Creamy Ranch Chicken – Weight Watchers Freestyle

Please follow and like us:

I love easy meals to cook during the week. This creamy ranch chicken is definitely one of them!

I cooked this in the Instant Pot, but you could also do it in the slow cooker. I am so obsessed with my Instant Pot!

I use it all of the time in the winter. You can cook just about everything in it! I use it the most for chicken and soup dishes.

This creamy ranch chicken is my low fat/lower calorie version of a popular recipe on Pinterest – Crack Chicken.

The original version of this recipe is quite tasty, but high in fat and calories. I made a few simple changes to that recipe to make it more Weight Watchers friendly.

Instead of using regular cream cheese I used reduced fat cream cheese. That saved 13 points off the entire recipe, or 2 points per serving.

The original recipe calls for 1 cup of cheddar cheese, which is 34 Freestyle points. I used a 1/2 cup of reduced fat cheese instead for only 5 points. That saved a ton of points!

I used 4 slices of center cut bacon which was only 2 Freestyle points.

The ranch seasoning is 0 points so I didn’t have to cut back on that at all. It adds such a great flavor to the chicken.

There you have it! Just a few simple changes made this recipe 42 points lighter, or 7 points per serving lighter. My version of this recipe is only 5 Freestyle points per serving.

This creamy ranch chicken tastes great on its own, or you can serve it over pasta or rice. It’s up to you, just make sure you add any additional points.

I served mine with bow tie pasta. I had 1/2 cup (cooked) which was 2 points. It was perfect for me! All together my dinner was 7 Freestyle points.

If you’re looking for some zero point recipes, check out my post 20 Zero Point Recipes or my post 20 (More) Zero Point Recipes. Both are filled with delicious recipes that won’t cost you a single point! They’re perfect for days when you’re running low on points, or trying to save up points for a night out.

If you’re looking for dessert recipes you can visit 50 Weight Watchers Freestyle Desserts. It’s filled with delicious desserts perfect for Weight Watchers!

Print

Creamy Ranch Chicken – Weight Watchers Freestyle

Prep Time

5 mins

Cook Time

25 mins

Total Time

30 mins

 

Yield: 6 Servings (4 points per serving for blue and purple, 6 points per serving for green)

Course: Main Course

Keyword: freestyle, weight watchers, WWFreestyle

Ingredients

• 2 lbs. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 8 oz. reduced-fat cream cheese
• 1 oz. ranch seasoning (I used Hidden Valley)
• 1/2 cup reduced-fat shredded cheese (I used Mexican)
• 4 slices center cut bacon, cooked and crumbled
• green onions, chopped (optional)

Instructions

1. Add the chicken broth, chicken, cream cheese and ranch seasoning to the Instant Pot.

2. Place the lid on the Instant Pot and lock it. Make sure the lever is set to seal. Press the manual button and set the time for 15 minutes.

3. Once the timer goes off let it naturally release for 5 minutes, then finish with a quick release.

4. Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot and shred it, then add it back to the pot.

5. Add the 1/2 cup of cheese and bacon. Stir until blended and the cheese is melted. Top with green onions.

For a slow cooker:

1. Add the chicken broth, chicken, cream cheese and ranch seasoning to the slow cooker.

2. Cook on low 4 hours.

3. Remove the chicken and shred it, then add it back to the slow cooker.

4. Add the 1/2 cup of cheese and bacon. Stir until blended and the cheese is melted. Top with green onions.