Instant Pot Crack Chicken is an easy, one pot meal that cooks in record time!
This instant pot recipe makes creamy chicken thats comforting and hearty, but also low carb and keto friendly. Can I get a WHAT!? WHAT!? This is the Instant Pot chicken recipe of your dreams! 🙌
You guyyyyys! We are talking about a dinner that includes chicken + bacon + cream cheese + ranch seasoning. I meeeean… 🙀
It goes great in tacos, pastas, and sandwiches, of course, BUT it’s also just as good (if not better) in lettuce wraps – I just LOVE that lettuce wrap crunch! Or, you can also serve it with a side of mashed cauliflower and/or zucchini noodles.
For our soccer/football/game parties, I keep it inside the Instant Pot on the “warm” function for people to just scoop it onto their plate, or to fill up their sandwiches.
If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you need one if just for this recipe, only. AND, for my Instant Pot Honey Garlic Chicken.
Seriously, KETO Crack Chicken will change your life, especially when you can make it in no time because of the Instant Pot. Let me just tell you how easy this recipe is because of it.
HOW TO MAKE CRACK CHICKEN IN THE INSTANT POT
In a nutshell, everything is going into the Instant Pot for 20-ish minutes.
- Start with heating up your Instant Pot and add diced bacon; cook for a couple minutes, or to a desired crispness. Remove bacon and set aside.
- Heat some oil in the Instant Pot and brown your chicken breasts on all sides, for about 2 minutes per side. You don’t have to brown the chicken – it’s up to you – but I think it’s better if you do.
- Add chicken broth to the Instant Pot, plus a block of cream cheese, and your ranch seasoning mix that includes; dried dill, dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
- Cook on HIGH PRESSURE for 12 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Remove chicken from the Instant Pot and shred it.
- Stir the chicken back into the Instant Pot; place the lid back on the Instant Pot (powered off) and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
HOW TO MAKE CRACK CHICKEN IN YOUR CROCK POT OR SLOW COOKER:
Add the chicken, cream cheese, AND ranch seasoning to a slow cooker; cook on low for 5 to 6 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours. OR, until chicken shreds easily. Once shredded, toss it back in the slow cooker and stir. Add in crumbled bacon and serve.
COOK’S NOTES: TIPS FOR PERFECT CHICKEN
- IF the sauce is too thick, stir in a bit of water.
- IF the sauce is too thin, make a slurry with cornstarch and a little cold water; mix until smooth. Stir the mixture into the hot liquid until it’s blended.
- You can use a Ranch Seasoning packet if you want, but I suggest making it from scratch. The store-bought stuff has too much sodium.
WHAT DO YOU EAT CRACK CHICKEN WITH?
Crack chicken is basically a chicken filling meant to be used in sandwiches, but we can always go a step further and add crack chicken to:
- Salads
- Lettuce Wraps
- Low Carb Flour Tortillas
- You can also serve it as a dip for veggies.
Obviously, Instant Pot Crack Chicken is an easy dinner recipe, the kind of dish that requires very minimal work on your part. All you have to do is get out your Instant Pot, toss in the ingredients, and turn up the heat. Then, EAT! 😍🍽
CAN YOU FREEZE CRACK CHICKEN?
Yes, you absolutely can.
- Let it cool down completely; then transfer it to a large freezer bag or airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- When ready to serve, remove from freezer the night before and let thaw in the fridge overnight.
- Reheat and serve.
MORE INSTANT POT CHICKEN RECIPES
- Instant Pot Chicken Breasts
- Instant Pot Chicken Zoodle Soup
- Instant Pot Lemon Butter Chicken
- Instant Pot Sticky Chicken Thighs
ENJOY!
Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon, diced
FOR THE CHICKEN BREASTS
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE + RANCH SEASONING MIX
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed
- 1/2 teaspoon dried chives
- salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
FOR GARNISH
- chopped fresh parsley
- sliced green scallions
Instructions
- Press the "Sauté" button on the Instant Pot and wait for it to heat up.
