When I say, “crack chicken” I mean, this will make you want to eat way more than your tummy can hold. You will want to come back for seconds, maybe even thirds. So make this on a high will-power day, because you are going to LOVE the flavor of this instant pot crack chicken recipe. It’s got bacon, it’s got ranch flavors, it’s got cream cheese… it’s amazing! (And added bonus – it fits the keto diet!)
Follow this keto dish with a keto dessert, Keto Lemon Cheesecake!
Ingredients
- boneless/skinless chicken breasts
- bacon pieces/4 slices of bacon
- cooking oil
- paprika
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- dried dill weed
- dried chives
- chicken broth
- cream cheese
One Pot, Too
This can all be done in your instant pot, so just one pot to clean. I used bacon pieces, the same as you would put into a salad, but you can cut 4 slices of bacon into pieces and cook them in your instant pot using the saute feature. Keep in mind that bacon is usually pretty salty, so you do not want to add salt to your seasonings. After you brown the chicken, adding the chicken broth to the instant pot will ‘deglaze’ the inner pot for us and add all those yummy flavors that are stuck to the sides of the bowl back into the dish (fond is the term for all that flavorful stuff stuck to the bowl, by the way.)
Season The Chicken
Start with adding the seasonings to the chicken. Then set the pressure cooker to saute mode. Add your bacon pieces. If you used the salad packet as I did, you’re just heating them up and activating those flavors. If you’re using 4 cut pieces of bacon, you will need to cook the bacon until it is your desired doneness/crispness. The fond in the pot from the bacon will also add to the chicken and get that bacon flavor moving around! Use a spurtle to get the bacon pieces out after they are cooked (or just heated).
season before you brown 
brown the chicken using the sauté setting
Put oil in the pot, scrape off some of the fonds into the oil. Place your seasoned chicken into the inner pot carefully. The oil might pop. I was able to fit all three breasts into my pressure cooker. Though, I probably flipped mine too much. So, try and leave them long enough to brown on one side before you flip them. I had my saute on low, so that was probably part of the issue for me. Get a nice brown on both sides of the chicken. Remove from the inner pot when you’ve achieved your desired golden color. Add the bacon back in. Add the chicken broth and place the chicken back in.
Mmm Cream Cheese
In a mixing bowl, pour your ranch flavorings over the cream cheese and fold it together. I used the microwave to melt my cream cheese a bit. If you do this, be careful! the microwave will cook some of the cheese rather than melt it through if you leave it in for too much time at once.
Once the cream cheese is evenly mixed, dip it onto the chicken breasts as shown. Place the lid securely. Set your pressure cooker to high for 12 minutes. When it’s done, press the quick release until all the pressure is gone. Spoon the cheese sauce off of the chicken and pull them out. Shred the chicken or pull it apart however you like, and then place it back in the sauce. Replace the lid and let it sit on warm for about 10 minutes so that the sauce can thicken.
Serve with parsley and chives to garnish! Try not to eat too much. I failed that last thing. hah!
Discover Delicious
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Mmm Bacon
Check out our Bacon Wrapped Air Fryer Pork Tenderloin or our Whiskey Bacon Chutney.
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Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Equipment
- Pressure Cooker
- Spurtle
- mixing bowl
- Knife or Forks for cutting/tearing the chicken
Ingredients
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast (more is optional)
- 7 oz bacon pieces (or 4 slices chopped)
- canola or olive oil for sauteing
- 1 cup low sodium chicken broth
Seasoning for Chicken Breast
- ½ tsp paprika
- ½ tsp garlic powder
Cream Cheese Sauce
- 8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
- ½ tsp dried dill weed
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp dried or fresh chives
- ½ tsp onion powder
Garnish
- chopped parsley
- sliced green onion(chives)
Instructions
- Mix the seasonings for the chicken breasts and rub the breasts with seasoning. Set aside.
- Start the pressure cooker in saute mode. Add bacon and cook to desired doneness. Remove from the pressure cooker and set aside.
- Add more oil if needed, add seasoned chicken breasts, evenly spaced, and reach a golden brown on the outside. Remove from the inner pot and set aside.
- Turn off saute mode and add the bacon back to the pot. Pour in chicken broth. Place the chicken breasts evenly spaced in the pot.
- In a mixing bowl, combine the cream cheese and seasonings. Spoon the cheese sauce over the chicken breasts. Place the lid on your pressure cooker. Set to high and set timer for 12 minutes. When done, quick-release the pressure.
- Spoon the cheese sauce off of the cooked chicken.
- Remove the chicken breasts and cut or tear apart. Stir the chicken back into the inner pot. Replace the lid and leave it on warm for 5 minutes so the sauce can thicken.
Optional
- You can choose to save the bacon. If you prefer, you can keep the bacon out of the sauce and use it as a topping instead. I like mine cooked in, but as a topping is also REALLY tasty.
- Chopped Parsley and Chives also make great garnishes and add a hint of flavor.
