Made dairy-free, and added a bit more salt (we like & need it saltier in our house). Added frozen chicken thighs to the crock at the beginning & cooked on low all day, by the time I added the kite hill cream cheese it was shredding itself; definitely was not going to precook & shred the chicken when I would be letting it cook all day in a slow cooker. Delicious & I love all the veggies!