You’ll be addicted to Crack Chicken faster than you can say bacon, ranch, and cheese! This creamy dish can morph to sandwiches, dips, pasta, or even soup.
Imagine yourself in a slump – guess what… crack chicken to the rescue. The reality of life… bills, chores, other stuff is setting in! You are in need of a pick me up, and so is the rest of your household. What better way to brighten their mood than with a meal so good that it has one of the most habit-forming substances known to man in its title?!
For some more addictively good recipes, check out my crack dip, crack chicken noodle soup, crack chicken casserole, and crack chicken spaghetti bake! I promise they’re all delicious! ♥
What I Love Most About This Recipe
- Prep time is only 10 minutes!
- You can turn crack chicken into sandwiches, pasta, dip, soup …you name it!
- The ingredients are simple and easy to find.
- Bacon, ranch, and two kinds of cheese …need I say more?
What is Crack Chicken?
An amazingly creamy and oh-so-versatile shredded chicken dish for busy weeknights or weekend gatherings. Made with bacon, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, and ranch, this dish is to die for!
What Ingredients Do You Need To Make Crack Chicken?
For my crack chicken recipe, you will need a couple pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. You can put them whole into the slow cooker, which is always a bonus. Chicken crack seasoning is made using two packages of cubed cream cheese, two packets of dry ranch dressing, and some cooked and crumbled bacon. Can you taste it already?
To complete the crack sandwich, you need some high-quality dinner rolls, sliced sharp cheddar cheese, a fresh red onion, and a little barbeque sauce.
How Do You Make Crack Chicken?
- Dry chicken breasts in a paper towel. Place it in the crockpot.
- Top evenly with cream cheese cubes and sprinkle dry ranch evenly. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours.
- When the chicken is cooked, shred it with a fork.
- Add bacon and mix.
- Spoon a portion of the chicken mixture on a roll. Top with cheese and broil until cheese has melted.
- Top with slices of red onion, and add BBQ sauce.
- Serve.
Recipe Notes For Crack Chicken
- Cream Cheese: This recipe calls for two 8oz blocks of cream cheese. I typically use plain cream cheese, because I think the flavor of the final sauce holds up without embellishment. But, if you’re interested in using savory-flavored cream cheese, that’s totally fine! However, I would recommend doing only one block flavored. That balance (one flavored, one plain) helps to make sure that flavor in the flavored block doesn’t become overpowering and ruin your chicken. Two blocks of flavored cream cheese might be too much additional flavor.
- Bacon: Where bacon’s involved, I don’t mind the extra work, just don’t overcook it. It’s a fun addition to the flavors – I mean, who doesn’t love bacon? I crumble up the cooked bacon and mix it into the cooked chicken and sauce. It adds a nice crispy texture that really works on a sandwich. If you want to skip cooking the bacon, you might consider adding 1 bacon flavor container of cream cheese (replacing 1 plain block of cream cheese).
- Cooking: You may be wondering if this crack chicken needs any additional liquids – like chicken broth or water. But I can assure you that it does not. As the chicken cooks, it will release juices naturally, which will provide ample fluid for the final dish.
- The one tricky bit to this recipe is that you can overcook the chicken, so be careful. Like any slow cooker chicken recipe, if you cook it too long the chicken will dry up. Cooking the chicken on the low setting is a good idea if you aren’t going to be around the house to turn off the crockpot when it’s done.
How To Serve
When I make sandwiches with this recipe, I like to top the chicken with a little extra cheddar cheese and let the chicken sit under the broiler for a minute or two. I like to serve this recipe on a good, high-quality roll from the bakery section of my local market. I will slather that roll in barbeque sauce and a very thin slice of red onion – it’s a perfect dinnertime treat.
Storing + Freezing + Make-Ahead
- How Long Can You Keep This In The Fridge? This chicken will last in the fridge for up to four days.
- Can You Freeze This? Spoon the cooled meat into a resealable freezer bag, label it, and put it in the freezer!
- Make-Ahead Tips: This is great to make ahead. Obviously, you will not want to put together the sandwiches until serving time, but the chicken base will keep in the fridge for three days and in the freezer for three months.
