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
Jill Roberts @ Wellnessgeeky.com says
I love these awesomeness keto instant pot crack chicken! This looks so great, especially with that garlic powder
Deb says
This is a keeper! One of my husband’s favorite recipes is a chicken breast stuffed with herbed cream cheese and wrapped with bacon. But it is July, and I’m not wanting to heat the oven up for an hour. Hello Instant Pot! I used chicken thighs with bones and skin. first I used the sauté button to brown the skins – about 4 minutes. After removing, added water to deglaze the skins from the pot. Put thighs in for 15 minutes on high pressure. Took them out, cut meat off the bone, then put them back in under high pressure for 3 minutes. I put it over riced cauliflower. Not as much like a soup as many IP recipes; more like a saucy “rice” deliciousness. Already looking forward to tomorrow’s leftovers.
Rose says
The only problem with the dish is I may eat too much of it.
Lara says
Awww thanks Rose! Hahaha we have the same problem with it!
Sam says
Are there really 41 grams of protein per serving??
Lara says
Yes 🙂
Julia Stearns @ Healthirony says
That Keto Instant pot crack chicken recipe looks so zesty and tasty! Absolutely love your creative idea! Thanks for sharing!
Lara says
Thank you! We love it!
Jaclyn says
I made this last night and it turned out AMAZING! I paired it with cauliflower rice. I will definitely make this again, it was fast and easy!
Only problem I found was with the consistency of the cream sauce. When I finished cooking the chicken, spices and cream cheese the cheese was all clumped up in the water. It looked like water with little dots/clumps of cream cheese. I blended the mixture and the chicken and it turned out creamy, but the chicken was way too blended. It was more of the consistency of the tuna in a tuna salad rather than shredded chicken. Next time I’m going to blend the cream cheese, water and spices in advance and then add the chicken in the instant pot and use the fork method to pull apart the chicken–unless you have any other suggestions! Thanks
Michaela Maynard says
Hi Jaclyn! I am sorry that happened! Blending the cheese to add after may help if this problem persists for others 🙂
Jennifer says
Made this in a slow cooker yesterday. It was delicious. There was no need to remove the chicken to shred it- I stirred and it fell apart. We loved it. Left the toppings on the side (shredded cheese/scallions/jalapeno pepper slices/bacon).
Lara says
We’re so happy you loved it!
Barbara says
The first time I made this, my pot did not reach pressure nor fully cook the chicken. The cream cheese burnt to the bottom of the pot. Here’s how I made it the second time”
1. Place all ingredients into the pot except the cream cheese and pressure cook the chicken on the pot’s trivet.
2. When it’s done, lift it out and cut lengthwise. It will start to cool. You can also break it into chunks to let it cool faster.
3. Meanwhile place the cream cheese (cut into chunks) into the pot liquid; if the pot liquid is starting to cool, turn the pot on to “soup” or “saute”. Use a whisk to help the cream cheese blend into the pot liquid.
4. Pick up the chicken pieces which should now be cool enough to handle, and use your fingers to shred into the pot.
5. Mix well, and you’re done.
Steph says
This just happened to me, too! I put it all back in to cook some more. Next time I’ll try your method!
D. Leigh says
This was great! I had a similar recipe pre-keto that I couldn’t stop making. I would make it in a slow cooker, and honestly that seems like a better option for this recipe too. I did not cook the bacon in the IP before the recipe, I added the liquids to the IP before anything else and I still ended up with the burn warning on two different attempts. Next time I will use the slow cook setting on the IP! I also personally believe the recipe needs at least 3x the salt, but we really do love our salt here.
Susan says
First try at cracked chicken and it worked out amazingly! Don’t know why I waited so long!
Lara says
Hi Susan,
We’re so happy you loved it!
Cody Day says
I just made this tonight!! This was my very first time cooking with an IP. It was super easy and it turned out amazing. I put it on Riced Cauliflower. I also added about a half cup of cheese at the end. Even the kids loved it. I think I have found my new go to. Thank you so much for this.
Lara says
Hi Cody,
We are so happy that you and your family loved the crack chicken! Such a great idea to top it over cauliflower rice 🙂
Alisa Avelar says
I love simple recipes, especially when cooking for the family. But, dear lord, how many pop-up ads, and scrolling must we go through to actually get to the recipe.
Faith Gorsky says
Alisa, Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment! We’re so happy you like our recipes, and we’re sorry for your frustration with our ads. We’re thinking about adding a “jump to recipe” button at the top of our posts!
Barbara says
Yes, please add a “jump to recipe” button! i had to scroll up and down so many times to find the actual recipe I thought at one point I thought it might be posted via link elsewhere.
Kim says
This was good but I will make in a crockpot next time. I saw where reviewers had problems with burning so I added water to the bottom of the pot and cubed cream cheese. Still burnt the bottom of the instapot.
Tina Conrad says
I cheated. I used a rotisserie chicken, stirred it all up with ingredients and put it in the oven. Delicious!
