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Cold weather always has me turning to low carb slow cooker recipes. One of my favorites is this crack chicken recipe, because it’s so comforting and needs minimal hands-on time. Best of all, it uses ingredients many of us have on hand all the time. That was the perfect excuse to make this Crock Pot crack chicken again this week — and to share it with you!
This naturally keto crack chicken is one of those meals that will please almost anyone, even if they aren’t low carb, so it’s perfect to make for the family. I’ll bet you’ll be making it again and again, like I do.
What Is Crack Chicken?
Crack chicken is an addicting, creamy shredded chicken made with cream cheese, ranch, bacon, and cheddar. This easy crack chicken recipe is similar to crack dip, but we add chicken and use ranch seasoning instead of ranch dressing. This creates a stronger ranch flavor without making the chicken too soupy.
Many crack chicken recipes use ranch seasoning mix packets, but they are filled with all kinds of weird ingredients, starch, preservatives, and sometimes even sugar. There’s no reason to do this, because you can easily make your own crack chicken seasoning! It’s very similar to the seasonings I use for homemade ranch dressing.
If you prefer whole chicken breasts instead of the shredded style in this recipe, make my baked bacon ranch chicken instead.
Is Crack Chicken Keto?
Yes, slow cooker crack chicken is naturally keto friendly! All that cream cheese provides plenty of fat, and each serving has only 3 grams net carbs. But even if you aren’t keto, this crack chicken Crock Pot recipe is simply delicious — whether you’re on a special diet or not.
Why You’ll Love This Crack Chicken Recipe
- The title can describe how good this tastes!
- Creamy, cheesy, and tender chicken
- Takes just 5 minutes to prep
- Mostly hands-off cooking time
- Naturally low carb and gluten-free
- So many ways to enjoy it (ideas below!)
Crack Chicken Ingredients
This section explains how to choose the best ingredients for keto crack chicken, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.
- Chicken Breast – I prefer to use organic chicken (get it shipped right to your door here), but any boneless skinless chicken breast will work. You can also use boneless skinless chicken thighs.
- Spices – Dried parsley, dried dill, dried chives, garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper. If you like, you can make my homemade ranch seasoning and just use about 1/3 cup of that, but I recommend omitting the salt when you make it since this recipe is already salty from the cheeses and bacon.
- Cream Cheese – Full-fat cream cheese will be the most flavorful and creamy, but any plain kind is fine to use.
- Cheddar Cheese – Shred it yourself or use pre-shredded. Other cheeses, such as pepper jack, are also great.
- Bacon Bits – Buy cooked bacon bits if you prefer, but for best flavor, crumble your own from oven baked bacon, air fryer bacon, or microwave bacon.
- Green Onions – Stir in the white part of the green onion and garnish this easy crack chicken with sliced green onions.
How To Make Crack Chicken
This section shows how to make Crock Pot crack chicken, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique. For full instructions, see the recipe card below.
- Prep. Place chicken breasts into the slow cooker in a single layer. Sprinkle with herbs and spices. Top with cream cheese pieces.
- Cook. Slow cook chicken until it’s easy to shred. Shred chicken with two forks, then stir to mix into the cream cheese.
- Finish. Stir the shredded cheddar, bacon bits, and green onions into the crack chicken recipe.
TIP: Reserve some bacon, green onions, or even cheese for topping.
If you want melted cheese on top, you can keep the Crock Pot on the Keep Warm setting, sprinkle on some extra cheese, and close the lid for a few minutes to melt.
Storage Instructions
- Store: Once you’ve made this crack chicken Crock Pot recipe, you can store any leftovers in the fridge for 2-3 days.
- Reheat: The easiest way to reheat the chicken is in the microwave, but you can also do it in the slow cooker (using the Warm or Low setting) or in a saucepan on the stove. If you’re concerned about the chicken drying out, you can add a bit of fat (such as butter) or chicken broth when reheating.
- Freeze: Freeze chicken in a plastic bag or airtight container for 2-3 months.