Variations
If you’re interested in changing this recipe up a bit, consider adding a can of Ro-Tel or corn (well-drained). Occasionally I’ll even throw in a package of well-drained, thawed frozen spinach.
What To You Serve With Crack Chicken?
I like to serve this with my copycat KFC coleslaw, classic macaroni salad, or Ina Garten potato salad. All yummy choices!
More Crockpot Sandwich Recipes
- French Dip Sandwiches
- Crockpot Italian Beef Sandwiches
- Crockpot Pulled Pork
- Pulled Chicken
- Mississippi Chicken
Crack Chicken
Ingredients
- 2 pounds chicken breasts boneless and skinless
- 2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, cut into cubes
- 2 (1-ounce) packets dry ranch dressing mix
- 8 ounces bacon cooked and crumbled
- 6 high-quality rolls
- 6 slices extra sharp cheddar cheese
- 1 red onion thinly sliced
- prepared barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Pat the chicken breasts (2 pounds) dry with a paper towel. Place them in the crockpot. Top evenly with cream cheese cubes (2 blocks) then sprinkle the dry ranch (2 packets) evenly over the top. Cook on low for 6-8 hours or on high for 4 hours. Chicken is ready when it can easily be shredded with a fork.
- When the chicken is cooked, shred it. Add cooked bacon (8 ounces). Give the mixture a stir to evenly combine everything.
- Spoon one portion of the chicken mixture on half of a good quality roll, top with cheese and set under the broiler just until cheese has melted.
- Spread BBQ sauce on the second half of the bun and top with a thin slice of red onion. Serve.
Fans Also Made:
Notes
- Cream Cheese: This recipe calls for two 8oz blocks of cream cheese. I typically use plain cream cheese, because I think the flavor of the final sauce holds up without embellishment. But, if you’re interested in using savory-flavored cream cheese, that’s totally fine! However, I would recommend doing only one block flavored. That balance (one flavored, one plain) helps to make sure that flavor in the flavored block doesn’t become overpowering and ruin your chicken. Two blocks of flavored cream cheese might be too much additional flavor.
- Bacon: Where bacon’s involved, I don’t mind the extra work, just don’t overcook it. It’s a fun addition to the flavors – I mean, who doesn’t love bacon? I crumble up the cooked bacon and mix it into the cooked chicken and sauce. It adds a nice crispy texture that really works on a sandwich. If you want to skip cooking the bacon, you might consider adding 1 bacon flavor container of cream cheese (replacing 1 plain block of cream cheese).
- Cooking: You may be wondering if this crack chicken needs any additional liquids – like chicken broth or water. But I can assure you that it does not. As the chicken cooks, it will release juices naturally, which will provide ample fluid for the final dish.
- The one tricky bit to this recipe is that you can overcook the chicken, so be careful. Like any slow cooker chicken recipe, if you cook it too long the chicken will dry up. Cooking the chicken on the low setting is a good idea if you aren’t going to be around the house to turn off the crockpot when it’s done.
Nutrition
Doesn’t the bbq sauce and Bun take this recipe out of Keto. I find it hard to believe it would only be 4gr of carbs.I am very strict on keto and this doesn’t seem right to me…..
Hi Linda. When I make it for my daughter who follows strict keto we use keto buns and bbq sauce.
Thank you Kathleen?
How long does it last in fridge?
Hi, Niki! You can keep it in the fridge for 3 days. Hope this helps! 😀
Did this for a large group and doubled the recipe. EVERYONE loved it! Served with pasta salad and homemade season fries ??. Thanks for your recipes, they always turn out delicious!
Hi Angie! You made my day! So happy you’re enjoying our recipes <3 Hope to hear from you again soon <3
THESE LOOK SO GOOOOOOOOD!!!!!!!!11
Thank you, Lindsey!! <3
Gonna make it today thx.
I hope you enjoy, Bob! 🙂
Am I reading this right? Is it really 21 grams of carbs per serving?
Hey Jessica. Yes, you read it correctly. The nutrition facts were originally calculated with a large roll. I’ve recalculated the data so it’s just for the Crack Chicken. Thanks for asking for clarification <3
Maybe I’m just missing it in the recipe, but how much crack exactly am I supposed to put in this?
