Rich, creamy, and full of flavor, this Keto Instant Pot Crack Chicken Recipe is sure to be a favorite family dinner.
This recipe is from our e-book, 20 Low-Carb Instant Pot Pressure Cooker Recipes. In the e-book we call it “Better Than Crack Chicken”, which it really is! We switched up the seasoning a little (omitted the Ranch mix and added our own keto-friendly seasonings), and this takes it over the top in terms of deliciousness. Our e-book is now on sale on for just $4.99!
We’ve also included this ebook in our ULTIMATE KETO EBOOK BUNDLE for only $19.99. It includes all 9 of our ebooks and meal plans! If you love the ebooks, join our affiliate program and earn 40% on each ebook sale you refer!
What is Crack Chicken
The wildly popular Crack Chicken is actually pretty simple in its ingredient list: chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon, scallion, and Ranch seasoning! The end result is creamy and rich, and packed with flavor. It’s proof that a recipe doesn’t have to be complicated to taste great. Crack Chicken is deliciously addictive, which is where the name comes from.
Using Frozen Chicken to Make Crack Chicken in an Instant Pot
A question we frequently get asked is whether you have to defrost boneless, skinless chicken breasts before making this recipe, or if you can just use them frozen. If you forgot to pull the chicken out of the freezer in the morning, we have good news for you! Crack Chicken can easily be made with frozen chicken. If using an Instant Pot, just add 5 minutes on to the cooking time (for a total of 20 minutes on Manual High Pressure).
Note that the U.S. Department of Agriculture advises against cooking frozen chicken in a slow cooker or crock pot because slow cookers cook at a low temperature and may not heat chicken up to 165F, which is the minimum temperature to destroy any dangerous bacteria and ensure that chicken is fully cooked. So if you’re using a crock pot or slow cooker to make Crack Chicken, make sure to defrost it first!
Crack Chicken Ingredients
- bacon
- boneless skinless chicken breasts
- cream cheese
- water
- apple cider vinegar
- dried chives
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- crushed red pepper flakes
- dried dill
- salt
- black pepper
- shredded cheddar cheese
- scallion
Using Leftover Chicken to Make Crack Chicken
Sometimes we all have leftover chicken on hand that needs to be used up. Maybe you roasted a couple of chickens on the weekend to prep for the week ahead, maybe you had company over and grilled up too many chicken breasts.
Or maybe rotisserie chicken was on sale at your local grocery store and it was too good a bargain to pass up or you made some Instant Pot shredded chicken breasts. Whatever the reason, we all can use a few ideas on how to use up leftover chicken.
If you have cooked chicken in your fridge just waiting to used, we have good news for you! Leftover chicken works great for making Crack Chicken. If using an Instant Pot, keep the chicken breasts whole if possible (don’t pre-shred them), and decrease the cooking time to 5 minutes (for a total of 5 minutes on Manual High Pressure).
If you have left over crack chicken, it’s perfect to meal prep and take for lunch the next day!
How to Make Crack Chicken in a Slow Cooker or Crock Pot
One of the things we love most about Crack Chicken is that there are so many different ways you can make it! We love our electric pressure cooker, but if you’d rather throw everything together in the slow cooker in the morning and come home to dinner waiting for you, you’ll be happy to know that Crack Chicken can also be made in a crock pot.
To make Crack Chicken in a slow cooker, add the chicken and cream cheese to the slow cooker. Whisk together the water, vinegar, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dill, salt, and black pepper in a small bowl and pour on top. Cook on LOW for 8 hours. Remove the chicken and shred it, and then add it back to the pot and stir in the cheddar. Cook the bacon in a skillet on the stovetop until crispy; cool the bacon and then crumble it on top.
How to make Crack Chicken in the Oven
After so many people have asked we made a keto baked crack chicken recipe! This recipe is just as good as our original keto crack chicken made in the instant pot!
How to Shred Cooked Chicken Breasts
There are a number of methods for shredding cooked chicken breasts, most of which take less than a minute! Choose the one that works best for you. Note that all of these methods work best when the chicken is still warm, so be sure to shred it before it cools, but not when it’s still too hot to safely handle.