Faith Gorsky says
Tina, Yay for timesaving tips, we love that idea! So happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Jessie says
Do you think this would pair well either on the side or on top of some steamed broccoli?
Faith Gorsky says
Jessie, Yes, this would be delicious with steamed broccoli! Hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Leonard Carter says
I made this today and it’s a wonderfully tasty and simple recipe. I didn’t do bacon in mine as my turkey bacon is frozen. Also, I was out of garlic powder, so I used prepared minced garlic instead. I started this recipe then when to workout, got back and dinner was ready. Love it!!! I served mine on top of mashed potato style cauliflower with sauteed spinach.
Lara says
Hi Leonard,
We’re so glad you loved it! Those sides sounds delicious as well!
Char says
When I bought my home last year, one of the items my real estate agent gave me as a house-warming present was an Instant Pot. Never had one or used one before. This Crack Chicken recipe was the first thing I cooked in my IP. This recipe is freakin’ AMAZING!!!!!! The dill in this recipe popped the already phenomenal marriage of flavors. I am so in love with this chicken! I followed the recipe to the letter except I added 5 minutes to the cooking time. Not sure why but I guess I am one of those “everything has to be well done or else” folks. The chicken turned out perfect! Was easily fork split, totally done and super moist. WOW! I have never commented on food recipe websites before but I just had to on this one.
Thank you so much for this recipe! 😀
James Sparkman says
Tried this, burn notice even when I trivet-ed the chicken. The cream cheese burned to the pan bottom everytime. Tasted good, but had to “cook” in a casserole pan in the oven.
Faith Gorsky says
James, I think I know what may have been the issue – the cream cheese should be placed on top of the chicken (you can watch our video to see how we made it). Hope this helps!
Lynn says
Do you have a link to your video? Thanks!
Lara says
Hi Lynn,
It should be at the top of this post 🙂
Lisa hoszowskyj says
Hello i am excited to make this recipe!! although 2lb/910g of chicken seems like alot is this correct?
Faith Gorsky says
Lisa, Yes, this is the correct amount. We hope you enjoy it! 🙂
Rick Cegielski says
can you use boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts?
Faith Gorsky says
Rick, We haven’t tried this recipe using boneless chicken thighs instead of breasts; however, we think it could work well. We would recommend increasing cook time by 3 to 5 minutes. Please let us know how it goes if you try it.
Nik says
YUM! This was my first (But not last) time making this!
I used just under 2 lbs chicken thighs with skin on (and inadvertently bone in). I crisped them in olive oil on medium heat in a fry pan. Then I used my Crock Pot – don’t have an instant pot yet!
I used all the other ingredients as called for by recipe. At 7hours I removed and de-boned thighs, pulling it with forks. I removed less cooked skin (about half of it) and other icky bits that come with bone in.
Stirred the cheese in and left on low for another hour. It burned around the edges and the shredds of chicken were a bit less shreddy and more “broken down” consistency. One hour less next time for my crock pot!
Theresa says
incredibly awesome
Tammy says
Great recipe… crack chicken. It’s so good I’ve made it three times in 3 weeks!
Angela says
This recipe is so easy I could make it in an evening which I really appreciated! And it is AMAZING in flavor. Thank you so much for sharing <3
Faith Gorsky says
Angela, We’re so happy you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Marshall says
As far as burning in the instant pot, I think I can provide some input here. When I made this, I tossed the whole blocks of cheese more or less on top, and threw the whole thing under pressure. At the end of the 15 minutes, the cheese had more or less melted but still needed to be stirred up with everything else. As of this point I had no scorched material on the bottom (my pressure cooker does not have a “burn” alert). Unfortunately, my chicken was also undercooked, so I put the whole thing back under pressure for 5 minutes, and during this time I got a lot of scorch. So I think the issue is less the bacon scraps (these might scorch but I had a much thicker layer than can be accounted for by bacon scraps alone) but the cheese itself.
So for the moment (I’ll be making this more and my experience may vary) I would suggest:
1. Don’t start with the cheese in contact with the bottom.
2. Cook the chicken for 20 minutes instead of 15.
Susan Barker says
We love this! I could easily eat this every night of the week. 🙂
Faith Gorsky says
Susan, We’re so happy to hear you enjoyed it!! 🙂
Rita Taylor says
I think the chicken recipe looks amazing and can’t wait to try it. Can I ask a favor? Would you consider changing the name of this dish? I am really disturbed by the amount of Keto recipes that use “Crack” in the name. Let’s consider what “Crack” is? People have all kinds of addictions including food, maybe calling a dish “Crack” is not the best idea. Food for thought. My eyes were open to this when I told my kids the name of another dish I made that had “Crack” in the title. Nothing like explaining what that means to your kids😳
Faith Gorsky says
Rita, Thank you so much for your comment! We totally understand your point of view; we actually didn’t come up with the name of this dish. We think it’s named as such because it’s addictively delicious. We hope this helps!