CROCK POT CRACK CHICKEN RECIPE
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Crock Pot Crack Chicken Recipe is an easy ‘dump and go’ slow cooker recipe that is so good you’ll be addicted to it! Ten minutes of prep with ingredients you probably already have and it has endless meal possibilities.
Also, try this family favorite>Slow Cooker Hoisin Chicken
Hey, hey, it’s also a keto-friendly recipe! It’s filled with bacon, cheese,
My best friend, Lisa, shared this recipe with me a few years back before I started blogging. It’s a staple in my house.
Crock Pot Crack Chicken Recipe
First things first…What is ‘CRACK CHICKEN’?
Crack Chicken is the name of the combination of chicken,
There are variations of the recipe but the basic ingredients are the four noted above. Some people add cheddar cheese, garlic powder, onions, mayonnaise, etc.
I for one think chicken,
Why is this so dang good?
There are a few reasons why Crock Pot Crack Chicken Recipe is so good
- Primarily, this is a ‘dump and go’ slow cooker recipe. I say primarily because you do not want to cook the bacon in a slow cooker. Hence, you will either need to cook the bacon, crumble it, then add it to the Crock-Pot at the end of the cooking process. Or, you can use store-bought bacon bits. While real bacon, cooked and crumbled is much better and cost a lot less per ounce, store-bought bacon bits save a lot of time.
- It’s Keto friendly.
- Get my favorite slow cooker here.
- As well, Crock Pot Crack Chicken Recipe is perfect by itself, it’s also great on a sandwich, in a tortilla, over nachos, as a dip, in quiche, on pizza, over pasta, rice, or potatoes, or on a lettuce wrap for another low carb option!
HOW DO YOU MAKE CRACK CHICKEN IN THE SLOW COOKER?
- Use skinless, boneless chicken breasts so you don’t have a lot of extra fat in the recipe. You can use skinless, boneless thighs.
- I use two packets of seasoning. Otherwise, to me, it was a bit bland.
- Add the mayonnaise and Colby cheddar cheese at the end and stir until melted. (I recommend this mayonnaise.)
Tips for the Best Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
Yes, absolutely. Although I don’t have an Instant Pot I have friends that do. Check out Instant Pot Crack Chicken.
You can eat this by itself, on a bun, or in a tortilla wrap. I also made Bacon Chicken Ranch Sliders which are excellent.
Simply brown the chicken in a skillet. Next, add the remaining ingredients and cook them all in the oven for 40 to 45 minutes. When the chicken is cooked through, shred it then follow the instructions in the original recipe.
I like to serve it with
- Mexican Kale Slaw
- Tex Mex Cole Slaw
- Vinegar Slaw
- Deconstructed Green Bean Bundles
- Orange Salad
- Wedge Salad
This chicken recipe freezes well. Freeze it in an airtight container (<my favorite freezer containers) and let it thaw fully before reheating, you can definitely make this cooked chicken days ahead of time and store it in your freezer.
Yes, absolutely. Chicken thighs have so much flavor.
The FDA does not recommend using frozen chicken in the slow cooker because of the length of time it takes to cook. If you do use frozen, check the internal temperature of the chicken breast with an instant-read thermometer. The safe internal temperature for chicken is 165°F.
Ingredients you’ll need
- Chicken breasts
- Ranch dressing seasoning store-bought or my homemade recipe
- Cream cheese
- Mayonnaise
- Colby/Cheddar cheese (or you can use just cheddar)
- Bacon
- Green onions
Stock up on boneless, skinless chicken breasts when they are on sale. There are plentiful chicken recipes on my site for boneless, skinless chicken.
You can use more than 2 pounds of chicken without changing the other ingredients and it’ll still be good. As well, you can double the recipe and it will still be good. It’s a very versatile recipe!
Also, you can omit mayonnaise if it’s not your thing. I like the tang mayo that gives this recipe but it’s good without it too.
Furthermore, if you don’t want it as creamy, you can half the
What to serve with Crock Pot Crack Chicken Recipe
- Crispy Roast Potatoes
- ‘Baked’ Sweet Potato
- Napa Cabbage Ramen Slaw (Salad)
- Vinegar-Based Slaw (wonderful with the creamy sauce of this chicken!)
- Best Cobb Salad for a crowd
- Green Goddess Salad
You can use the Chicken Bacon Ranch Chicken as a filling for these recipes.
While you’re here, check out these delicious slow cooker recipes!