Lol, Leslie <3
????
Is that 860 calories for the whole recipe?
Hey Ash. Sorry about that. No, it was miscalculated. We just reran it through the program and updated the nutrition info.
I want to make a large quantity of this for a party.
Can it be made in a roaster instead of a crock pot?
Also, can it be made the day before and refrigerated then warmed up later?
Hey Barb! Gosh, I haven’t done that before but it sounds brilliant! My only suggestion would be to watch the heat and stir it often enough so things don’t burn/scorch. Sometimes the bottoms of roasting pan can be really thin. Please let us know if you make it this way <3 Best of Luck!!
What’s a serving size for this? Thanks!
Hi Kristina. Our nutritional info is calculated on how many servings there are in the recipe. So a serving would be 1/6 of the recipe. I’m not sure how that equates to cups. I hope that helps 🙂
Twice in the original post I saw that a serving size is 1/16, but your comment here says 1/6. Could you please clarify? Thank you for the delicious recipe!!
Hi, Lindsay. Thank you for asking! Yes, we recently updated the serving size. The correct is 16 servings. Thank you too, and I hope you like this recipe! 🙂
It was delicious. Will be making again! Made it just as described – with plain cream cheese. There is enough flavor in the ranch to suffice. Was a little worried when I opened the slow cooker and there was some liquid in the bottom – but when you shred the chicken and mix everything up, that disappears. LOVED IT.
AA, So glad to hear you enjoyed! Thank you for sharing <3
Family love it. I used the bag of rotessiere white meat from Costco, about 1 pound. Cut recipe in half and used 3/4 a block of cream cheese and 1/4 jalapeño cream cheese. Didn’t use all of the ranch dressing. Slashed a little chicken broth to help with the heating and melting. Melted it, then added the chicken to heat through. Onion rolls, cheddar, bbq sauce, strips of bacon…yum!! Ready in 20 minutes. Thanks, your pictures made me need it immediately. No time for slow cooking 🙂
Lol! I LOVE it Kris. What a great way to make this dish quickly. I’m going to have to try that. Thanks so much for sharing <3
I’ve never made crack chicken in my slow cooker before, only in my instant pot. I can’t wait to try it!
Hi Lara. I hope you enjoy!
I would love to know how to do it in the InstaPot.
Hey Jodi! I’m hoping to write up Instant pot instructions really soon <3
Would this work with boneless skinless thighs?
Hi Veriti. I think it would be great with skinless chicken thighs!
It scares me that there is no liquid. Is that ok?
Hi Jaime, as the chicken cooks it will release juices naturally, leaving you with moist shredded chicken, so you do not need to add additional liquid. Hope this helps!
Hi Kathleen.. I need to triple this recipe.. i need to serve 15 + .. Can you offer any tips to make sure it turns out great ??!!
Hey Sherry. The recipe should work well for tripling as long as your crockpot has the capacity. I would expect it might need to cook a little longer. Hope it goes well. Would love to hear back after you try 🙂
Just made this for dinner tonight. Used high quality bacon bits for added ease. Buttered the buns and added smashed avocado with a touch of garlic salt… O.M.G. Delish!!! Definitely added to my crock pot Arsenal.
Hi Alyssa, thank you for sharing your experience with this Crack Chicken recipe. Glad you enjoyed it and hope that you give our other recipes a try!
Definitely going to make this! What kind of buns did you use? They look delish!
Thank you!
Hi Brenda, for this recipe, I used high quality rolls from the bakery section and find that these work best. Hope you give this recipe a try soon and let us know how you like it!
This is really good. My family scarfed it down and asked if there was more. I didn’t crumble the bacon, I just broke the slices in half and put it on that way. Super yummy and so incredibly easy in the crock pot! Will definitely be adding this to my meal rotation. Thank you for sharing this recipe
So glad you liked the Crack Chicken. My family always scarfs this one down too! We’d love you to rate the recipe if you get a chance. <3
We made this last weekend and the whole family loved it. Highly recommended, and thank you for sharing!
Hey Dave! I so glad to hear that! Thanks for commenting 🙂