Stand Mixer Method to Shred Chicken
Add the chicken to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Put on the splatter guard. Turn the mixer on until the chicken is shredded, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Hand Mixer Method to Shred Chicken
Add the chicken to a large bowl. Beat the chicken on low speed with a handheld electric mixer until the chicken is shredded, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl if necessary.
Food Processor Method to Shred Chicken
Add the chicken to the bowl of a food processor fitted with the dough blade (this dough blade is for this Cuisinart food processor).
High Speed Blender Method to Shred Chicken
Add the chicken to a high speed blender (such as a Vitamix or Blendtec) and pulse a few times until the chicken is shredded.
Two Forks Method to Shred Chicken
Place the cooked chicken breasts onto a cutting board. Pierce the center of a piece of chicken with one fork and use the other fork to pull the chicken into shreds.
What Makes This Crack Chicken Keto/Low-Carb
The main ingredients in this recipe (chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and bacon) are all part of a low-carb, ketogenic diet. We skipped the store-bought Ranch seasoning mix because it usually contains sugar, quite a bit of salt, and preservatives that we try to avoid if possible. Instead we used a keto-friendly mix of dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dried dill, salt, and black pepper to season our Crack Chicken.
To keep this meal keto, an important thing to keep in mind is what you serve with this Crack Chicken; we share a few keto-friendly serving suggestions below.
In the photo above, our Crack Chicken is served “sandwich style” on Paleo Low Carb Sandwich Bread Rolls (Keto Buns)!
How to Serve Keto Crack Chicken (And Keep it Keto-Friendly)
Here are a few of our favorite keto-friendly ways to serve Crack Chicken:
- On top of zucchini noodles
- On a bed of baby spinach
- With a side of homemade guacamole
- Along with herbed cauliflower rice or cilantro lime cauliflower rice
- As sliders, using our favorite keto cheddar biscuits (the biscuit recipe is in our Freezer-Friendly Family Dinner Recipes e-book)
Other Low Carb Instant Pot Recipes you will love!
- Juicy Beef Brisket Recipe – Fall apart tender brisket made in the instant pot!
- Creamy Garlic Broccoli Mash – A delicious way to eat more vegetables on a keto diet.
- Low Carb Roasted Red Bell Pepper Chicken – Juicy dark meat in a rich creamy sauce.
- Low Carb Pot Roast – Made with radishes instead of potatoes (you won’t be able to tell the difference!).
- Instant Pot Beef Ribs – Perfect for summer barbecues.
- Cauliflower Soup with bacon and Cheddar cheese – You won’t be able to taste the cauliflower I swear!
- Keto Cheesecake – Great dessert to bring for friends and family gatherings!
- Instant Pot Cauliflower Pav Bhaji (Low Carb Indian Food) – To satisfy your craving for Indian food!
- Low Carb Instant Pot Pot Roast – We use radishes instead of potatoes!
- Instant Pot Keto Cinnamon Rolls – Perfect for lazy Sunday Mornings!
- Instant Pot low Carb Chili – great to warm you up on those cold winter nights!
Also, here is a round up post we created sharing other bloggers favorite low carb instant pot recipes.
If you’re new to the Instant Pot, check out this post we wrote on our favorite Instant Pot Accessories!
5 Day Keto Meal Plan On a Budget
This crack chicken recipe can be made super cheap! And if you’re looking for other budget friendly keto recipes, check out our 5 Day Keto Meal Plan. This keto meal plan is great for people looking to do keto on a budget. With our keto budget meal plan you can eat for less than $5 per day!
Easy Chicken Recipes you need to try!
- Low Carb Indian Butter Chicken
- Low Carb Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole
- Keto BBQ Chicken Salad Bowls
- Keto Chicken Bacon Ranch Casserole
- Buffalo Chicken Dip
- Leftover Chicken Bone Broth Soup
- Copycat Alice Springs Chicken
If you’re big into meal prepping, we have something for you! We wrote a post about keto chicken meal prep that you may enjoy!
