Instant Pot Crack Chicken for the ultimate moist and flavorful chicken you’ll love in sandwiches, salads, or pasta. Made with simple ingredients and less than 20 minutes in the pressure cooker, it’s perfect for busy weeknight dinners.
For my follow-up Instant Pot recipe to the finger-licking, lip-smacking amazing baby back ribs with cola sauce, I’d like to share with you my favorite way to prepare boneless chicken breasts in the pressure cooker. Chicken bacon ranch A.K.A. as crack chicken!
This shredded ranch chicken is called crack for good reason. Creamy, cheesy, and loaded with smoky bacon crumbles, it’s seriously addicting!
How to serve chicken bacon ranch
This stuff is so good, you’d want to put use it on everything! Here are a few delicious suggestions below.
- In sandwiches and sliders
- Tossed with your favorite pasta
- As a spread for crackers or toasts
- Topped on baked potatoes or green salads
- As filling for taquitos, burritos, or enchiladas
Pressure cooking instructions
Other than being tasty and multi-purpose, this Instant pot chicken is also incredibly easy to make. You’d be pleasantly surprised by how flavorful it turns out with so little effort.
- Trim the chicken breasts of excess fat. Rinse and pat dry.
- In the pressure cooker, place chicken, Ranch seasoning, cream cheese, and liquid of choice (water or broth for more flavor).
- Cook on High Pressure for 15 minutes and do 5 minutes natural release and then quick release when done. Turn the Instant Pot on Saute Mode on LOW (using LESS button).
- Remove chicken from the pot, shred coarsely with two forks, and return to the pot.
- Add cheese, bacon, and green onions. Give it a good stir until the mixture thickens.
Please don’t be alarmed when you open the Instant Pot as the chicken will be sitting in a pool of liquid and everything will look kind of messy unappetizing with the melted cream cheese. Once the shredded chicken is returned to the pot and the remaining ingredients are tossed in, the sauce will turn nice and creamy.
How to make slow cooker crack chicken
You can also make it in a crockpot which is just as easy, albeit a few hours longer.
- In a slow cooker, place 2 pounds chicken breasts, 8 ounces cream cheese, 1 packet dry Ranch seasoning, and 1/4 cup water.
- Cook on LOW for about 6 to 8 hours or on HIGH for about 4 to 5 hours.
- When chicken is cooked, coarsely shred with two forks.
- Add 1 cup of shredded cheese, crumbled crisp bacon, and green onions.
- Give it a good stir and serve.
Can you Freeze Ranch Chicken?
Yes, you can! The recipe makes a big batch and more than comfortably feeds a family of four especially if served in sandwiches.
- Allow to cool and store in resealable bags or airtight containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up 3 months for the best quality and food safety.
- When ready to serve, thaw completely and slowly reheat in a saucepan over low heat. Add milk in 1/4 cup increments if the mixture is too thick or dry.
Give this Instant Pot Crack chicken a try for dinner tonight and let me know what you think in the comments below. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 packet (1.5 ounces) dry Ranch seasoning mix
- 1 block (8 ounces) cream cheese
- 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
- 1 cup shredded cheddar
- 1 cup shredded Montery Jack cheese
- 1/2 cup crisp bacon crumbles
- 1/2 cup chopped green onions
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Trim chicken of excess fat. Rinse and pat dry.
- In a pressure cooker insert, arrange chicken in a single layer.
- Add dry Ranch seasoning mix.
- Place cream cheese on top of chicken.
- Add water or broth.
- Close the lid and set the valve to SEALING position seal the lid, Pressure cook on HIGH pressure for 15 minutes.
- When the Instant Pot beeps, do a natural release for 5 minutes and then quick release.
- Open the lid and turn on SAUTE mode on LOW (using LESS on the Instant Pot).
- Remove chicken from the pot and coarsely shred with two forks.
- Return shredded chicken to the Instant Pot and add shredded cheese, bacon crumbles, and green onions.