What To Serve With Crack Chicken
This low carb crack chicken recipe comes out soft and creamy, almost like a dip. So, you can use it in a multitude of ways:
- Crack chicken sandwiches – Pile it onto your favorite buns! You can serve regular buns for any family members on a regular diet, and low carb buns for a keto diet. The buns pictured above are from my (first) Easy Keto Cookbook, but my (second) Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook has even better buns that are soft and airy, like real ones.
- Crack chicken dip – Serve it with low carb veggies that are good for scooping, like celery or bell peppers. Tortilla chips are a good option for those who aren’t low carb.
- Crack chicken wraps – Stuff into lettuce for lettuce wraps, or any other kind of wrap you like.
And what goes with crack chicken on the side? Here are some ideas, which go with many other slow cooker chicken recipes, too:
- Coleslaw – Keto coleslaw is pictured above!
- Potatoes – A popular option for a regular meal. Try mashed cauliflower or roasted rutabaga for a low carb option.
- Pasta – My favorite is keto egg noodles, but zucchini noodles, shirataki noodles, or spaghetti squash also work great.
- Rice or Cauliflower Rice
- Salad – Choose your favorite healthy salad recipe; they suitable for everyone in the family.
Find more ideas for low carb side dishes here and more healthy side dishes here.
Recommended Tools
- Slow Cooker – The only thing you really need for slow cooker crack chicken is… a slow cooker! 😉 This one has flexible time settings and Keep Warm feature.
Crock Pot Slow Cooker Crack Chicken Recipe
Reader Favorite Recipes
The recipe card is below! Readers that made this also viewed these recipes:
Keto Crack Chicken Recipe (Crock Pot)
This slow cooker Crock Pot crack chicken recipe is EASY, creamy, and so addicting for the whole family! Prep takes just 5 minutes, and no one will know it's keto crack chicken, too.
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Ingredients
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Instructions
Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.
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Place the chicken breasts into the slow cooker in a single layer.
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Sprinkle the chicken with all the herbs and spices.
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Arrange the pieces of cream cheese evenly over the chicken.
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Cook the chicken for 3-4 hours on high or 6-8 hours on low, until the chicken is easy to shred.
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Shred the chicken and stir to mix with the cream cheese.
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Stir in the shredded cheddar, bacon bits, and green onions.
Last Step: Leave A Rating!
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Readers Who Liked This Easy Recipe Also Made:
Recipe Notes
Serving size: ~5 1/2 ounces, or 1/10 of entire recipe
Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.
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212 Comments
Christine Winn
How would you use the rotisserie chicken? Would you shred the chicken and mix all the ingredients and cook on the stove?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Christine, Yes, that would work.
Melissa
Hi Maya, If you use already-cooked rotisserie chicken, how long should you cook it on low or high?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Melissa, You would only need to cook it long enough for the cream cheese and cheese to melt so probably about an hour on low.
Charlie Gilliam
I am not sure what happened. It came out dry. I kept rereading the recipe and I did not see anything about adding liquid while cooking. Next time I make it I will probably use spicier seasonings.
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Charlie, It sounds like you may have overcooked the chicken, how long did you have the recipe in the slow cooker?
Julia
Could you make it with rotisserie chicken?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Julia, Yes that would work.
Johnnie Latham
This recipe is SOOOO GOOD! It was easy to make and all the seasons make this recipe very tasty!
Jane DeSanti
I made this recipe and really like the versatility. 1st day burrito, 2nd day with Spanish rice, third day with macaroni for my non keto eater. I had it a wrap with romaine lettuce. Then froze the remainder for another day.
Betheney
It turned out a bit dry tasting and flat so I had to add some chicken broth and a whole packet of ranch dressing, which helped for our taste. It was something different, just not something I would make regularly.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Thank you for the feedback, Betheney! You can double the seasoning amount next time if you like more ranch flavor.
Ellen
Dear Maya, I am anxious to try this recipe as it sounds heavenly. However, as with many of your bulk recipes, I don’t know how to “divvy” up the final product into 10 servings without taking it all out of the crockpot, putting it on a scale, and dividing the total weight by 10 to see how many oz’s I can eat for 1 serving. How do you do it?? Sincerely, Ellen.