- Add the diced bacon and cook for a minute or two, or to a desired crispness. Remove from the Instant Pot and set aside.
- Heat olive oil in the Instant Pot.
- Season chicken with paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- Once olive oil is hot, add the chicken breasts and brown on both sides; about 2 minutes per side.
- In the meantime, place cream cheese in a mixing bowl and season with garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried chives, salt and pepper; mix to combine.
- On the Instant Pot press "Cancel" to stop sautéing.
- Add cream cheese mixture to the Instant Pot.
- Pour in the chicken broth.
- Turn the pot on Manual High Pressure for 12 minutes; then do a quick release.
- Remove lid and transfer chicken to a cutting board to shred it.
- Stir the shredded chicken back into the Instant Pot; place the lid back on the Instant Pot (powered off) and let stand for 5 minutes to thicken the sauce.
- Top with previously prepared bacon, fresh parsley, and scallions.
- Serve.
Notes
When ready to serve, remove from freezer the night before and let thaw in the fridge overnight.
Reheat and serve.
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Slow Cooker
Beef
This was good, though my serving it over quinoa took away from the flavor. Next time will serve with something blander like zucchini noodles or as a wrap. I used 3 chicken breasts which might have been closer to 1-1/2 lbs. It was cooked through (checked with a thermometer) but not easy to shred; needed additional cooking time. I doubled the paprika and garlic powder, but feel it needs additional flavoring. I will try the previous reviewer who suggested using 2 garlic cloves and a jalapeno pepper. The amount of sauce was just right.
I discovered this recipe early in my instant pot career and we have come back to it over and over again. It is a staple! I have used both the ingredients for the dry ranch mix and also the packets depending on how much time I have to throw dinner together. It is perfect either way. My family loves it so much that they will ask for it even when I don’t have bacon on hand. It is just that good! I serve over egg noodles and we throw peas or green beans in for the veggie because they taste so good in the sauce. Thank you for a great recipe!
This has become one of our family’s favorite recipes of all time! We keep coming back to this post time and time again (pinterest is a godsend!). We serve the creamy chicken mixture over rice, and sometimes I reduce the amount of water to make it less soupy. Thank you so much!
This was delicious! I added two cloves of garlic and 1 diced jalapeño ( no seeds) during the sauté step and it was even better the second time! My family likes a little spice . Was not spicy at all but we love anything with jalapeño and cream cheese together. It was so good!
Can I use pre shredded rotisserie chicken? If so, what should the time adjustment be for the Insta Pot?
If you’re using cooked shredded chicken, you don’t even have to use the Instant Pot. Cook the bacon in a skillet until it’s crispy. Then, just put everything else in a bowl, except for the chicken broth, mix everything together until completely combined and serve.
Couple of suggestions; I would heat up the chicken first so that all the cheeses will blend in easily because of the heat. Also, make the ranch dressing on the side so it’s easier to mix in.
Do you have any tips for when the “burn food” warning keeps popping up on the Insta pot? I added more broth, checked the valve, and used the grate for the chicken breasts. I cooked the bacon and seared the breasts in another pan b/c I was worried about the burn notice. It smells delicious, so I’m transferring everything to a crock pot and will continue tomorrow. Thanks!
Do the sauté in a pan. Then deglaze the pan with the chicken broth before you pour it in the pot. I’ve yet to find a way to get past the “burn food” warning
Well this was OK… I really think it was due to the lack of direction on USING the ranch packet!!! You had us follow your OWN ranch recipe, well when adding the ranch package you had me buy… became so SALTY and OVERBEARING!!!?
If you want people to use your ranch recipe… don’t tell the to buy it, or make a disclaimer the you do this or that!
$10 hour in chicken and no dinner…😞
Hi!
