Crock Pot Angel Chicken

Crock Pot Angel Chicken is the best comfort food with tender chicken breasts slow-cook all day in a luscious sauce made from cream cheese, cream of chicken soup, dry Italian dressing mix, garlic, and chicken broth

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Pure creamy comfort in one pot: The sauce is rich, savory, and deeply satisfying — the kind of dinner that wraps around you like a blanket after a hard day.
• Five-minute prep, six-hour payoff: Whisk the sauce, pour it over the chicken, and walk away. The slow cooker builds all the flavor while you do everything else.
• Pantry-staple ingredients: Cream of chicken soup, a dry seasoning packet, cream cheese, and butter — this recipe lives in the pantry and comes together from ingredients most American households already stock.
• Works over anything: Angel hair pasta is traditional, but this sauce tastes equally magnificent over egg noodles, mashed potatoes, white rice, or steamed broccoli.
• Zero-effort entertaining: Set it before guests arrive and serve directly from the slow cooker — the sauce stays warm and perfect for hours with zero additional attention from the host.

Equipment Needed

• 6-quart slow cooker
• Medium mixing bowl and whisk
• Large pot (for cooking pasta)
• Two forks (for optional shredding)
• Measuring cups and spoons
• Nonstick cooking spray or slow cooker liner

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Ingredients You’ll Need

• 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts (3–4 large breasts)
• Salt and black pepper, to season
• 4 oz (½ block) full-fat cream cheese, softened to room temperature
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
• 1 can (10.5 oz) condensed cream of chicken soup, undiluted
• ¾ cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 packet (0.7 oz) dry Italian salad dressing mix (Good Seasons brand recommended)
• 12 oz angel hair pasta, cooked according to package directions
• Fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for serving

Ingredient Notes

Dry Italian Dressing Mix — Not the Liquid: This recipe calls for the dry seasoning packet — the kind found near the ranch dressing packets in the salad aisle, not a bottle of Italian dressing. Good Seasons is the most widely available brand and the one that works best here. Do not mix it with oil and vinegar as the package directs — use the dry powder directly. It contains herbs, garlic, and a blend of Italian spices that season the sauce instantly without any additional chopping or measuring.

Cream Cheese — Softened, Full-Fat: Room-temperature cream cheese whisks smoothly into the butter and soup without lumps. Cold cream cheese clumps stubbornly and never fully incorporates into the sauce, leaving dense white pockets. Pull it from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking or soften it in 20-second microwave intervals. Full-fat only — reduced-fat versions produce a thinner, less silky sauce with a slightly off flavor.

Angel Hair Pasta: Its ultra-thin strands cook in just 3–4 minutes and absorb the creamy sauce beautifully. Cook the pasta right before serving and toss it directly into the slow cooker to coat every strand in sauce — or serve it separately and ladle the sauce over individual plates at the table. Fettuccine, linguine, spaghetti, egg noodles, or penne all substitute well depending on what you have in the pantry.

Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup: Use it straight from the can without any dilution — the concentrated form gives the sauce the right thick, creamy consistency. Cream of mushroom or cream of celery substitutes work well and each gives the sauce a slightly different character. For a from-scratch version, make a simple roux with 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of flour, and 1 cup of chicken broth — it takes 5 minutes and produces a cleaner-tasting sauce.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Prep the Slow Cooker

Spray the inside of the slow cooker generously with nonstick cooking spray, or drop in a slow cooker liner for zero-effort cleanup. Season the chicken breasts on both sides with salt and pepper and place them in the bottom of the slow cooker in a single layer.

Step 2: Make the Creamy Sauce

Combine softened cream cheese and softened butter in a medium bowl and whisk vigorously until the mixture is completely smooth and creamy with no lumps. Add the undiluted cream of chicken soup, chicken broth, minced garlic, and dry Italian dressing mix. Whisk until fully combined and smooth — the sauce should look glossy and cohesive.

Step 3: Pour Sauce Over Chicken

Pour the cream cheese sauce over the chicken breasts, tilting the slow cooker slightly so the sauce flows around and beneath the chicken. Every surface of the chicken should have sauce contact — this is what produces the deeply flavored, sauce-soaked chicken that makes this recipe famous.

Step 4: Slow Cook Until Fall-Apart Tender

Cover and cook on LOW for 4–5 hours or on HIGH for 2–3 hours. The chicken finishes when it reaches 165°F and pulls apart very easily with a fork. The longer it cooks on LOW, the more tender and pull-apart the chicken becomes — if you want shredded chicken rather than sliced, cook closer to 5 hours on LOW.

Step 5: Shred or Leave Whole

Use two forks to shred the chicken directly in the slow cooker and stir into the sauce — or remove whole breasts and slice them cleanly on a cutting board. Both presentations work beautifully; shredded chicken distributes into the sauce and eats more like a pasta ragu, while sliced chicken gives the plate an elegant, restaurant-style look.

Step 6: Cook Pasta and Serve

Cook angel hair pasta in generously salted boiling water according to package directions — usually 3–4 minutes. Drain and either toss directly into the slow cooker to coat with sauce, or plate the pasta and ladle chicken and sauce over the top. Garnish with fresh parsley and grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

Pro Tips & Cooking Hacks

• Soften cream cheese fully before whisking — cold cream cheese leaves lumps in the sauce that never fully smooth out during cooking. Thirty minutes on the counter or 20 seconds in the microwave makes all the difference.
• Spray the slow cooker insert generously or use a liner bag — the cream cheese sauce sticks aggressively to uncoated surfaces and creates difficult cleanup.
• Toss the drained pasta into the slow cooker and stir to coat before serving — the pasta soaks up the sauce from the inside out and tastes dramatically better than pasta plated separately with sauce ladled over the top.
• Add a handful of frozen peas, sliced mushrooms, or fresh baby spinach in the last 30 minutes for an easy vegetable addition that blends seamlessly into the creamy sauce.
• Sear the chicken breasts in butter for 2–3 minutes per side before adding to the slow cooker — optional, but the golden, caramelized exterior adds a depth of flavor and textural contrast that elevates the finished dish significantly.

