Crockpot Angel Chicken
Crockpot angel chicken in a creamy sauce of cream cheese, mushroom soup, and Italian dressing mix, served over pasta. An easy, hands-off slow cooker dinner.
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Crockpot Angel Chicken is one of those old-school slow cooker dinners that tastes far fancier than the handful of pantry shortcuts it’s built on. Chicken breasts cook low and slow in a creamy sauce made from cream cheese, mushroom soup, and a packet of Italian dressing mix, until they’re tender enough to cut with a fork. You spoon it all over a nest of angel hair pasta, and it looks like something you’d fuss over for an hour.
The name comes from serving it over angel hair pasta, and that thin pasta is worth using. It catches the rich, creamy sauce in a way thicker noodles can’t, soaking it up instead of letting it pool underneath. The sauce itself gets its savory backbone from the Italian dressing mix, which brings garlic, herbs, and a little tang without any measuring of individual spices.
The one move that makes the sauce silky instead of lumpy is warming it on the stove first. I melt the butter, whisk in the cream cheese, soup, and broth until smooth, then pour it over the chicken, so it starts out blended instead of trying to melt a cold block of cream cheese in the crockpot. From there it’s completely hands-off until dinner.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Tastes fancy, works easy. A creamy, restaurant-style chicken dinner that comes from a can of soup and a seasoning packet.
- Completely hands-off. Warm the sauce, pour it over the chicken, and let the slow cooker handle the rest.
- That silky cream sauce. Cream cheese and mushroom soup melt into a rich sauce that clings to every strand of pasta.
- A weeknight or company dinner. It’s simple enough for a Tuesday and looks nice enough to serve guests.
Crockpot Angel Chicken Ingredients
Golden mushroom soup gives this its classic savory, slightly tomato-tinged flavor, but regular cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup both work if that’s what you have. Each one shifts the flavor a little, and all of them make a good sauce.
- 2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 (10.5 oz) can golden mushroom soup
- 8 oz cream cheese, cubed
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 (0.7 oz) packet Italian dressing seasoning mix
- 8 oz white mushrooms, sliced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 12 oz angel hair pasta
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish
Recipe Variations
- Swap the golden mushroom soup for cream of chicken or cream of mushroom soup for a milder, more classic flavor.
- Leave out the mushrooms if your family doesn’t love them; the sauce is plenty rich on its own.
- Serve it over mashed potatoes or rice instead of angel hair pasta to soak up the sauce a different way.
How to Make Crockpot Angel Chicken
- Add the chicken: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker and season with the black pepper.
- Make the sauce smooth: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then whisk in the cream cheese, golden mushroom soup, chicken broth, and Italian dressing mix. Stir until the cream cheese melts and the sauce is smooth.
- Pour and add mushrooms: Pour the warm sauce evenly over the chicken and scatter the sliced mushrooms on top.
- Cook low and slow: Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F on a thermometer at its thickest point.
- Cook the pasta: Near the end of the cook time, boil the angel hair pasta in salted water according to the package directions until just tender, then drain.
- Slice or shred: Slice the chicken into pieces or shred it right in the sauce, then stir to coat it in all that creamy sauce.
- Serve: Spoon the chicken and sauce over the angel hair pasta, sprinkle with parsley, and serve warm.
Recipe FAQs
Why Do I Warm the Sauce on the Stove First?
Cream cheese doesn’t melt evenly in a slow cooker and can leave lumps. Whisking it smooth with the butter, soup, and broth on the stove first gives you a silky sauce from the start.
What Is Golden Mushroom Soup, and Can I Substitute It?
It’s a slightly tomato-tinged, savory version of cream of mushroom soup. If you can’t find it, regular cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup both work, they just shift the flavor a little.
Can I Use Frozen Chicken?
For food safety, thaw the chicken first so it heats through evenly and spends less time in the temperature danger zone. Fully thawed breasts cook the most reliably in the slow cooker.
Can I Make It without the Italian Dressing Mix?
The packet carries most of the seasoning, but in a pinch you can use about 1 tablespoon of a homemade blend of dried oregano, basil, garlic powder, onion powder, and a little salt.
Can I Double It, and What Goes with It?
Yes, just make sure your slow cooker is large enough to hold the chicken in a single layer. A green salad and garlic bread round it out, and steamed broccoli is a nice green on the side.
Cooking Tips
- Let the cream cheese soften at room temperature before you start so it whisks into the sauce faster and smoother.
- Cook the chicken in a single layer if you can, so every breast heats evenly and cooks through at the same rate.
- Time the pasta for the last few minutes. Angel hair cooks fast and turns soft quickly, so drain it right when it’s tender and serve the sauce over it fresh.
Storage and Freezing
To store: Keep the chicken and sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, storing the pasta separately so it doesn’t turn soft.
To freeze: Cream cheese sauces can turn grainy after freezing, so I don’t recommend freezing this one. It’s best made fresh.
To reheat: Warm the chicken and sauce gently on the stovetop or in the microwave with a splash of broth or milk stirred in to bring the sauce back together, then serve over fresh pasta.
How to Serve Crockpot Angel Chicken
Crockpot Angel Chicken is made for angel hair pasta, though it’s just as good spooned over mashed potatoes or rice. A crisp green salad and a slice of garlic bread turn it into a full meal, and steamed broccoli or green beans add an easy vegetable. This is one of the recipes in our Casseroles & Sheet Pan collection, and more cozy slow cooker dinners like it are on the way.
Loved This Recipe?
Crockpot Angel Chicken is proof a creamy, company-worthy chicken dinner can come together with almost no effort and a few pantry shortcuts.
Leave a star rating in the comments below, it helps other people find this recipe. Made it? Tag @allwellfed on Instagram, I love seeing this one in other people’s kitchens.
More like this: Load up the slow cooker again with one of these creamy chicken dinners your family will finish. Try Creamy Crockpot Chicken Alfredo, Cheesy Crockpot Garlic Parmesan Chicken, or Easy Crockpot Mississippi Chicken.
Crockpot Angel Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 lbs chicken breasts boneless, skinless
- 1 (10.5 oz) can golden mushroom soup
- 8 oz cream cheese cubed
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 1 (0.7 oz) packet Italian dressing seasoning mix
- 8 oz white mushrooms sliced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 12 oz angel hair pasta
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley chopped, for garnish
Instructions
- Add the chicken: Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of the slow cooker and season with the black pepper.
- Make the sauce smooth: In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter, then whisk in the cream cheese, golden mushroom soup, chicken broth, and Italian dressing mix. Stir until the cream cheese melts and the sauce is smooth.
- Pour and add mushrooms: Pour the warm sauce evenly over the chicken and scatter the sliced mushrooms on top.
- Cook low and slow: Cover and cook on low for 4 to 6 hours, until the chicken is tender and reaches 165°F on a thermometer at its thickest point.
- Cook the pasta: Near the end of the cook time, boil the angel hair pasta in salted water according to the package directions until just tender, then drain.
- Slice or shred: Slice the chicken into pieces or shred it right in the sauce, then stir to coat it in all that creamy sauce.
- Serve: Spoon the chicken and sauce over the angel hair pasta, sprinkle with parsley, and serve warm.
