• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Food Blogging Resources
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • YouTube

Pip and Ebby

Recipe Index
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • About
  • Contact
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » Main » 4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken Recipe

    4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken Recipe

    Published: Jan 26, 2025 by Megan Porta · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe

    Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken is an incredibly simple and delicious meal that requires just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep. This crockpot recipe yields tender, flavorful chicken every time, making it perfect for busy days when you need a quick, fuss-free dinner. For an extra burst of flavor, try making your own homemade pesto to take this easy dish to the next level!

    Tender meat exposed, revealing the inner part of a cooked pesto chicken breast.

    Original post: March 2014 | Updated: January 2025

    Why This Recipe Works

    • Slow cooker pesto ranch chicken is one of the most underrated recipes on the planet. 
    • This one pot meal is such a super simple recipe, requiring only 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep. 
    • This crockpot pesto chicken is the most delicious meal that requires minimal effort. 
    • The chicken comes out super tender every single time and contains tons of flavor.
    • If you have a busy day coming up this week, add this easy dinner to rotation. It’ll get rave reviews from the entire family.
    • Turn up the notch on the flavor by making your very own homemade pesto to throw into this easy dish.

    Recipe Ingredients

    Four ingredients on a white counter, ready to make pesto ranch chicken.
    • Chicken breasts – Use boneless, skinless chicken breasts and trim the fat first.
      Substitute for skinless chicken thighs, if desired.
    • Pesto – Purchase a jar of pesto from the grocery store or make your own homemade pesto sauce using olive oil, fresh basil leaves, nuts of your choice and parmesan cheese.
    • Dry Ranch dressing mix – Just one simple little packet will do the trick.
    • Chicken broth – Use chicken broth, chicken stock or vegetable broth.

    How To Make Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken

    Step 1

    Place chicken breasts in the bowl of your slow cooker. Top with an even layer of pesto.

    Side by side photos of a crockpot, one with chicken breasts and the other with the chicken breasts covered with pesto.

    Next, sprinkle the ranch dressing mix over the top. Pour the chicken broth over top.

    Side by side photos of a crockpot, one with chicken breasts covered with ranch dressing and the other with the slow cooker filled with broth.

    Step 2

    Cook on Low setting for 5-6 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked and tender. Serve with rice or cooked pasta. Spoon the juices from the slow cooker over top before serving.

    Recipe Notes

    • Sprinkle black pepper over the top before serving for extra flavor.
    • Top with shredded mozzarella cheese just before serving.
    • Add some spice by adding red pepper flakes, hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
    • Serve chicken over top cooked pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.

    How To Make Baked Pesto Chicken

    To make baked pesto chicken (vs crock pot pesto chicken), combine the pesto, ranch dressing and broth in a bowl and mix well. Coat the chicken in the mixture and add to a baking dish, pouring the remaining sauce over the top. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

    Plate of pesto chicken, rice and a spinach salad.

    ​What To Serve With Slow Cooker Chicken

    • Vegetables such as green beans, roasted cherry tomatoes or assorted roasted veggies.
    • Leafy green salad such as this chopped salad.
    • Dinner rolls or garlic bread.
    • Rice, pasta or mashed potatoes.

    How To Store This Easy Slow Cooker Pesto Chicken Recipe

    Let cool and transfer to an airtight container. Store in the fridge for up to 5 days. Don’t let the delicious sauce go to waste! Save that, too.

    What To Do With Leftover Pesto

    • Use it as a spread on your next sandwich or wrap.
    • Toss a few tablespoons of it with your next batch of pasta.
    • Use it in place of pizza sauce on your next pizza.
    • Mix it into rice for a delicious side dish.
    Fork pulling tender chicken meat away from the rest of the meat.

    Delicious Chicken Recipes

    • Instant Pot Whole Rotisserie Chicken – Cook a tender, perfectly roasted whole chicken in your Instant Pot in less than an hour! This recipe turns out perfectly every time.
    • This one-pan Roasted Chicken and Vegetables dinner is a win-win. It is easy to prepare and it is packed with flavor. Perfect meal for busy weeknights!
    • Not only is this the tastiest Lemon Chicken Piccata recipe you’ll meet, it is also super easy to prepare. Add it to your dinner rotation pronto!
    • Easy Classic Chicken Alfredo is the perfect dinner recipe for busy nights. Done in 30 minutes and made in a single pan, everyone at the table will love this comforting dish!
    • Pineapple BBQ Chicken requires only FOUR ingredients and 30 minutes of your time. This quick and easy dinner recipe is packed with flavor and will feed your family quickly.