If you loved this post or any of our recipes, please leave a comment below. We love hearing from you! You can also tag #theketoqueens on social media. To stay up-to-date, FOLLOW US on Instagram @theketoqueens, Twitter, and Facebook.
Keto Instant Pot Crack Chicken Recipe
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 2 slices bacon chopped
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 16 oz cream cheese
- 1/2 cup water
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dried chives
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar (2 oz)
- 1 scallion green and white parts, thinly sliced
Instructions
- Turn pressure cooker on, press “Sauté”, and wait 2 minutes for the pot to heat up. Add the chopped bacon and cook until crispy. Transfer to a plate and set aside. Press “Cancel” to stop sautéing. (See Note.)
- Add the chicken, cream cheese, water, vinegar, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dill, salt, and black pepper to the pot. Turn the pot on Manual, High Pressure for 15 minutes and then do a quick release.
- Use tongs to transfer the chicken to a large plate, shred it with 2 forks, and return it back to the pot.
- Stir in the cheddar cheese.
- Top with the crispy bacon and scallion, and serve.
Notes
Delores Harmon says
Hey guys, just started the Keto diet and needed some comfort food!! This recipe is the “BOMB”!!! Even my husband and his buddy loved it done up in a Romaine wrap. I have used also Norigami wraps, and made “cloud bread” to toast in a pan and top with the ooey gooey scrumptious Crack Chicken, if y’all haven’t tried this recipe DO IT!!! Keep um comin’ gals!!!!
Lara says
So happy you LOVED it!!! Such a great idea with cloud bread!
Tracy says
How do you make this if you don’t own a pressure cooker?
Faith Gorsky says
Tracy, We haven’t tried this recipe with another cooking method, but it should actually be pretty easy! The objective is to cook the chicken (any way you like, poached, baked, grilled, or even rotisserie) until it can be shredded, and then mix the shredded chicken with the creamy sauce. To cook the creamy sauce on the stovetop, we recommend crisping the bacon in a saucepan and then removing it and adding the water and spices. Once the water is simmering, add the cream cheese a bit at a time (slightly softened would probably work best), whisking until it’s incorporated. Cooked this way, you may need to add a splash more liquid (water or broth, if you prefer) to the sauce, because some of the liquid will evaporate off as the cream cheese melts down. Finally, stir in the cooked shredded chicken and shredded cheddar, and serve! If you try it this way, please let us know how it goes!
Nadine says
I am new to this site. I just started keto about 3 weeks ago and I am clueless in the kitchen! I made this tonight on the stove top (I don’t have an Instant Pot) and it turned out great! I did have to whisk in an extra 1/2 cup of water with the cream cheese sauce like Faith suggested. It was delicious! Great recipe, thank you so much!
January says
Has anyone tried this recipe with boneless skinless chicken thighs?
Russell says
Yep trying that right now. Should be fine, more flavorful if anything and not as dry probably. I’ll try and remember to update once cooked.
Faith Gorsky says
Russell, Sounds good, how did it turn out with chicken thighs?
Karen says
If I wanted to make this actually using the ranch packets would I just eliminate the dry ingredients in this recipe? Also for my family that will not eat keto/low carb would this be good just over white rice?
Faith Gorsky says
Karen, We haven’t tried this recipe using the Ranch packets, but yes, it should work fine! To do so, we would omit the following: vinegar, chives, garlic powder, onion powder, crushed red pepper flakes, dill, salt, and black pepper, and add 2 (1 oz) packets of dry Ranch seasoning. Yes, it would probably be delicious served over white rice. If you try this recipe using the Ranch packets, please let us know how it goes!
Kittredge says
I added some poblano pepper, and cauliflower. MMMMMM!
Faith Gorsky says
Kittredge, Love that idea to make it a full meal – yum!!!
