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Instant Pot Crack Chicken
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Instant Pot Crack Chicken is the perfect recipe for when you want a quick for dinner! It’s loaded with flavor from a combination of shredded chicken, cream cheese, Ranch seasoning, cheese and bacon! It makes a great sandwich filling for an easy meal.
This Instant Pot Crack Chicken is one of my favorite easy weeknight dinners! It’s cheesy and creamy with bacon and ranch seasoning. In other words, totally addictive and delicious! The name is not an accident – everyone I know just can’t get enough of it.
This is the kind of dinner you can toss together at 5 pm and have ready before 5:30! You only need five minutes of prep work and once you get everything in the pressure cooker it’s completely hands-off.
Even after so many Instant Pot recipes, I am amazed at how fast that machine works and it’s one of my favorite ways to get dinner on the table during the week. But no worries if you don’t have a one – I have an easy Crock Pot Crack Chicken recipe so you don’t have to miss out.
I love to serve it on hamburger buns with broccoli slaw or a quick salad on the side, but sometimes I just break out a bag of potato chips or bake up some frozen fries! Sometimes you just need some French fries, right?
Ingredients For Instant Pot Crack Chicken
What I love about this recipe is that I usually have everything on hand to make it. If we don’t have chicken in the refrigerator we always have some frozen in the freezer. You never know when you’ll want to make this dinner so, take it from me, it’s always good to have these ingredients so you can make it when you have one of those crazy busy days!
- Boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- Cubed cream cheese
- Ranch seasoning mix (store-bought or homemade)
- Chicken broth
- Bacon bits (buy the packets at the store!)
- Shredded cheddar cheese
How to Make It
- Place Ingredients in Instant Pot – Put the chicken and cream cheese in the pot. Sprinkle the Ranch seasoning over the top and then add the broth.
- Cook – Secure the lid, close the steam vent, and turn on the manual pressure setting for 15 minutes. Once the timer goes off, do a quick release and open the pot.
- Finish – Take the chicken out and shred it. Stir the sauce in the Instant Pot until all of the cream cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth. Add the cheddar cheese and bacon bits and stir until the cheese has melted. Add the shredded chicken and stir again until the mixture has thickened.
Different Ways to Serve It
My favorite way to serve it is on hamburger buns, but there are other ways you can switch it up:
- Spoon all of that cheesy goodness over white or brown rice. Add some lemon asparagus or other vegetables on the side.
- It’s also delicious with noodles! For an extra decadent treat, you can serve it with some garlic butter noodles or just combine it with some cooked plain pasta!
- You could also wrap it up in some large tortillas – this is a great way to enjoy the leftovers.
How Long Does it Keep?
This recipe serves eight so we usually have some leftover. I just keep the leftovers in an airtight container and they keep well in the refrigerator for two to three days, but it doesn’t usually last that long! I just pop it in the microwave to warm it up – it makes the best lunch the day after.
It doesn’t get any better than a 20-minute dinner, does it? I hope you love it as much as we do!
More Easy Dinner Recipes
I love easy dinners! Here are some more I love to make:
- 7-layer casserole is an old family favorite. It has layers of rice, corn, onion, bacon and more! If you want a comforting dinner you have to try it.
- I love sheet pan dinners and mini meatloaf with veggies is a complete meal that’s so easy to make.
- My beef and vegetable soup is a hearty slow cooker dinner that’s delicious with some breadsticks on the side!
- Bubble-up carbonara is a fun twist on a classic Italian dish!
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Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Delicious creamy chicken mixture made of shredded chicken, cream cheese, Ranch seasoning, cheese and bacon that's cooked in your pressure cooker.
Ingredients
- 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts
- 1 oz packet ranch seasoning mix
- 2 packages cream cheese, cubed 8 oz each
- 2.8 oz pouch bacon bits
- 1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ c. chicken broth
Instructions
- Place chicken and cream cheese in the Instant Pot.
- Sprinkle the packet of ranch seasoning over the top then add broth to IP.
- Turn your Instant Pot on Manual high pressure for 15 minutes. After time goes off perform a quick release.
- Remove chicken and shred the chicken.
- Whisk the liquid mixture in instant pot until it’s smooth. Then stir in cheese and bacon.
- Add chicken back in, stir and let the mixture thicken.
- Serve on buns.
Notes
Different Ways to Serve It
My favorite way to serve it is on hamburger buns, but there are other ways you can switch it up:
- Spoon all of that cheesy goodness over white or brown rice. Add some lemon asparagus or other vegetables on the side.