- Stir until well-distributed and mixture is nice and creamy. Season with pepper to taste, if desired. Serve immediately.
Nutrition Information
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Pat Igh says
There is no quicker way to display your ignorance of and indifference to the misery of poverty in America than to say that your favorite food is “like crack.” – Drug addiction is not funny or a way for you to gain more readers.
Crack Chicken says
Some people get offended over everything. Have some CRACK CHICKEN and relax.
Ruth says
Exactly! Some people just look for things to be offended by. I love Crack Chicken and also Crack Christmas Candy which I make every year!
Teri says
Loved this recipe! The directions were simple and it was so easy to make. My family enjoyed it (all of them, which is unusual 😊) . The name is fine too. The comments are for the recipe, not for whatever the “cause “ of the day is. Take it somewhere else.
Wylie says
Chill out it’s Crack Chicken! You should try it!
Tiffany L says
What size instant pot is this recipe for?
lalaine says
I usually use my 8-qt Instant Pot 🙂
Sabelinski says
Don’t take it out on the person who posted this. I found this recipe years ago for crock pot and it has been dubbed this by the masses. I agree drug addiction is not funny, but it is what this recipe is known as.
Cathy Krause says
Crack, when used as an adjective, means superb, outstanding, top of the line. Lighten up, Francis. This chicken is amazing.
Laurie says
I couldn’t agree more! I do love this recipe but refuse to call it Crack chicken.. if you’ve ever had a loved one with An addiction, you will understand.
I call it cream cheesy chicken.
Lisa Kaye says
I have a bulk canister of dry Ranch seasoning – how much should I add? T
lalaine says
Three tablespoons 🙂
Teri C says
This recipe was great! The whole family liked it (which is rare!) It was super quick and easy. The name is fine, she was supposed to comment on how great it tastes, not some words that make a title. I guess everyone has a cause, but there’s a time and place for it and a comment on a recipe is definitely not it. Loved your recipe, I will see what others you have 😊
lalaine says
Well-said 🙂 I wasn’t sure how to answer the previous comment when I first read it; made me doubt myself and I thought I was being insensitive to the plight of others and trivialized the “drug problem” by using the word “crack”. Thank you so much!
Halbright11 says
Hi! Is this compatible if the chicken is frozen still?
lalaine says
I haven’t tried this with frozen. You might have to adjust cook time and expect a bit more watery result due to the extra moisture from the frozen chicken.
Dan says
I made this and I don’t even smoke crack. The recipe neither reminded me of crack, nor did it push me into a life of drug use. It was delicious. And before you tell me I don’t understand the seriousness of drug use, stop. Get over yourself. It’s a chicken recipe, not a political discussion. Go try some “non-political, no-negative-connotation, sensitive-to-everyones’-feelings stew.”
Nikki says
If I wanted to use frozen chicken breast in my instant pot, would I can my time or amount of liquid?
lalaine says
I haven’t tried this with frozen so I am not sure of the exact time. I think you should increase the cook time for a minute or two. The end result might be a little wetter due to the extra moisture from the frozen meat.
Jess says
Should I place the chicken on a trivet or will that be enough broth to prevent getting the burn notice?
lalaine says
I don’t use the trivet for this. 🙂
Shea R says
I have yet to get an IP (I know, I must be in the 5% that haven’t made the purchase yet). I am going to get one soon. My question is the 6 vs 8 and the recipes on line. Most don’t say what size IP they are using in the recipes, does it matter?
Hover says
Great! Fast and delicious comfort food. I always suddenly have extra guests whenever I make large batches of this.
lalaine says
Yes, this is always a crowd favorite 🙂
Virginia Rose-Lee says
I made this recipe and let me tell you, it is delicious. You can call it whatever you want. Your recipe, your call. By the way, I have been clean and sober for 30 years.
Elizabeth says
Do you know if reduced fat cream cheese would work or would it curdle because of the lower fat content?