HomeRecipesInstant Pot Crack Chicken | Cookies and Cups

Instant Pot Crack Chicken | Cookies and Cups

Creamy shredded Immediate Pot crack hen is a triple menace of bacon, ranch, and melty cheddar cheese! Serve this addictively tacky hen on hamburger buns for a straightforward weeknight dinner or Recreation Day meal.

If you happen to love the flavors in creamy hen recipes like my King Ranch hen and hen and dumplings, wait till you get a load of crack hen made within the strain cooker!

Close up of a crack chicken sandwich on a plate next to potato chips, with the Instant Pot in the background.

Why You’ll Love This Immediate Pot Crack Hen Recipe

Creamy cheddar ranch hen, a.okay.a. crack hen, is tremendous fast to make within the strain cooker! This Immediate Pot crack hen recipe has further juicy shredded hen filled with the addictive flavors of ranch, bacon, and melted cheese. I’m obsessed. Right here’s why you’ll be, too:

  • Further creamy. There’s cream cheese AND melted shredded cheese within the sauce, and the outcomes are oh-so-gooey and irresistibly creamy. The sauce clings to each chunk of hen and the bacon and ranch take it utterly excessive.
  • Straightforward. The Immediate Pot packs all that taste into a brief, mainly hands-free cooking time. Merely add your substances to the strain cooker, and hit go. It’s nice for weeknights and last-minute get-togethers once I want one thing tasty in a rush.
  • Versatile. Crack hen is a straightforward meal to make for a crowd, and it’s one in every of my favourite Recreation Day recipes! I’ll serve it over buns alongside appetizers like chips and dip, pigs in a blanket, and mac and cheese balls. It’s additionally nice as a dip with crackers or as a topping for nachos, baked potatoes, and extra.
Ingredients for Instant Pot crack chicken with text labels overlaying each ingredient.

Substances You’ll Want

This Immediate Pot recipe solely wants 6 substances, and the “cracked” mixture comes down to 3 of them: bacon + ranch seasoning + cheddar cheese. Beneath are some notes, and you’ll discover a printable substances listing within the recipe card after the put up.

  • Bacon – Diced up into ½” items.
  • Hen Broth – Both store-bought low-sodium hen broth or home made hen inventory.
  • Hen – I take advantage of boneless, skinless hen breasts. Needless to say should you use hen thighs, they’ll take longer to prepare dinner.
  • Cream Cheese – The type that is available in bricks, reduce into cubes. My favourite will at all times be Philadelphia cream cheese!
  • Ranch Seasoning – Select your favourite package deal of ranch seasoning combine from the shop. You’ll additionally want salt and pepper.
  • Cheddar Cheese – Freshly shredded. You may also use one other melty cheese, like Monterey Jack and even Velveeta cheese.

Methods to Make Immediate Pot Crack Hen

The Immediate Pot is such a straightforward solution to prepare dinner hen completely in a brief period of time. Comply with the steps under, and scroll to the recipe card for printable directions.

  • Sauté. Set the Immediate Pot to sauté mode and prepare dinner the bacon. Afterward, you’ll take away the bacon, drain the grease, and deglaze with a little bit of hen broth.
  • Mix. Subsequent, swap off the pot and add the hen, cream cheese, and ranch seasoning. Season with salt and pepper and pour within the final of the broth.
  • Cook dinner. Now, seal the lid and strain prepare dinner on Excessive for quarter-hour, adopted by a 5-minute pure launch.
  • Shred the hen. Take away the hen from the pot, and use two forks to shred it.
  • Put it collectively. Lastly, with the IP on sauté mode once more, whisk the cooking liquid collectively till it’s creamy. Then, return the hen to the pot together with the bacon. Stir within the shredded cheese till that’s melted. You’re able to serve! See under for concepts.
A spoon lifting a serving of crack chicken from the instant pot.

Can I Make This Within the Gradual Cooker As an alternative? 

Completely! The one methodology extra hands-off than the Immediate Pot is the sluggish cooker. If you happen to’d want to make traditional crack hen within the crock pot or sluggish cooker as a substitute, take a look at my recipe for sluggish cooker crack hen. It’s the unique model of this recipe.

