Crack Chicken Recipe
on Nov 24, 2023, Updated Mar 19, 2024
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Crack Chicken is named for its addictive taste. It’s easy to make, versatile, and can be customized to suit your preferences. Whether you enjoy it on a sandwich, over rice, in a wrap, or as a dip, Crack Chicken is sure to tantalize your taste buds.
Whipping up some Crack Chicken is a piece of cake! You prepare it in a slow cooker—making it so simple and easy to make. The best part? It’s a beloved family favorite that everyone adores.
Our Crack Chicken recipe is a cinch to make and serves as the perfect solution for a speedy dinner that will leave no room for arguments at the dinner table.
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Crack Chicken is a blend of tender chicken, creamy cheese, crispy bacon, and flavorful seasonings. The combination of these ingredients creates a taste that’s out of this world!
- Even though it sounds fancy, Crack Chicken is super easy to make. You don’t need to be a chef to whip up this delightful dish.
- You can enjoy Crack Chicken in various ways – as a sandwich, in a wrap, on a salad, or even as a dip. Its versatility means you can customize it to suit your taste.
Recipe Ingredients
- Tender chicken breasts: The star of our Crack Chicken recipe – juicy, boneless, and skinless.
- Ranch seasoning: Dry Ranch seasoning mix add a burst of flavor.
- Chicken broth: Chicken broth keeps things moist and savory.
- Cream cheese: Room-temperature cream cheese for that luscious texture.
- Bacon bits: Bacon, cooked to perfection, and crumbled for a delightful crunch.
- Colby jack cheese: Shredded Colby Jack cheese to melt into gooey goodness.
- Mild cheddar cheese: Shredded Mild Cheddar cheese for that extra cheesy kick.
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
Popular Substitutions and Variations
- If you love a bit of heat, add hot sauce or red pepper flakes for a spicy twist on Crack Chicken.
- For a lower-fat alternative, turkey bacon can replace regular bacon. It provides a similar smoky flavor with less fat.
- To reduce calorie and fat content, opt for reduced-fat cream cheese and low-fat shredded cheese varieties while maintaining the creamy texture and cheesy flavor.
How To Make Crack Chicken
Step #1. Unpack the chicken breasts. Pat dry with a paper towel and cut off all excess fat. Place in the slow cooker. Sprinkle the top with dry Ranch seasoning
Step #2. Pour the chicken broth and add the cream cheese. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours.
Step #3. Uncover and using 2 forks, shred the chicken. Mix well so you will have the shredded chicken in a cream sauce.
Step #4. Add shredded colby jack and mild cheddar and then add bacon. Mix well. Then cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese on top is all melted.
Recipe FAQs
Yes, it’s called “Crack Chicken” for a reason! Once you taste it, you might find it hard to resist going back for more.
Absolutely! While bacon adds a delightful crunch and flavor, you can skip it if you prefer a bacon-free version or if you’re following a vegetarian diet.
Crack Chicken pairs well with rice, buns, rolls, homemade tortillas, or as a topping for salads. It also goes great with veggies or coleslaw as side dishes.
Expert Tips
- You can also cook on HIGH, you will need to adjust time accordingly, around 4 hours.
- When cooking with cream cheese in the slow cooker I like to make sure I bring it up to room temperature. It leads to a smooth, creamier texture.
- You can re-warm in the microwave, but I love putting my portion in a ramekin and in the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes at 350 degrees F.
Can you freeze leftover crack chicken?
Freezing crack chicken is a great option. After allowing the chicken to cool (to avoid raising the freezer’s temperature with hot food), place it in an airtight freezer-safe container. Properly stored, it can be kept in the freezer for several months.
How to reheat crack chicken?
Reheating leftovers is a breeze! You can microwave them on high for 2-3 minutes or warm them on the stovetop until they’re heated through. If the chicken has become too thick, simply whisk in some milk or water until you achieve your preferred consistency.
More Chicken Recipes To Consider
Recipes
Chicken Marinade
Chicken
Chicken Meatballs
Soups, Stews, & Chowders
Chicken Wild Rice Soup
Chicken
Air Fryer Whole Chicken
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Crack Chicken Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breast, about 3 large breast, boneless and skinless
- 2 tablespoons dry Ranch seasoning mix
- ⅓ cup chicken broth
- 12 ounces cream cheese, 1.5 blocks, room temperature
- 5 bacon strips, cooked and crumbled
- ¾ cup shredded Colby Jack, divided
- ¾ cup shredded Mild Cheddar, divided
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Unpack the chicken breasts. Pat dry with a paper towel and cut off all excess fat.
- Place in the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the top with dry Ranch seasoning
- Pour the chicken broth and add the cream cheese.
- Cover and cook on low for 6 hours. The chicken’s internal temperature will be around 165 degrees F. If it has not reached this temperature, cook until the chicken is fully cooked.
- Uncover and using 2 forks, shred the chicken.
- Mix well so you will have the shredded chicken in a cream sauce.
- Add ¼ cup shredded Colby Jack and Mild Cheddar.
- Add half of the crumbled bacon.
- Mix well.
- Spread evenly and sprinkle on top remaining of the cheeses and crumbled bacon.
- Cover and cook for an additional 15 minutes or until the cheese on top is all melted.
- Serve and Enjoy!
Notes
- You can also cook on HIGH, you will need to adjust time accordingly, around 4 hours.
- When cooking with cream cheese in the slow cooker I like to make sure I bring it up to room temperature. It leads to a smooth, creamier texture.
- Why 1 ½ block of cream cheese? We found out it is the perfect ratio to keep the creaminess texture without overpowering.
- I add chicken broth when cooking the chicken to make sure I have a moist and tender chicken.
- If you are using a different type of chicken cut, time may vary.
- You can re-warm in the microwave, but I love putting my portion in a ramekin and in the air fryer for 3 to 4 minutes at 350 degrees F.
- Make it spicy: add some red pepper flakes, and a pinch of cayenne pepper when you pour the chicken broth.