I’m sorry about the confusion. Could you please point it out to me where I instruct you to use both, store-bought and homemade ranch. I am unable to find it.
Within the body of the post it says, “Add chicken broth to the Instant Pot, plus a block of cream cheese, and your ranch seasoning mix that includes; dried dill, dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.”
Then, I go on to say, “You can use a Ranch Seasoning packet if you want, but I suggest making it from scratch. The store-bought stuff has too much sodium.”
Finally, in the recipe card, I give you the ingredients and directions on how to make homemade ranch, and store-bought ranch is not listed under the ingredients.
The ingredient list only calls for 1 pound of chicken?
I made this last night. The flavor was very good. I used frozen chicken thighs. I also used the spices instead of the packaged Ranch dressing. The purchased Ranch dressing “mix” has thickener in it. It also typically has dry buttermilk. I like to make my own to control the salt content of recipes.
Next time I will do the chicken first with the seasonings but leave the cream cheese to the end so I can decide if I need to remove some liquid first. I questioned including the cream cheese at the beginning, but I thought I would try it. I feel it works better for any cream type ingredients, cream cheese/cheese/cream soups, to be added at the end & sauté until it melts in.
So quick and super tasty! This one is going on a recipe card!
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
I could not find on recipe how much broth to put in but was delicious
Instant Pot should always have 1 to 2 cups of any liquid.
Great recipe
Used packaged ranch and cooked chicken in the bacon grease
used lc thick and saucy to thicken a little
taste great
Can I make this with ranch dressing?
Hi 👋
The recipe calls for Ranch (dry) seasoning. If you want to use the dressing, I’m sure it will work, but since I haven’t tested it, I can’t say how it will turn out. There’s already cream (cream cheese) in this recipe, so by adding the dressing, it’ll just make it creamier, but I’m not sure how the taste will be.
It’s odd that neither the recipe nor the video show where the Ranch seasoning is added.
It definitely does. You’re making the ranch with the spices listed. Those are what are in ranch seasoning packets minus the preservatives!
How would I double this recipe? Do I have to adjust the cook time in the instant pot?
Didn’t say when to add the ranch seasoning.
Hi!
The ranch seasoning is homemade and all the ingredients for it are in the recipe box; 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon dried dill weed, 1/2 teaspoon dried chives, salt and fresh ground pepper.
My whole family enjoyed this recipe! My 3 year old who doesn’t eat anything likes it. So it’s a keeper! Husband loves it too. It’s low carb and goes with my diet. That’s a plus. I cooked my chicken in the bacon grease, I mean it’s right there. So, just did that. The bacon adds that extra magic. Thanks for the recipe! 😀
That’s great to hear! I am very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
HI,
I just got my Instantpot and made this recipe. While it was fully cooked, the chicken was a little chewy rather than tender. Any thoughts on what I can do to make it tender? Cooking longer?
Get quality chicken or use thighs. I never buy anything other than Costco chicken or foster farms brand preferably the organic when they have a deal at target. It’s all about the chicken! Randall farms is terrible and Tyson isn’t any better.
I don’t see Ranch Dressing listed in the recipe??
Hi!
That’s because you’re making your own Ranch mix with the dried dill, dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, salt, and pepper.
I don’t saute in my Instant Pot. Takes too long and I think not everything gets sauteed like I like it. So, I fried the bacon first in a cast iron skillet, them fried the chicken breasts in the bacon grease. YUM! Added a punch of flavor.
No burn notice, but MI e sure didn’t turn out like the picture and I cook a lot in the instant pot with great results (usually). Oh well. No idea what happened.
I really liked this and I don’t even like cream cheese. With all of the spices it masked the flavor of the cream cheese enough so I could enjoy it! I did have to cook my chicken five extra minutes because the breasts were big, but other than that kept the recipe exactly the same. Very good! Thx for a great, easy recipe!
I am very happy you enjoyed it! 🙂 Thank YOU!