Ally says
Can you do this on the stove or in an oven? I want to try but sadly don’t own an instant pot
Faith Gorsky says
Ally, We haven’t tried this recipe with another cooking method, but it should actually be pretty easy! The objective is to cook the chicken (any way you like, poached, baked, grilled, or even rotisserie) until it can be shredded, and then mix the shredded chicken with the creamy sauce. To cook the creamy sauce on the stovetop, we recommend crisping the bacon in a saucepan and then removing it and adding the water and spices. Once the water is simmering, add the cream cheese a bit at a time (slightly softened would probably work best), whisking until it’s incorporated. Cooked this way, you may need to add a splash more liquid (water or broth, if you prefer) to the sauce, because some of the liquid will evaporate off as the cream cheese melts down. Finally, stir in the cooked shredded chicken and shredded cheddar, and serve! If you try it this way, please let us know how it goes!
Lisa says
Is it safe to put cream cheese in the pressure cooker.i always thoughtyou should stir it in afterwards.
Faith Gorsky says
Lisa, Yes, it is safe to put cream cheese in the pressure cooker, this is how we always make it. Alternatively, you can add the cream cheese once the chicken is cooked and you take it out of the pot to shred it, but you’ll need to leave the pot on “saute” and cook (stirring frequently) until the cream cheese mixture is melted into the sauce. (You may also need to add a splash more liquid if done this way.) If you try it this way, let us know how it goes!
Char says
Hi. Love this recipe. Have you tried to freeze this? I vacuum seal meals for my hubby’s lunches and wonder how this will turn out if reheated from frozen.
Faith Gorsky says
Char, We also like to freeze this in individual-sized portions for quick meals on busy days! We let it thaw in the fridge overnight (or a couple hours at room temperature), and then reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop.
Carrie Herz says
Made this tonight and the whole family loved it. I thought it was perfect “as is” but served on a bed of rice for the rest of the family with a side of green beans. I’m sure this will be a recipe in regular rotation for my family!
Lara says
Carrie,
We are so happy you and your family loved the recipe! It’s one of our favorites as well 🙂
Carrie says
I’m having some trouble figuring out my micros because I forgot to measure the contents of the pot. How many cups per serving? Would you estimate 1/2 cup or 1 cup?
Faith Gorsky says
Carrie, 1/8 of the recipe is about 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons. We hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!
Kristen says
I made this tonight and it tastes amazing!!!! Definitely making it again!thanks for recipe!
Lara says
Hi Kristen,
So glad you loved it! It’s one of our favorites 🙂
Sarah says
*Borrows instant pot from neighbor. Proceeds to make it, but adds a little heavy cream because not sure the multiple partial blocks of cream cheese adds up to 2. All 3 kids gobble it up and declare it was super yummy creamy chicken soup! 😉
Lara says
Yummmmm! That’s such a great idea! I’ll have to try that next time!
Jay says
Made this last night. So good! Poured it over low carb cheddar biscuits, biscuit and gravy style. Whole thing was less than an hour, 2 meals for me and the wife. This recipe is going into the regular rotation.
Lara says
That sounds amazing! So glad you loved it!
Janie says
Can this recipe be made in the oven? if so, at what temperature and for how long?
Faith Gorsky says
Janie, We haven’t made this recipe in the oven, but yes, we think it would work well! Here’s how we would do it: 1) crisp the bacon on the stovetop; 2) for step 2 in the recipe above, add all ingredients to a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish, cover it with foil, and bake it at 350F until the chicken is fully cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes (the chicken should not be pink in the center, and it should shred easily with a fork); 3) remove and shred the chicken; 4) stir the shredded chicken into the creamy sauce along with the cheddar cheese; 5) top with bacon and scallion and serve. If you give it a try, please let us know how it goes!
Ryan says
Do you leave the bacon grease in it after you cook the bacon?
Faith Gorsky says
Ryan, Yes! It adds flavor and we included it in the macros.
Ryan says
Thank you!
Christy says
I am new to keto, family not excited, however I made this for the family tonight and I am happy to say EVERYONE liked it so much that they were all convinced I just blew my diet. I smiled and said “it was worth it”. Heee Heee. I will definitely be making this one again
Lara says
Yay!!!! So glad you and your family loved it!
Hilary says
How much does 1/8th of the recipe equate to? Would be helpful to have the serving size in cup measurements.
