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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.
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