Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken

This Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken combines bite-size chicken pieces with a creamy sauce and buttery cracker topping. I like serving it over mashed potatoes or egg noodles so you get some of that sauce in every bite.

My version is adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff. I cut the chicken into cubes before cooking, which makes it easy to spoon out and serve. For a little PA Dutch flair, try it over light, fluffy waffles—a twist on chicken gravy and waffles.

Ingredient Notes for Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken

I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into bite-size pieces. The original recipe uses whole breasts, but I find the smaller pieces easier to serve. Cutting the chicken before cooking means I can spoon it straight from the slow cooker without taking out whole breasts to cut at dinnertime.

Try to keep the pieces reasonably similar in size so they cook evenly. They do not need to be perfectly shaped, but avoid mixing very large chunks with tiny pieces.

Cream of chicken soup and sour cream make the sauce. Mix them together in a separate bowl before spooning the mixture over the chicken. Use the condensed soup directly from the can, without adding the water called for when preparing it as soup.

Choosing the Crackers

Ritz crackers give the topping its buttery flavor, but Great Value buttery round snack crackers are another option if you want to save a little money.

Measure 1½ cups after crushing the crackers. Cracker sizes and sleeve quantities can vary, so measuring the crumbs is more reliable than assuming a certain number of sleeves will be the right amount.

Mix the crushed crackers with the melted butter before adding them to the slow cooker. Stir until the butter is distributed throughout the crumbs, then sprinkle the mixture evenly over the sauce.

The topping softens during cooking because it is inside a covered slow cooker. Expect buttery, tender crumbs rather than the crisp topping you might get from an uncovered casserole in the oven.

Why I Use a 6-Quart Oval Slow Cooker

I use a 6-quart oval slow cooker for this recipe. Its wider surface gives me room to spread out the chicken, sauce, and crackers so each serving gets some topping.

A slow cooker with a different shape or size may hold the ingredients in a deeper layer. That can affect how the dish cooks and how much topping is available across the surface.

Lightly coat the inside with nonstick cooking spray before adding the ingredients. Arrange the chicken across the bottom, spoon the sauce over it, and finish with the buttered cracker crumbs.

Cooking Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken

I usually cook this on low for 5–6 hours. When I need dinner sooner, I use high for 3–4 hours. These are approximate times, since slow cookers can cook differently even when set to the same setting.

Start with thawed chicken. Prepare the ingredients and begin cooking promptly rather than leaving raw chicken sitting in an unheated slow cooker.

Keep the lid on while the dish cooks. Lifting it repeatedly lets heat escape and can extend the cooking time.

Before serving, check several of the larger chicken pieces with a food thermometer. Chicken should reach an internal temperature of 165°F. The color of the sauce or the appearance of the outside of the chicken does not tell you its internal temperature.

What to Serve with Ritz Chicken

This recipe makes about six servings. I like spooning the chicken and creamy sauce over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. Both give the sauce somewhere to go and make it easy to serve everything together.

If you are making potatoes to go with dinner, my Simple Tips for Fluffy, Creamy Mashed Potatoes explains the preparation choices I use to get the texture right.

For a little PA Dutch flair, try serving the chicken over light, fluffy waffles. It is a twist on chicken gravy and waffles and another way to enjoy the creamy sauce.

Spoon down through the topping, sauce, and chicken when serving so each portion includes all three layers. The exact number of servings will depend on portion size and what you serve alongside it.

Looking for more dinner ideas? Browse all my recipes for more main dishes and family favorites.

Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken

Bite-size chicken in a creamy sauce with a buttery cracker topping. Serve over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or fluffy waffles. Adapted from Six Sisters’ Stuff.

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 6 hours hrs

Total Time 6 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 1 10 3/4-ounce can condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 pint sour cream
• 1 1/2 cups crushed Ritz crackers or Great Value buttery round snack crackers
• 1/2 cup butter melted
• 2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-size pieces
• Nonstick cooking spray for greasing the slow cooker

Equipment

• 1 slow cooker 6 quart, oval
• 1 cutting board
• 1 sharp knife
• 2 mixing bowls
• measuring cups
• spoon or silicone spatula
• microwave safe bowl or small saucepan for melting butter

Method

 

1. Lightly coat a 6-quart oval slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray.
2. In a mixing bowl, stir together the condensed cream of chicken soup and sour cream. Do not add water to the soup.
3. In a separate bowl, mix the crushed crackers with the melted butter.
4. Spread the bite-size chicken pieces evenly across the bottom of the slow cooker.
5. Spoon the soup and sour cream mixture evenly over the chicken.
6. Sprinkle the buttery cracker crumbs evenly across the top so each serving gets some topping.
7. Cover and cook on low for 5–6 hours or on high for 3–4 hours, until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Cooking times vary by slow cooker.
8. Serve over mashed potatoes, cooked egg noodles, or light, fluffy waffles.

Notes

Slow cooker: Use a 6-quart oval slow cooker. Its wide surface gives you room to spread the cracker topping evenly so every serving gets some.

Crackers: Great Value buttery round snack crackers can replace Ritz crackers. Use the same amount—1½ cups crushed.

Chicken: Cut the chicken into bite-size pieces before cooking so it is easy to spoon over potatoes, noodles, or waffles.

Cooking time: Allow approximately 5–6 hours on low or 3–4 hours on high. Slow cookers vary, so check that the chicken reaches 165°F before serving.

Topping: The buttery cracker topping softens during slow cooking rather than forming an oven-crisp crust.

Serving: Serve over mashed potatoes or egg noodles. For a PA Dutch-inspired variation, try it over light, fluffy waffles.

Recipe source: Adapted from Slow Cooker Ritz Chicken by Six Sisters’ Stuff.