Faith Gorsky says
Hilary, 1/8 of the recipe is about 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons. We hope you enjoy it if you give it a try!
Colleen Jefferys says
I divided contents into 1/2 cup servings and only got 5. Where did I go wrong?
Faith Gorsky says
Colleen, I can try to help you troubleshoot! Did you follow the recipe exactly or make any changes? Did you use the same amount of ingredients and cook it for the same length of time?
Amanda says
Throw in some Frank’s Red Hot and this is PERFECT.
Faith Gorsky says
Amanda, Yaaaassss, love that idea!!!
Lin says
My friend makes it that way and calls it Buffalo Crack Chicken.
Lara says
Oh wow! That’s good to know. I’ll have to check that out.
Jay says
Also this.
Yvette says
I took the instructions very literally and I placed everything in a pile in my IP. CRIPES!! I definitely needed to at least stir the ingredients together. The cream cheese blocks didn’t allow the breasts to cook through. But I think it came out ok! I’ll try it again! Thanks, Kweens!
Faith Gorsky says
Yvette, Oh no, sorry to hear about the chicken not being cooked! Was the chicken frozen to start with? If so, be sure to add 5 minutes to your Instant Pot cooking time (on manual high pressure). When we tested this, we literally just put everything into the IP (nestled down into the liquid, of course), and let it do its thing. The cream cheese softened, and when it was done cooking we removed the chicken to shred it, and the sauce stirred together nicely.
Amanda says
If you piled the chicken, it won’t cook through. The IP cooks based on thickness, not poundage. So when you are cooking anything in the IP, it’s best to have the meat in a single layer (I can easily put 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves in a single layer on my trivet). If you stack them on top of one another, they take longer to cook.
Christopher says
Can I double the recipe in an instant pot ip duo? I have a big family!
Faith Gorsky says
Christopher, We haven’t tested it, but it’s possible (with potentially a few tweaks)! What is the capacity of your Instant Pot Duo?
Kim says
I used 3 cream cheese and 4 chicken breasts, as I thought 4 might be too much. It came out great, and it passed the family test! I could totally see this as a dip, if chicken was shredded up small enough (I used fork shredding method tonight). Yum!!!!
Faith Gorsky says
Kim, I like your idea of adding extra cream cheese, I bet that was super creamy and delicious! So happy to hear it was a hit with your family!
Jacquelyn says
I doubled it tonight for 5 people and there’s quite a bit leftover. I would make a single batch and see how your family likes it. It’s very rich and filling.
Michael says
So amazing! I found using a hand blender to mix the “sauce” once the chicken is out.
Cooper says
I just tried to make this and it kept burning. I had to take everything out and finish in the oven. What am I doing wrong?
Faith Gorsky says
Cooper, Were you using an Instant Pot to cook it? And did you make any modifications to the recipe? Hopefully we can help you troubleshoot!
Sarah says
Same here…burn warning on instant pot several times…never even got the pressure cooker timer to initiate after sauté – that’s how quick the burn warning came on every time…after 4th I sadly gave up 😭😭😭😭
Faith Gorsky says
Sarah, We’re sorry to hear that the burn warning came on when you made this! We updated the recipe above with the following note, which hopefully will help: We’ve tested this recipe upwards of 10 times and have never had the burn warning come on; however, several readers have had the warning come on, so we want to give a tip. In step 1 of the Instructions above, after removing the bacon from the pot, we recommend adding a splash of water, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom to deglaze the pan. After that, continue on with step 1 and press “Cancel” to stop sauteing.
Beth says
I have read that you have to deglaze the pot after sautéing so after I browned the bacon and took It out I added 1/2 c chicken broth (to replace the water from the recipe) and got up all of the browned bits. I then laid the chicken on the bottom and topped with cream cheese and spices. It was delicious!!! And super easy
Valerie Spengler says
I did ALL of this (deglaze, chicken in with dairy ingredients on top) and it continuously cycled through “BURN”. So frustrated. Had to serve leftovers to the family while I continued to struggle with the IP.
