Cream Cheese Chicken Recipe -- from scratch, no canned soup needed

Published: Wed, 08/06/25

Updated: Sat, 08/09/25

August 6, 2025

Happy Wednesday, Slow Cookerers!!

I hope you are enjoying your day.

When *some* people think crockpot food, they think gloppy and heavy and that all the recipes revolve around "cream of something" soup.

(NOT YOU, of course. Because you're *here*! and you know you can do pretty much anything you want with the slow cooker!)

:-)

anyway. Back to the "other" people.

I do not have a problem with cream of soups --- they most certainly have a place in the world and YES, a lot of "old school" recipes for the slow cooker used them as a base.

this is because Cambells had a licensing deal with Crock-Pot to create recipes. And guess what? It was advantageous for Campbells to recommend using their soups!

:-)

Cream Cheese Chicken is one of those "old school" recipes from the 70s, that Campbells invented.

I've got a few different ways to make it -- and just in case you are feeling nostalgic, I've also included the soup version.

:-)

Enjoy!!

Cream Cheese Chicken

[click through to see more photos and for full recipe on the site)

FROM SCRATCH RECIPE:

2 cups homemade cream of mushroom soup
(OR SEE EVEN EASIER WAY down below!)

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.

(this is all you need to replace the cream of something soup -- I promise! It will thicken up nicely with this many mushrooms and the added cream cheese)

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.

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.

My youngest retorted that this was the very best pasta she's ever had. I let her skip bathtime.

:-)

PS: The photo up above is a stock photo from Cambells. Your cream cheese chicken will be "brownisher" if you make it from scratch.

THAT IS OKAY!!

Have a great day!! Happy Slow Cooking!! steph

:-)

slow living book purchasing options

store ~ podcast ~ coaching

thank you!!

Stephanie O'Dea

1534 Plaza Lane #256, Burlingame California, 94010-3204

Unsubscribe | Change Subscriber Options