooking in next!
I'm trying a version of this tonight, mostly your recipe but w/out a few ingredients since I didn't want to brave the grocery store with a teething toddler today. I'm excited to try some of your new recipes too, since I'm a slow cooker newbie.
ReplyDeleteIf using condensed soup, do you add water? I'm really excited to try this!
ReplyDeleteIn the SC right now, can't wait to taste. To Calluna - in case you are still wondering about adding water....someone asked the same question way back in the comments and NO do not add water.
ReplyDeleteI'm making this to take to a potluck tonight (doubling the recipe). It's probably the 5th or 6th time I've made it since discovering this on Pinterest. It's one of my favorite dishes. My husband and son both love it, too (and my son is picky!). I prefer it over pasta, though I sometimes make rice to appease my son. I usually add a little extra chicken broth to mine. Great recipe, thanks so much for sharing it (4 years ago, lol!).
ReplyDeleteMade this with a pack of mushrooms and a can of diced tomatoes added in right at the beginning - I think it really kicked the flavor up a notch! (And upped the amount of food/nutrition for your buck!)
ReplyDeleteNow to see how it freezes...
I love this recipe and need to try it with your homemade soup as well. I always add some sundried tomatoes and a handful or two of frozen peas to it and it gives it such a nice flavour, especially when you eat it with pasta!
ReplyDeleteI made this for dinner last night and it was okay. I will do a few things different if I decide to make it again. #1 Put 1Tbsp instead of 2 of Italian seasoning, it overkills all the other flavors. #2 DO NOT SHRED THE CHICKEN, it gives it an odd/dry texture and the sauce thickens too much #3 Add about 1/3 stick of butter #4 Add another can of cream of mushroom #5 Add either water or chicken broth, this stuff is way too thick if you follow the directions above.
ReplyDeleteHi i have just found your site and have been raving. i tweeked your chile verde recipe. but tried this and have been eating cream cheese chicken for a week and been very happy about it. thank you for all you have done, i can't wait to try more recipes
ReplyDeleteThank you for this idea. Not having mushroom soup, I adapted your recipe by using fresh mushrooms, chicken broth, white wine and then heavy cream added at the end instead of cream cheese. Will make again for sure.
ReplyDeleteSomeone above mentioned about the pasta cooking in the crock.I wonder if the recipe could be made into aNinja cooking system recipe...say slow cook the chicken and then near the end add the pasta with liquid and cook according to ninja directions?? If anyone knows of a good Ninja blog...someone who is creating/adapting recipes to Ninja I would loooove to know. I love my Ninja but am not that creative yet..
ReplyDeleteMy boys both play hockey until 7pm on Tuesdays. So, I am declaring Tuesdays "Crock Pot Night" at our house! I'm so grateful to find your blog. This was the first recipe of yours I tried and everyone loved it. My boys normally do not eat chicken or meat well but they went back for seconds and thirds of this. It was tender and flavourful. They liked it with the pasta and preferred the chicken well shredded. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteI am dairy free, gluten free, and have a problem with regular sugar...yet this recipe is STILL possible for folks like me! I use dairy free soy cream cheese, dextrose in place of white table sugar (my only safe sugar), and an organic pure Italian style dressing without sugar. I cooked the mushrooms in olive oil. It turned out delicious! Yum!
ReplyDelete