Zack says
My pot never got up to full pressure. I’m going to try a full cup of water next time. Maybe that was the problem.
Anne Caldwell Cave says
I’m having the same problem with the “burn” display. I have scraped the bottom of the pot several times. It is cooking now. Fingers crossed. Bad idea to cook the bacon in the pot. If I cook it again the bacon is going on the stovetop for sure!
Faith Gorsky says
Anne, We’re sorry to hear that the burn warning came on when you made this! We updated the recipe above with the following note, which hopefully will help: We’ve tested this recipe upwards of 10 times and have never had the burn warning come on; however, several readers have had the warning come on, so we want to give a tip. In step 1 of the Instructions above, after removing the bacon from the pot, we recommend adding a splash of water, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom to deglaze the pan. After that, continue on with step 1 and press “Cancel” to stop sauteing.
Maureen says
Getting the ‘burn’ message as well I didn’t even cook the bacon in the pot. So frustrating!
Faith Gorsky says
Maureen, Oh no, we’re sorry to hear that! I can try to help you troubleshoot. Did you make any other changes to the recipe? Was the chicken raw or cooked? (If the chicken was precooked it may have absorbed a lot of the liquid.)
Ste says
Make sure the chicken is on the bottom and the cream cheese isn’t touching the bottom!
Susan Jarvis says
A splash of wine will also deglaze pots beautifully – and it adds a bit of flavor. I use white wine, but red should also work well.
Ericha Cook says
Not gonna help. As I did not even cook my bacon in the pot (sunce I have fully cooked bacon to add at at the end with cheese
Lara says
I’m not sure why this happened, we have never had this issue and we’ve tested it in both 6 and 8 quart and even different models.
NP says
Hi, just a quick question: is this recipe calling for 8oz or 16oz of cream cheese? I’m having trouble deciphering that line.
Faith Gorsky says
NP, It calls for 2 (8 oz) packages of cream cheese, so 16 oz total. Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Nicole Ansara-Henderson says
Has anyone substituted a different cheese? My husband doesn’t tolerate cheddar very well.
Faith Gorsky says
Nicole, We haven’t tried this with a different cheese than cheddar, but I think something like Gruyere would also be delicious. Please let us know how it goes if you use something else!
Vanessa says
this looks really good am going to try this
kate says
Any recommendations on using frozen chicken breasts for this recipe?? Looks so yummy~!
Lara says
Kate, Technically Instant Pot doesn’t recommend cooking frozen chicken breasts; however, when we cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, we usually add an extra 3 to 5 minutes to the cooking time. We hope this helps!
Lisa says
How about the slow cooker & frozen chicken breasts?
Faith Gorsky says
Lisa, Technically Instant Pot doesn’t recommend cooking frozen chicken breasts; however, when we cook frozen chicken breasts in the Instant Pot, we usually add an extra 3 to 5 minutes to the cooking time. For the slow cooker, you could add all the ingredients as-is (just cook the bacon on the stove top first, add the bacon fat to slow cooker, and store cooked bacon in the fridge until serving). We recommend cooking on high 3 to 4 hours or cook on low 6 to 8 hours. Let us know how it goes if you give it a try!
cakespy says
This looks simply incredible. Creamy and dreamy and with bacon to boot. Perfection!
Lara says
Thank you so much! We absolutely love this recipe!
Helen says
What if I don’t own a presser cooker
Faith Gorsky says
Helen, We think this recipe would also work well in the oven! Here’s how we would cook it: 1) crisp the bacon on the stovetop; 2) for step 2 in the recipe above, add all ingredients to a 9 by 13-inch casserole dish, cover it with foil, and bake it at 350F until the chicken is fully cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes (the chicken should not be pink in the center, and it should shred easily with a fork); 3) remove and shred the chicken; 4) stir the shredded chicken into the creamy sauce along with the cheddar cheese; 5) top with bacon and scallion and serve. If you give it a try, please let us know how it goes!