Tips & Variations

Try Ranch Instead of Italian: Swap the dry Italian dressing mix for a dry ranch seasoning packet for a completely different flavor profile — buttery, herby, and slightly tangy instead of Italian-herb forward. Ranch angel chicken has a devoted following of its own and works particularly well served over egg noodles rather than angel hair.

Add Mushrooms: Layer 1 cup of sliced button or cremini mushrooms directly on top of the chicken before pouring the sauce over. The mushrooms cook down and release earthy liquid into the sauce, adding savory depth that makes the dish taste significantly more complex without any additional effort. Avoid adding them too close to the end — they need at least 2 hours to soften properly.

Make-Ahead and Storage: Store chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Store pasta separately to prevent it from absorbing all the sauce and turning mushy. Reheat chicken and sauce gently in a covered saucepan with a splash of chicken broth over low heat, then serve over freshly cooked pasta for the best result.

Serving Suggestions

Serve in wide, shallow pasta bowls with a generous tangle of angel hair and the creamy chicken arranged on top. Crack black pepper over each bowl at the table, add a drift of freshly grated Parmesan, and finish with a scatter of flat-leaf parsley for a presentation that looks far more impressive than the preparation time deserves. [Internal link: Crockpot Marry Me Chicken]

Garlic bread is the natural and necessary companion — crusty Italian bread or a sliced baguette rubbed with garlic butter and toasted in the oven for 8 minutes arrives at the table perfectly timed with the slow cooker. The bread’s job is to catch every drop of sauce the pasta leaves behind.

A simple green salad with romaine, cucumber, and an Italian or Caesar dressing rounds out the meal without requiring any meaningful effort. The crisp, cool salad provides textural contrast to the warm, creamy pasta and makes the overall dinner feel more balanced and complete. [Internal link: Cajun White Chicken Chili]

Common Mistakes

• Using liquid Italian dressing instead of dry mix: These are completely different products. The dry packet is what seasons the sauce — liquid dressing makes it oily and diluted. Always use the dry powder from the seasoning packet.
• Not softening the cream cheese: Cold cream cheese clumps badly and never fully incorporates. Always use softened cream cheese for a smooth, lump-free sauce.
• Diluting the cream of chicken soup: Add it directly from the can without adding any water — the condensed form gives the sauce its thick, creamy consistency.
• Cooking the pasta too early: Angel hair pasta overcooks within minutes. Cook it right before serving and serve immediately — leftover cooked pasta sitting in warm sauce absorbs all the liquid and turns mushy within 15 minutes.
• Overcooking the chicken: Chicken breasts past 165°F in a slow cooker turn fibrous and tough. Check at the 4-hour mark on LOW and pull as soon as the meat shreds easily.

What to Serve With Crock Pot Angel Chicken

Angel hair pasta is the traditional and best base — its thin strands absorb the creamy Italian sauce beautifully and provide a delicate textural contrast to the tender chicken. Spaghetti, fettuccine, or linguine all work as alternatives depending on what you have in the pantry.

For a lower-carb option, serve the chicken and sauce over steamed cauliflower rice, mashed cauliflower, or spiralized zucchini noodles. None of these require meaningful cooking and all three absorb the creamy sauce well enough that you won’t miss the pasta.

Air fryer garlic bread or simple homemade garlic breadsticks belong on this table — both take under 10 minutes and turn an already excellent dinner into a complete meal that people linger over. Don’t underestimate what good bread does for a creamy pasta sauce.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I serve this over rice or potatoes instead of pasta?

Absolutely — the creamy Italian sauce is outstanding over white rice, mashed potatoes, and even baked potatoes split open and filled with shredded chicken and sauce. Many families rotate between pasta one week and mashed potatoes the next to keep the recipe feeling fresh despite making it often.

Can I skip searing the chicken to save time?

Yes — place the raw chicken directly in the slow cooker with the sauce and skip the searing step entirely. The chicken won’t develop any golden exterior, but the bold sauce compensates for the missing browning. If skipping the sear, cook on LOW for 5–6 hours for the most tender result.

Can I use chicken thighs in this recipe?

Yes — bone-in or boneless thighs both work and stay juicier than breasts through the long slow cook. Boneless thighs use the same cook time as breasts. Bone-in thighs need an extra 1–2 hours on LOW — remove and discard the bones after cooking before shredding the meat.

Can I make this without cream of chicken soup?

Yes — make a quick substitute by whisking 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of flour in a small saucepan, then gradually adding 1 cup of chicken broth and cooking until thickened. This from-scratch version produces a cleaner, less sodium-heavy sauce and takes about 5 minutes on the stovetop.

Why is it called Angel Chicken?

The name comes from the angel hair pasta it’s traditionally served over — the silky, delicate noodles pair so perfectly with the creamy sauce that the two became inseparable in the dish’s name. Some families call it Chicken Italiano or Creamy Italian Chicken, but Angel Chicken stuck because the pasta reference makes it immediately memorable.

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