Shredded chicken never tasted so good! This Instant Pot cracked chicken is ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes and is so perfectly cheesy. Perfect to serve in buns or over noodles or rice.
Pressure Cooker Crack Chicken
I’m so excited to share this recipe with you! Crack chicken is always a favorite, but when made in the Instant Pot is so juicy and so quick and easy to make!
Seasoned shredded chicken breast is mixed with cream cheese, parmesan, bacon and green onions, for one tasty treat!
Be sure to try my Crockpot Mexican Chicken and Instant Pot Shredded Chicken too!
Why You’ll Love this Instant Pot Crack Chicken Recipe:
- Quick and easy: This recipe requires very little hands on time, the Instant Pot does all of the hard work.
- Kid-friendly: Kids of all ages love this crack chicken recipe. It’s great served as a sandwich or for a fuller meal serve with noodles or rice.
- So delicious: The Instant Pot guarantees that your chicken breasts are perfectly cooked, and the cream cheese gives it a wonderful creamy richness.
If you’re a fan of this recipe, be sure to try our Crack Chicken Dip and Crack Chicken Pasta! Or try making crack chicken in a Crockpot instead.
How to cook Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Be sure to see the recipe card below for full ingredients & instructions!
- Pour the broth into the Instant Pot.
- Place the chicken breasts onto a rack and add seasoning.
- Cook on high.
- Remove and shred the chicken.
- Add the cream cheese to the Instant Pot and whisk into the stock.
- Return the shredded chicken and stir.
- Add the cheeses, bacon and green onion, stir to combine and serve.
Can you make this with chicken thighs?
Whenever I make shredded chicken, I always prefer to use chicken breast as I find it shreds more easily and finely. You can make this recipe with thighs if you prefer or have them handy, the recipe remains the same.
Can you make it ahead of time?
This is delicious served warm straight out of the Instant Pot, but it’s also a great ahead recipe too.
It will keep well in the fridge for up to 4 days and can be enjoyed cold, or you can reheat it quickly on the stovetop. Once you have made it, you can keep it warm in the Instant Pot til you are ready to serve it.
Can you freeze it?
Yes, you can freeze this crack chicken, but if you plan on doing that, it’s best not to add the cream cheese until you are ready to serve it as it can change texture when thawed.
Frozen shredded chicken will keep well in the freezer for up to 3 months and can be reheated on the stovetop.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- My chicken breasts were on the smaller side (7 breasts for 3 pounds). If your chicken breasts are larger, you may want to increase the pressure cooking time to 18 minutes.
- You can use regular chicken broth, but using the low sodium version ensures the crack chicken isn’t too salty.
- My chicken was the perfect consistency after returning the shredded chicken to the Instant Pot, but if your chicken is too liquidy at this point, leave it on warm for 5 minutes or until it thickens up to your liking.
This Instant Pot crack chicken is so delicious, I can see why it’s called crack! So simple to make in the pressure cooker, you’ve got to try this one!
More Instant Pot Recipes
- Instant Pot Chicken Tikka Masala
- Chicken Piccata (Instant Pot)
- Instant Pot Chicken Pot Pie
- Instant Pot Chicken Stock
- Instant Pot Chicken Drumsticks
- Instant Pot Chicken and Rice
If you’ve made this recipe, please be sure to let us know by leaving a star rating or a comment below. Enjoy!
Instant Pot Crack Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. boneless skinless chicken breasts
- ¾ cups low sodium chicken broth
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 3 tablespoons dried minced onion
- 1 package dry ranch dressing mix
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 8 oz. cream cheese softened
- 1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ½ cup shredded parmesan cheese
- ¾ cup real crumbled bacon pieces
- 5 green onions sliced
- ½ cup barbeque sauce optional
Instructions
- Pour chicken broth in the bottom of your Instant Pot (I used a 6-quart pot). Put cooking rack in pot and place chicken breasts on rack in a single layer. Sprinkle chicken with garlic, dried onion, ranch dressing powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- Set Instant Pot to pressure cook on normal for 15 minutes. When the cook time ends, allow the Instant Pot to do a natural release for 5 minutes, then do a quick release.
- Remove the chicken to a cutting board and shred chicken with two forks.
- Cut cream cheese into small pieces. Turn Instant Pot to a low saute and add cream cheese. Whisk until cream cheese is incorporated into the broth.
- Turn Instant Pot to warm setting. Return shredded chicken to Instant Pot and stir.
- Turn Instant Pot off and add shredded cheddar and parmesan cheeses, bacon, and green onions. Stir gently. Serve on buns, or over noodles or rice.
Notes
- My chicken breasts were on the smaller side (7 breasts for 3 pounds). If your chicken breasts are larger, you may want to increase the pressure cooking time to 18 minutes.
- You can use regular chicken broth, but using the low sodium version ensures the crack chicken isn’t too salty.
- My chicken was the perfect consistency after returning the shredded chicken to the Instant Pot, but if your chicken is too liquidy at this point, leave it on warm for 5 minutes or until it thickens up to your liking.
Jessica Streech says
Waaaaay too much onion flavor. We added a whole extra brick of cream cheese and all we could taste was those minced onions. I love onions, but not THAT much!
Becky Hardin says
I am sorry it didn’t work for you!
David Petersen says
Delicious! Doubled this recipe for a hungry crew of 10 at work and everyone loved it
Becky Hardin says
That’s awesome!!