    4-Ingredient Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken Recipe

    Slow Cooker Pesto Ranch Chicken is an incredibly simple and delicious meal that requires just 4 ingredients and 5 minutes of prep. This crockpot recipe yields tender, flavorful chicken every time, making it perfect for busy days when you need a quick, fuss-free dinner. For an extra burst of flavor, try making your own homemade pesto to take this easy dish to the next level!
    4 from 2 votes
    Prevent your screen from going dark
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Main Course
    Cuisine: Italian
    Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 5 hours hours
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 348kcal
    Author: Megan Porta

    Equipment

    • Crock Pot

    Ingredients

    • 4 chicken breasts boneless, skinless
    • 1 cup pesto
    • 1 oz dry Ranch dressing mix
    • 15 oz chicken broth

    Instructions

    • Place chicken breasts in a slow cooker. Top with an even layer of pesto followed by the ranch dressing mix. Pour the chicken broth over top.
    • Cook on low heat for 6 hours, or until chicken is fully cooked and tender. Serve with rice or noodles. Spoon the juices from the slow cooker over top before serving.

    Notes

    • Sprinkle black pepper over the top before serving for extra flavor.
    • Top with shredded mozzarella cheese just before serving.
    • Add some spice by adding red pepper flakes, hot sauce or a pinch of cayenne pepper.
    • Serve chicken over top cooked pasta, rice or mashed potatoes.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 348kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 34g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 100mg | Sodium: 1175mg | Potassium: 614mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 7mg | Calcium: 78mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did you make this recipe?If you loved this recipe, please rate the recipe and leave a comment below!
    « Vegetable Rice Salad Recipe
    Valentine Snack Mix Recipe »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chris

      March 31, 2020 at 10:45 pm

      3 stars
      Hey Megan,

      This recipe is so delicious that I make it often. The only downfall is that the nutritional info is pretty off. I recreated the recipe in MyFitnessPal and it’s significantly different from the numbers that you calculated. Would you like me to share? I don’t want to take anything away from this amazing meal but some of us are tracking and would like accurate info.

      Reply
      • Megan Porta

        April 02, 2020 at 3:00 am

        I’m glad you found accurate information. As a food blogger, it is difficult to provide nutritional information with the differences in products, brands, measuring tools. Also, I do not calculate it myself, it’s done through a service. So please use your best judgement on how to measure the nutritional value but I’m sorry this one was so off.

        Reply
    2. Aimee C

      March 16, 2020 at 3:20 pm

      Hi there! I bought ingredients and am excited to try it out. Question, should I use frozen chicken breasts or do they need to be thawed out? Thanks!

      Reply
      • Megan Porta

        March 17, 2020 at 3:28 am

        They do not need to be thawed, but in this recipe they were for me so just check them and adjust as necessary!

        Reply
    3. Lin

      April 26, 2018 at 1:47 pm

      Hi Megan – I’m so happy to have found your blog from a link at "life, love, and sugar" and can’t wait to try your recipes! I am diabetic (I appreciate Lindsay’s talent and really just love to imagine her treats, afraid to fall dangerously into them!), and prefer cooking over baking. She mentioned your cookbook and this Slow Cooker recipe which led me to subscribe to your site. I will be looking for your cookbook, too (cookies are a LITTLE safer). I am rather new to bloggers and I’m quite selective, but look forward to following you more. I do wish I could print the recipes as they appear (1 pg), but instead the entire post is printed. Any suggestions?

      Reply
      • Megan Porta

        May 01, 2018 at 12:34 am

        First Lin, welcome! I’m so glad you are joining us.

        I know the printing issue is annoying. Unfortunately I don’t have a great solution. I would recommend maybe coping and pasting into word or an email body and then printing.

        BUT I do have a free app available that you can pull up a lot of my recipes on and then screen shot the ingredients list. It doesn’t have a print option on their yet. It’s Pip and Ebby and here’s the link in case you’d like to try it out! https://pipandebby.app.link/9NdXIbv34L

        Reply
    4. Sheryl

      March 14, 2014 at 9:58 pm

      This sounds really good! Thanks!

      Reply
    4 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    I'm Megan and I am so happy you are here! Whether you are looking for a healthy salad, easy dinner or indulgent dessert, I've got you covered! Let's dig deeper →

    Dominate Your Instant Pot!

    Food Blogging Resources

    Yummy Desserts

    Simple Icing Glaze

    Brownies With Mint Frosting Recipe

    Valentine Snack Mix Recipe

    Banana Blondies Recipe

    Instant Pot Cinnamon Applesauce Recipe

    3 Ingredient Oreo Balls – No Bake Recipe

    Comforting Soups

    Easy Loaded Baked Potato Soup

    Easy 5 Ingredient Chili Recipe

    Instant Pot Chicken Noodle Soup With Rotisserie Chicken Recipe

    Easy Chicken Vegetable Soup Recipe (aka Pantry Soup)

    Ham Bone Vegetable Soup (Slow Cooker) Recipe

    Garlic Roasted Tomato Soup Recipe

    Footer

    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Snapchat
    • Twitter
    • YouTube

    As Featured In

    • Privacy Policy

    Copyright © 2025 Pip and Ebby on the Foodie Pro Theme

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.