Sarah says
Hello there! Just tried the oven baked recipe. Soooooo good !! Very happy I tried this. Thought I would mention mixing directions would help this sub version of the recipe… there is instinct and common sense but when you add so many different ingredients of different viscosities that would be helpful :). So yeah the cream sauce – I wouldn’t add as much water as recommended for this. I actually drained some out bc it was pretty watery at first. (Luckily before I stirred the cream cheese together ). When I removed the chicken to shred it, moved the cream sauce to a different container (hard to whisk in a casserole dish) to adequately mix the cream sauce. Once I added the chicken I put the cheese on top and put it back in the oven for a few minutes. Excellent recipe thanks for sharing !!
Kevin says
Faith I made this and used all the ingredients except the scallion. Where are the carbs coming from as it doesnt add up too me. Thank you 🙏
Faith Gorsky says
Kevin, Most of the carbs in this recipe are coming from the cream cheese and spices.
Lori says
There is a crock pot version also!!
Bob says
get a pressure cooker if you don’t have one~
Delores says
Can I halve the recipe for just my husband and me? Also my IP won’t do High Pressure on Manual, so I have to cook on Meat. Think that will work?
Faith Gorsky says
Delores, We don’t recommend cutting the recipe in half because there’s already minimal liquid and you would run the risk of it burning. However, this recipe freezes very well and is perfect for meal prep! Just thaw it to room temperature, and then reheat it on the stovetop or microwave. About cooking it on the “Meat” function, unfortunately, we haven’t tried it; however, if you cook chicken breasts using this mode, it could work well. If you try it, please let us know how it goes!
Betty says
I want to have this this weekend. What do you serve with it? Do you put it on lettuce leaves or spinach?
Faith Gorsky says
Betty, You can serve this on anything you like that fits into your macros. We love it with cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, on a bed of spinach, or with keto bread, to name a few ideas. Hope you enjoy it!
Babske says
I halved the recipe and made it in my crockpot express. Did add some frozen chopped onion that will add some water to the mix as well. Got no errors or anything.
Mary says
You have listed the recipe for the IP. Could I add all the ingredients as is to a crock pot and cook? How long? Anxious to try this.
Lara says
Hi Mary,
You could add all the ingredients as is (just cook the bacon on the stove top first and add bacon fat to crock pot and store cooked bacon in the fridge). I would cook on high 3-4 hours or cook on low 6-8 hours. Let me know how it comes out 🙂
victoria says
Hello,
I will be trying this on a crock pot, how long would i cook if i use left over chicken that’s already shredded?
Faith Gorsky says
Victoria, If you’re using leftover shredded chicken, we recommend making the sauce on the stovetop because it doesn’t need a longer cooking time in a slow cooker or pressure cooker. To cook the creamy sauce on the stovetop, we recommend crisping the bacon in a saucepan and then removing it and adding the water and spices. Once the water is simmering, add the cream cheese a bit at a time (slightly softened would probably work best), whisking until it’s incorporated. Cooked this way, you may need to add a splash more liquid (water or broth, if you prefer) to the sauce, because some of the liquid will evaporate off as the cream cheese melts down. Finally, stir in the cooked shredded chicken and shredded cheddar, and serve! If you try it this way, please let us know how it goes!
Bert says
Instant pot burned nonstop, could not make…tried advice, and then pam, olive oil etc. Just scorches in a couple minutes.
Also, why can I not give less than 3 stars? Seems like a shady rating system to boost google hits.
Lara says
Hi Bert, sorry you are having issues that you weren’t able to trouble shoot. You can definitely give this recipe less than 3 star if you like. We’ve tested this out ourselves 🙂
Dacie says
Are you having trouble with burning during the saute in the beginning or is it when you’re pressure cooking? What I didn’t realize is that my Instant Pot has 3 different temperature settings for the saute function. If it starts to burn or sizzle out of control, I just turn the temp down. I hope this helps, I haven’t tried this recipe yet but it looks delicious!
Mary says
I did exactly what you suggested. It was great. Now we have left overs for quesadillas. I cooked it on low for 4 hours. So yummy.