- It's also delicious with noodles! For an extra decadent treat, you can serve it with some garlic butter noodles or just combine it with some cooked plain pasta!
- You could also wrap it up in some large tortillas - this is a great way to enjoy the leftovers.
Nutrition
Calories: 500kcalCarbohydrates: 8gProtein: 38gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 18gCholesterol: 166mgSodium: 993mgPotassium: 553mgFiber: 1gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1092IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 284mgIron: 1mg
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Followed the recipe to the tee and it was phenomenal! The chicken was so moist and juicy and Yep it is addicting and it was my first time using my instant pot and my first recipe for it and I’m so impressed……thank you so much!!! Just finished eating it, and I’ve already texted 3 people to share in the deliciousness!!!👍👍👍👍👍😁💃🏽
Awesome!! I’m so glad you loved it, Carolyn!
Have you ever doubled this. Needing to make a double batch
I haven’t, but I think you would be fine doubling it as long as you have a 6 quart instant pot or larger.
I love crack chicken and didn’t think to use my IP to make it (I usually do crockpot). I tried this with frozen chicken and it came out perfectly! I did let it natural release for 5 minutes then did quick release. After shredding the chicken I put the IP on sauté mood to thicken the sauce. 10/10 recommend!
Awesome! The instant pot can be a great little tool, so glad you enjoyed it!
Can I use frozen chicken for this?
I haven’t tested it with frozen chicken but it should work. It’ll take a bit longer to come to pressure because the inside contents are colder but I think you can still cook on high pressure for 15 minutes, maybe try adding 5 minutes of natural pressure release and then quick release the rest. Let me know how it goes!
Yes! It works just fine 🙂
Thanks, Rachel!
How much cream cheese 28oz or 2x 8 ounces packages?
Two 8oz packages of cream cheese.
Made this for dinner tonight. Of course! It was a big hit. I wouldn’t have expected otherwise. So super easy done in the instant pot. It is a keeper. I served it over buttered bowtie pasta. Delicious served that way. I love your web site Julie. Keep it up. 😊
Thank you, Tamara! I’m so glad this one was a hit for you and your family!
I am currently attempting to make this recipe (I’m an amateur cooker so that’s why I’ve started with an instant pot). I placed the chicken, ranch packet, broth, and cream cheese all in the pot as according to your recipe. Then for the next hour I’m fighting with the instant pot because I keep getting a burn notice yet I’ve followed your recipe down to the T.
I’m sorry Michaela, the newer Instant Pots are so touchy with the burn notice! I do have this recipe in crock pot form, you could try that next time!
https://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/crack-chicken/
I found that if you use the trivet to put the chicken on you don’t get the burn notice.
Great tip, Stacy! Thank you!
This recipe is so easy and was very delicious. My family loved it!
Perfect! I’m so glad you all loved it!
I am always looking for new ideas for my Instant Pot and this recipe delivers!!I love using this chicken in my salads.
I’m glad you love it!
This chicken was full of flavor in every bite, perfect for sandwiches or salads.
Thanks for the rating and review! I’m glad you loved it!
Very tasty!! I had a couple of problems with the recipe. The 1/2 cup of broth didn’t seem like enough liquid for pressurization compared to other recipes that call for 1 cup – so I increased the broth to 3/4 cup and still got the ‘burn’ notice. By the time that displayed the cream cheese had melted so there was enough liquid and I just reset the cooking time. I also had trouble getting the remaining liquid to thicken…no doubt due to the extra broth but since I still got the ‘burn’ notice…I’m not sure what to do differently next time. Overall the flavor is awesome and I’m hoping the liquied will thicken while the leftovers set in the fridge. 😉
Hi! Thanks for letting us know. Can I ask what size/brand of pressure cooker you were using?
Oh sure – I should have included that in my original comment. I was using an Instant Pot Ultra 60/6 quart.
Same thing is happening to me. Followed recipe to a “T”, but always get the burn notice when I’m cooking with a creamy sauce. I like the idea above about using the trivet. Will definitely try that next time. I’m using the largest sized IP duo too.
Bummer! That burn notice is so pesky! I hope the trivet will help!
What if you don’t have an Instant Pot. Would a Dutch Oven work?
Hi Brenda – here is a crock pot version of this recipe if that is helpful!
https://www.julieseatsandtreats.com/crack-chicken/