Wonderful recipe. I have made it twice and it is delicious, my family loves it. However, I have problems with my Instantpot, I get the ‘burn’ message multiple times while its cooking. I release the pressure and clean the bottom of the pot, but a few minutes later the same thing happens. The first time I followed the exact recipe. The second time I left the bacon grease in as well as adding the olive oil. Same issue both times. I am new to instant pot cooking, and would appreciate any advice.
I read in a recipe that any of the lovely brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pan need to be thoroughly scraped off or the sensor will think something is burning. So make sure you’ve scraped the bacon renderings really well and that would help.
Use the chicken broth to deglaze the bottom of the pot really well. Then add the chicken to the pot, and put the cream cheese and ranch powder on top of the chicken. That way the majority of what’s on the bottom of the pan is liquid. The cheese will melt down over it as it heats up. When you take the chicken out to shred it, you can mix the cheese into the broth better. If you still get a burn alarm, add more broth and just let it simmer out after everything is cooked.
Have you tried scraping the bits off the bottom with a wooden spoon after pouring in the chicken broth? That usually works for me with every recipe I’ve tried so far.
Try not mixing in the cream cheese. Layering of certain ingredients is important in the instant pot. Put in the broth and just lay the brick of cream cheese on top of the chicken. Then throw in your spices and start cooking.
If I were to double the recipe in my instant pot would I double the cook time or keep it at 12 mins?
Hi! So Instant Pots are a bit finicky when it comes to doubling the recipe. For the most part, you won’t have to double the cooking time if you double the ingredients, but more items in an Instant Pot will make it fuller which means it will take longer for the pot to reach pressure. The food is cooking the entire time the pot builds pressure, not just when the timer starts counting down. Does that make sense? I hope 🤞 😊
I just got an instant pot but that makes sense. Any idea how much time I would add then? Thanks for your help
Nothing more than 2 minutes. IF chicken is not cooked through after that, cover the Instant Pot, and let it stand for few more minutes. The hot heat within it will cook them to doneness.
Made this tonight in the Instant pot.It was delicious followed the recipe turned out great.
Way too soupy. Didnt thicken at all
Hi!
You can make a slurry with cornstarch and whisk it in the sauce; that will thicken it up for sure.
Since this is a keto recipe, I used xanthan gum instead of corn starch to thicken it up. Didn’t bother with a slurry, just added some to the mix and stirred it in.
Okay how much ranch dressing?
Hi!
Do you mean store-bought ranch seasoning mix? You’ll need about 1 tablespoon.
The listed spices ARE the ranch seasoning. You’re just making it from scratch 🙂
Very flavorful! I only added half the broth but was still too soupy. Next time I’ll skip the broth. Hubby put his over noodles, I put over sautéed broccolini-delish!
If you skip the broth it will burn it has to have liquid to make the steam to cook. just turn it to saute and cook the broth down while you shred the chicken.
Ohhhh my LANTA! This chicken was beyond amazing. I used organic herbs that were fairly new so maybe that made a difference in taste (in regards to some people saying theirs lacked flavor). The flavor in this for my partner and I was 10/10. He’s asking me to make it weekly now. SO good. The spices make this. Hard to believe it’s keto-friendly. We did lettuce wraps, but next time I will put it over a bed of steamed broccoli.
This was not as flavorful as I thought it would. It was good though. I took the suggestion of another person and served it over noodles for my kids and broccoli for me. It never thickened up. This could easily be made into a soup by adding more broth or cream and some veggies. I will make it again.
This was my first attempt of cooking with my InstaPot. Flavor is great, sauce was thin. Added some cornstarch to thicken it up. Served over a bed of steamed broccoli for me (low carb) and over noodles for the kids.
I doubled recipe and used frozen chicken breasts. They were not cooked all the way through, so cooked them for about 5-7 additional minutes. Plenty of leftovers. Overall, definitely a keeper.
