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Instant Pot Crack Chicken is a delicious combination of chicken breasts, cream cheese, crispy bacon, and ranch seasoning mix, all cooked together to create a creamy, cheesy, and incredibly excellent meal.
Crack Chicken in the Instant Pot
This instant pot recipe makes creamy chicken that’s comforting, hearty, low-carb, and keto friendly. It is the Instant Pot chicken recipe of our dreams! We are talking about a dinner that includes chicken + bacon + cream cheese + ranch seasoning. I meeeean… ?
Crack Chicken is great in tacos, served over plates of pasta, and in sandwiches, of course, BUT it’s also just as good (if not better) in lettuce wraps – I LOVE that lettuce wrap crunch. Or, you can serve it with a side of mashed cauliflower and zucchini noodles.
For our soccer/football/game parties, I keep it inside the Instant Pot on the “warm” function for people to scoop it onto their plates 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
Creamy crack chicken makes an easy low carb, Keto dinner that you’ll go back to again and again because, one, it’s delicious, but 2, everything is going into the Instant Pot for only 20-ish minutes.
- Start heating your Instant Pot and add diced bacon; cook for a couple of minutes or to a desired crispness. Remove bacon and set aside.
- Heat some oil in the Instant Pot and brown the chicken breasts for 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, 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.
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
- 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 the chicken shreds easily. Once shredded, toss it back in the slow cooker and stir. Add in crumbled bacon and serve.
Tips and Variations
- IF the sauce is too thick, stir in a little bit of chicken broth or 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 store-bought Ranch Seasoning packet if you want, but I suggest making it from scratch, recipe below. The store-bought stuff has too much sodium.
What To Serve with Instant Pot Crack Chicken
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 crackers and veggies.
Obviously, this 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! ??
Storing Crack Chicken
- In the Fridge: Place leftovers in an airtight container and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days.
- To Freeze: Let the chicken 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!
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Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Ingredients
- 4 slices thick cut bacon,, diced
FOR THE CHICKEN BREASTS
- 2 tablespoons avocado oil or olive oil
- 1 pound boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ½ teaspoon sweet or smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- salt and fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
FOR THE CREAM CHEESE + RANCH SEASONING MIX
- 8 ounces cream cheese,, room temperature
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon dried dill weed
- ½ teaspoon dried chives
- salt and fresh ground black pepper,, to taste
- 1 cup 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 it aside.
- Heat the oil in the Instant Pot.
- Season the chicken breasts 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 the cream cheese in a mixing bowl and season it with garlic powder, onion powder, dried dill weed, dried chives, salt, and pepper; mix to combine. OR season the cream cheese with 1 tablespoon of store-bought Ranch Seasoning Mix.
- On the Instant Pot, press "Cancel" to stop sautéing.
- Add the 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 the chicken, and transfer it to a cutting board to shred it with two forks or meat shredder claws.
- 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
- Ranch: Please follow the above recipe for making your own Ranch Seasoning Mix OR use 1 tablespoon of store-bought Ranch Seasoning Mix.
- Chicken Broth: If using low-sodium chicken broth, remember that you’ll need to adjust/add more salt to your dish. You don’t want a salty flavor, but salt intensifies the flavors of the other ingredients and eliminates the bitterness.
- Slow Cooker Method: Add the chicken breasts, 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. Remove the chicken from the slow cooker and shred it. Once shredded, toss it back in the slow cooker and stir. Add in crumbled bacon and serve.
Nutrition
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.
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.