A crack chicken sandwich on a plate next to potato chips, with the Instant Pot in the background.

Recipe Suggestions

  • Time-saving tip. I’ll generally prepare dinner the bacon on the range or within the air fryer whereas the hen cooks within the Immediate Pot, to avoid wasting the ~quarter-hour or so it takes to sauté the bacon beforehand.
  • Check that the hen is completed. Earlier than shredding the hen, examine the inner temperature utilizing an instant-read thermometer. Hen is completed when it reads 165ºF on the thickest a part of the breast. 
  • Repair undercooked hen. In case your hen is barely undercooked popping out of the Immediate Pot, place it again into the broth, shut the lid, and let it relaxation for a couple of minutes till it involves temperature. If it’s very undercooked, seal the lid once more and strain prepare dinner on Excessive for an additional 1-3 minutes.
A bowl of Instant Pot crack chicken topped with crumbled bacon, cheese, and chives with a crack chicken sandwich on a plate in the background.

Ceaselessly Requested Questions

Are you able to overcook hen within the Immediate Pot?

Sure, you’ll be able to overcook hen within the Immediate Pot. The overcooked hen will probably be rubbery and dry once you shred it. Make sure that to comply with the cooking occasions as directed, and don’t skip the pure launch on the finish.

Why is it referred to as crack hen?

It’s not precisely PC, however the story goes that crack hen is so addictively tasty that it’s like crack. It comes all the way down to the bacon, ranch, and cheese mixture that almost all would agree is de facto, actually good. The hen absorbs all these savory flavors, and after one chunk, you’re hooked!

Close up overhead view of a crack chicken sandwich on a plate next to potato chips.

Serving Ideas

My favourite solution to serve Immediate Pot crack hen is piled onto a fluffy hamburger bun or sandwich roll, sprinkled with chives. It’s additionally nice rolled up inside a gentle tortilla, taco-style, and if I’ve leftover crumbled bacon or shredded cheese, that will get added on high, too.

We’ll normally serve our crack hen with a facet of crispy fries, roasted carrots, or corn on the cob. This creamy cheddar ranch hen is simply nearly as good spooned over rice, and it’s a scrumptious topping for mashed potatoes and baked potatoes!

A bowl of Instant Pot crack chicken topped with crumbled bacon, cheese, and chives.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Crack Hen

  • Refrigerate. Hold your leftovers hermetic within the fridge for as much as 3 days. 
  • Reheat. I normally reheat my crack hen in a saucepan on the range, or I’ll use the microwave in a pinch. The cheese sauce tends to thicken with time, so I like so as to add a splash of hen broth to assist loosen up the hen once more.

Extra Immediate Pot Hen Recipes

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Description

This Immediate Pot crack hen recipe with cream cheese and ranch dressing served on heat buns with crispy bacon is ideal for game-day.


  • 8 slices bacon, reduce into 1/2– inch items
  • 3/4 Cup hen broth, divided
  • 3 kilos boneless skinless hen breast
  • 12 ounces cream cheese, reduce into 1 inch cubes
  • 1 (1- ounce) package deal ranch seasoning combine
  • 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
  • Hamburger buns and chives for serving


  1. Flip the moment pot to saute mode. Add the bacon to the pot and prepare dinner till crispy, about quarter-hour. Take away the cooked bacon to a paper towel lined plate and put aside. Discard the bacon grease.
  2. With the moment pot nonetheless in saute mode, add 1/4 cup of hen broth and deglaze the underside of the pot. Cancel the cooking mode.
  3. Add the hen, cream cheese, ranch seasoning, pepper, salt and remaining hen broth to the moment pot.
  4. Place the lid on the moment pot and set the valve to the sealed place. Cook dinner on guide excessive strain for quarter-hour. As soon as the cooking time has elapsed, let the strain naturally launch for five minutes. Open the valve to launch the remaining strain.
  5. Take away the hen to a plate and shred it with two forks.
  6. Flip the moment pot to saute mode. Whisk the cream cheese and hen broth collectively till easy. 
  7. Add the hen again to the pot together with the cooked bacon and shredded cheese. Stir till the cheese is melted.
  8. Serve on hamburger buns, high with extra cheese, bacon items or chives.


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