Stop calling it Instapot!!! It’s Instant Pot!!! I bet you say PIN number and ATM machine too! #SMDH
Relax.
Woah……. Of all the things going on in the world, I think we can give this one a pass…
Wow. Calm down nomenclature cop!!!
Oh Bendover, why did that upset you so much? Just go cook something really good and enjoy the fruits of your labor.
Would leftovers hold up well in the fridge?
This recipe is amazing! I made mine into more of a soup. I added and extra half cup of broth and 2/3 C of heavy cream. I also used chicken thighs for extra flavor. Might be one of the best “soups” I’ve ever ate!!
I have made this with several times. Once with chicken bone broth, and ( accidently) beef bone broth. It was great with the chicken broth, and amazing with the beef broth. Great recipe!!!
Maybe I’m overlooking it, but how much broth does this recipe call for?
1 cup. But I removed some after and didn’t add the cream cheese till the end – shredded the chicken and then sautéed to melt the cream cheese so it was a thicker sauce.
I used Jalapeno Bacon and it really kicked the flavor way off the charts! I did have to thicken the broth as per the instructions given. The chicken though!!! OMG ! so tender, fall apart! Easy to shred. I looked at the ingredients in the Ranch dry seasoning and was not impressed so I went with the advice…from scratch. I just could not find dried chives so I added dried parsley instead. Flavor was soooo so good! Fast, easy to make. If I were not on a keto diet I would spread this over rice in a heartbeat!!!
David you can dry fresh chives in the oven .All you do is cut up the chives into 1/4 inch pieces .Get a cookie sheet and put a piece of parchment paper down on the sheet add the chives and bake at 185F until dried usually between 1-2 hrs .
I found it a little boring. I was looking for a little more depth. Maybe next time I will try some peppers. It is a good base recipe.
Not sure why, but it didn’t thicken and the cream cheese and broth look like a clumpy soup
If the chicken was from frozen or had a higher % of water injected into it…that’s why. I had to thicken mine with a corn starch slurry, and sauté for 5 minutes before adding the shredded chicken back in.
Is the ranch seasoning just dry ranch dressing mix?
The ranch seasoning ingredients are listed…it’s from scratch.
Delicious, with a light and fresh flavor. I use an ounce of prosciutto end (because I had it) cut thin, instead of bacon. Also, I used fresh chives and dill (2-3 Tbsp. each) and served it on shredded iceberg. I thought it would be heavy, but it is not. I am fairly new to keto eating and with recipes like this I will be very happy to stick with it! Thank you
I felt like I was burning the bottom of the pot. Also, it didn’t thicken. Taste was good. I used ranch dressing pack mixed with the cream cheese and added some garlic
I won’t be making this again. My family and I thought it was flavorless. I guess different strokes for different folks. We were disappointed.
I would give this recipe a try again. Next time, tweak it! I used a ranch dressing packet anyways. Then added extra garlic powder and cracked black pepper. But what really helped the flavor was doubling the bacon, then reserving some bacon grease to brown the chicken (instead of oil.) I deglazed the pan with a bit of chicken stock. (Kept the flavor bits in.) Added about 1/3 of the bacon to the pot while cooking. Oh, I also sprinkled a bit more ranch dressing mix over the chicken before sealing the pot.
Question:When doing in the crock pot as instructed, do we add the broth at the end or omit?
Hi! Yep, you don’t need the chicken broth for the slow cooker; it will make it too watery.
This is DELICIOUS!! My son loves it!! I like to mix some steamed broccoli in my bowl – so yummy!!! Thank you for the recipe!!
Made this tonight in the instapot. It was delicious. Thank you
If I want to add spinach, when do I do that? Do I cook it first? Or do you think I can toss it in when I put the lid back on and let it rest? What about adding cauliflower?
I love this recipe and the nutritional info makes it really good for Keto. What do you consider a serving size?