UPDATE 11-12-19: I read your comments and a lot of you thought the recipe as written is too salty. Therefore, I created a Homemade Ranch Seasoning Mix Recipe so that you can control the salt in this recipe. You can substitute this homemade ranch seasoning for the packs listed below in the recipe. (3 tablespoons of this mix = 1 packet of store-bought seasoning mix) CLICK HERE FOR HOMEMADE RANCH SEASONING RECIPE
Some of my most popular recipes are my pound cakes! In fact, I have a series where I have reviewed over 50 recipes for pound cakes! You can get all the recipes here.
You can also find great recipes at Recipe Index
Crock Pot Crack Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 to 4 medium chicken breasts boneless, skinless (about 2 pounds)
- 2 {1-ounce packages} Ranch dressing mix *SEE HOMEMADE RANCH DRESSING RECIPE IF YOU WANT TO MAKE YOUR SEASONING AND CONTROL THE SALT.
- 8 ounces cream cheese cut into cubes
- 1 cup mayonnaise
- 1 pound bacon cook and crumbled
- 2 cups Cheddar cheese shredded
- 2 to 3 tablespoons green onions sliced (optional ingredient)
- 2 tablespoons jalapeno pepper diced (optional ingredient)
Instructions
- Crock Pot Crack Chicken Recipe – Slow Cooker, fast, easy, keto recipe. See 'what to serve with crack chicken' in the post above.
- Please read the post above as well as the comments if you have a question.
- Place chicken breasts in the slow cooker. Sprinkle ranch dressing mix and cream cheese over chicken.
- Cook on high 3 hours or low 5 to 6 hours.
- With 2 forks, shred chicken and stir. Stir in mayonnaise. Sprinkle cheese, bacon, green onions, and jalapenos over chicken. Serve on buns, lettuce leaves, or soft or crunchy tortilla shells
Nutrition
Nutritional information given is an automatic calculation and can vary based on the exact products you use and changes you make to the recipe. If these numbers are important to you, I recommend calculating them yourself.
What would you serve with crack chicken? What would be good sides for this meal? Do you just eat the chicken as is or do you have to put it On something? Thank you so much in advance it looks so amazing.
I prefer it by itself, but a lot of people like it on hamburger buns or in flour tortilla wraps. I’d serve it with a green salad and/or green vegetable.
I’m in heaven–this is delicious!! Even my 12 year old, picky eater son liked it. Double win–thank you!!
Has anyone else uses thighs vs. breasts?
I was actually wondering the exact same thing! We are just not breast people.
I do think I will try it over the weekend with the thighs and I will update about the results. I am already thinking that the cooking time will have to be increased. But, I will post my results.
IS there any liquid in the pot when you add the chicken? I want mine to be on low for several hours but would be concerned that there’s no liquid.
There is no liquid in the pot. I found the chicken ‘juices’ were enough.
Thank you. Starting now and was wondering same myself. Do you think this is a dish that would do okay if put in freezer and then thawed out the following week or whatnot? Thanks again …excited to try this.
Yes, it freezes well. As long as you freeze it in an airtight container and let it thaw fully before reheating, you can definitely make this cooked chicken days ahead of time and store it in your freezer.
Do you need to use thawed chicken or can it be frozen?
It needs to be thawed. Cooking Frozen Chicken in a Crock-Pot May Be Unsafe (according to the USDA)
I wanna make this. My question is can I use thin slices chicken breasts? I’m sure I could. and if so anyone know possible cook time on that?
Yes, you can. I would check for doneness at 90 minutes on high and every 30 minutes after.
Do you drain the broth?
No, mix it in with the other ingredients
1. Do NOT apologize for calling it crack. If people are offended, then they have bigger issues to deal with in their life.
2. Washing chicken is VERY unsanitary. It promotes the spread of bacteria and is completely unnecessary. You’re not washing anything off of the outside that isn’t already inside the meat.
Thanks Joel! And thanks for the tip of washing chicken.
Do you just sprinkle the ranch mix or are you suppose to make the ranch dressing and then use that?
Ranch mix
Can you put shredded potatoes in this?
It may work if you cube the chicken but for whole chicken breasts I would not add potatoes. I think they’ll overcook before the chicken is done. But I have not tried it.
Is mayonnaise necessary? What is a good substitute?
YOu can sub another 8 ounces cream cheese instead of the mayo. Or, 8 ounces sour cream