Kevin says
Thank you; I feel stupid because I didnt think cream cheese had crabs and I just learned ahard lesson that explains a lot. 🙏🙏
Faith Gorsky says
Kevin, No worries, we’re happy to help! 🙂
Erin says
I made this the first time with 2lb boneless skinless chicken breast tenderloins and it was DELICIOUS!
I made it again tonight with 2lbs boneless skinless whole chicken breasts as the recipe calls for — and after 15 minutes the chicken was still partly uncooked inside.
I didn’t do anything different aside from using chicken breasts this time — why would it not have cooked through?
Just wondering if I should have cut the breasts up —-
And how much longer should I cook them for?
Thank you and it’s still a delicious recipe!!!
Lara says
Hi Erin, sorry to hear this. We have never had issues with our chicken being under cooked. You can always chop it up if you think it may need more time to cook.
Ericha Cook says
My instant pot must be too sensituve for this, recipe… no matter what I do. It gives me the “Food Burning” message. Was unable to even complete this dish in the instant pot. (I did not even cook the bacon in it first, so had a clean pot to start). Trying ti Use frozen chicken thighs broken apart.
Lara says
We’re sorry to hear this! We’ve never done this recipe with frozen chicken thighs, we usually use fresh chicken breasts
Char says
Hi Ericha,
I added 1 1/4 cups more of water to the recipe. My IP instructions said to use at least 18 oz. of water/liquids at all times. I was worried about only using 1/2 cup water. I too didn’t cook the bacon in the IP. Not sure why so many just use the 1/2 cup water with no problems but that is great! My meal turned out perfect so maybe next time you cook this AMAZING recipe, try adding a little more water. 🙂
amanda O Donoghue says
The protein in a serving seems reallly high 41g is that correct?
Sarah says
Sorry, but super disappointed!! I followed recipe to a T, stirred ingredients, etc but could not get paste the burn warning popping uP so frequently that the timer wouldn’t even initiate 😭😭 what am I doing wrong??? Fresh chicken breasts, not frozen! 😭😭😭
Faith Gorsky says
Sarah, We’re sorry to hear that the burn warning came on when you made this! We updated the recipe above with the following note, which hopefully will help: We’ve tested this recipe upwards of 10 times and have never had the burn warning come on; however, several readers have had the warning come on, so we want to give a tip. In step 1 of the Instructions above, after removing the bacon from the pot, we recommend adding a splash of water, and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits that have formed on the bottom to deglaze the pan. After that, continue on with step 1 and press “Cancel” to stop sauteing.
Kathleen Touhill says
Did you scrape up the bacon brown bits on bottom of pot? You need to do that with a pressure cooker when you sauté. I also browned my chicken a wee bit.
Tiffany Riley says
I’ve cooked with an electronic pressure cooker for years. When it broke I bought an Instant. It, too, gives me the burn warning every time. What I discovered is that you have to deglaze and you have to take the inner pot out and let it cool off for about 20 minutes. The temp interlocks are too sensitive on the 2nd version of the Instapot.
Faith Gorsky says
Tiffany, Thank you so much for your comment, this is really helpful!
Marietta says
I used real bacon bits already cooked. Tastes just as good and skipped this step altogether
Irina Simkhovich says
I’m so disappointed. I scraped the bottom I added extra water and as soon as it comes to pressure, I get a burn signal. This happened 5 times already
Theresa says
I had the same problem the first time I made this. Try not cooking the bacon in the IP and putting the liquid in first. I hope this helps, it really is a delicious recipe.
Ericha Cook says
Me too! You are not alone.
Katrina cornwell says
This was delicious. Very rich and tasty. You were right, tho, my “food burning” alert came on at the end
Faith Gorsky says
Katrina, We’re glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe! We have notes about the food burning alert in the post below. Quick question, did you place the cream cheese on the bottom of the pot? It may be helpful to watch our video of how to make this recipe.
Rohit Sahu says
Great post, will definitely try it out!!
I also have an amazing recipe to share, Honey Glazed Chicken is an easy, fast and delicious recipe for dinner that will be loved by all of your family members. This creamy recipe for Honey Glazed Chicken is packed with great flavors and is extremely delicious.