I think serving size is 4oz of chicken. As there is 16 ounces in 1 pound. So 4 servings 1 pound of chicken I would say 4 ounces
Can we start with frozen chicken breast? If so does it change the cooking time?
Thank you!!!
I would like to know too!
I did frozen breasts for 22 mins and it worked great, though I did end up thickening it up a bit with a flour/cold water slurry.
I start with frozen chicken breast all the time
This looks so good! Yum!!
This looks delicious! If I were to add spinach to this for a little green, would you recommend? If so, how much and when to add? thanks.
Sure! I’d use about 8 ounces of baby spinach and add it at the very end; just mix it through while everything is still hot and the spinach will wilt in a minute or two.
I would add it during the 5 minute thickening period! Putting spinach in the pressure cooker would likely disintegrate it. My only concern would be excess water as it wilts in the sauce.
This dinner has to happen at my house! Love everything about it!
This chicken is amazing! I am wondering how much a serving is? Thank you!
This looks really delicious! A perfect weekend treat!
Would there be a way to donthis if the chicken is frozen? Or just best to thaw?
This turned out really good. I had 2 lbs of chicken tenders on hand so used those. It was so tender and easy to shred. Doubled all the ingredients since I had an extra Ib of chicken. The bacon and scallions on top were so good! I served with brown rice. Would thicken it more if I were serving on a sandwich wrap. This was so delicious!
If I am making this with Dry Ranch seasoning do I put 2 while teaspoons in in place of the other seasonings or just 1/2 teaspoon?
Hi! Yep, 2 teaspoons, but if you want less or more, go ahead and adjust to your liking.
So much flavor! My family loves it. Thanks for sharing!
So it’s either the spices in the recipe or the ranch packet ?? I’m confused
Hi!
Yes, correct. You can use the store-bought ranch packet, or make “ranch seasoning” with the spices listed in the recipe.
So much flavor! Making this week!
Winner! Winner! Chicken dinner! Absolutely delicious!
This sounds delicious. I also LOVE how many ways you can use it.
What’s not to love about this?!?!?! Can’t wait to make for dinner!
Wouldn’t it be better to have the extra sodium since this seems to be for keto? Or is it just too salty-tasting with the other stuff (the bacon and the cream cheese)? Just wondering if should buy the regular chicken broth instead? Thanks!
Better to cook low sodium and then salt to taste
I just love chicken recipes, and this looks amazing and thanks for this delicious. Can I use chicken wings?
I have not tried it with wings, but I don’t see why it couldn’t be done. I’m sure they’ll be delicious!
thank you for confirming the crock pot version works here since I love each one of these flavors and together even better wow, crack indeed
Works well with 2lbs of grass fed ground beef! Use a skillet instead. Add some Frank’s Hot sauce. Still use the broth. I used bone broth. I also added fresh spinach for fiber.
Hi Steve – How much hot sauce did you add for the above recipe?
Steve, with grass fed beef, do you change the name to Crack Cow?!
So there’s no actual crack in it?
Nope, no actual “crack”, Mr. Jimmy Crack.
This looks awesome! Do you think it would totally throw off the flavor of I used a ranch dressing packet instead?
Oh yeah, that’s definitely OK. I just don’t use them because of the high sodium content.
I’d use chicken thighs for a higher fat content..
Sure! I love chicken thighs, but for this recipe I think they would be a bit difficult to shred.
I did it with chicken thighs it came out fine, only difference was I cubed the chicken instead of shredding it. Still tasted great!
Hi – can this be done in a slow cooker or stove top?
Thanks!
Hi!
Yep, you can definitely prepare it in the crock pot in the same way – just toss it all in, without the chicken broth, put it on LOW and set it for 5 to 6 hours. Personally, I’d also brown the chicken breasts beforehand.
On the stovetop, you can cook the chicken breasts almost all the way through in a skillet, then you will want to add in the rest of the ingredients, cover it and let it cook until it’s all melted and creamy.