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Ellen, Each serving should be around 5.5oz.
Nita
My chicken got cracked up! So delicious!! My husband really enjoyed it as well!!
Jasmine
This looks like a great recipe but can we stop referring to things we think are really good as crack? There was nothing good about crack or the crack epidemic. It destroyed many communities, families and lives.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
Hi Jasmine, I agree with you. I did not come up with this name for this recipe, unfortunately whoever first came up with it decided to name it this way.
Amy L Huntley
So creamy and flavor full! This recipe really is so addicting! Making it again very soon!
Kristyn
We love crack chicken!! Thank you for sharing different ways to eat it! My family will be so excited to try it in a bun!
Brit
This crack chicken is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Taylor
This was a HUGE hit for dinner last night! Not only was it so so easy to throw together, but the flavors and creamy texture were spot on. Definitely adding to our monthly rotation!
Wilhelmina
This has become a go-to in our house! My husband loves to take leftovers for lunch too.
Jill
Made this many times and my non- keto, picky husband loves it!
Geo Klass
Do you need the rack for the slow cooker and do you need to add any liquid?
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Geo, No rack is needed and you can follow the recipe exactly as written to achieve the best results.
Lori
This recipe is totally awesome! Tastes great. I’ve made it about 3 times, and I’ll definitely do it again. It’s very creamy and delish! I love it. I even like it cold!
Karen
This was wonderful. I did tweak it a bit. I added about 1 cloves of garlic, some extra onion powder, dill weed and some extra pepper. I also used thighs instead of chicken breasts. This was yummy.
Kirsten
Super easy recipe but unfortunately it didn’t have much flavor. Most likely won’t be making this again.
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Kristen, Sorry, this recipe didn’t suit your tastes. My Crack Chicken has more cream cheese, so the flavors don’t carry through as strong. Feel free to adjust the seasonings in the recipe to closely mirror the Ranch Crack Dip.
Kristi
This looks delicious. What would the cook time be if I made this in an instantpot?
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Kristi, You can use the same directions if you are using the slow cooker function on your Instant Pot. I don’t recommend using the pressure cooker option, because you will need to add liquid to build pressure and that will cause your dish to be soupy.
Joe Hightower
This turned out great! The texture was fine for sandwiches or scooped on a bell pepper slice or my favorite a (non-keto!) Triscuit! Thanks for the recipe, and for your patience with people who should be more grateful for recipes they are getting for FREE!
Michael Nolan
Once you put in the shredded cheese bacon bits and green onions how long do you let it sit on warm for or is it just serve
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Michael, There is no need to cook further, just stir in and serve.
Diana
Good evening, I am currently cooking this recipe as we speak, and I just noticed that it does not call for salt. Our family does not eat pork, so I will not be putting bacon in it. Should I add salt at the end? Thank you!!! 🙂
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Diana, Yes, you can add salt at the end to taste.
Nicole Willard
Delicious! I also added some ranch powder, fried onions, dill, and bacon. Then, I slathered on garlic bread. It was SO good!
Jan
Curious if peeps are eating this mainly hot? My young man says it wants it as a cold sandwich and I can’t decide if cold sounds gross or not 😂
Wholesome Yum D
Hi Jan, You can enjoy this either way!
Sabra
This may have been the worst recipe I have ever made… I cook Keto and have used another recipe in the past and I vow to never use this one again as long as I live… do not waste your ingredients!
Kate
I expected this to be as yummy as the ranch crack dip but it didn’t when I made it following this recipe exactly. I don’t know what it needs but I won’t be making it again as described.
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Kate, Sorry this recipe didn’t suit your tastes. The two recipes are similar, but the Crack Chicken version has more cream cheese, so the flavors don’t carry through as strong. Feel free to adjust the seasonings in the recipe to closer mirror the Ranch Crack Dip.
Deb Hunt
I made it for dinner tonight! It turned out too dry! What can I do so I can make the left over not so dry!
Wholesome Yum M
Hi Deb, You can re-heat your chicken with a little bit of fat (like butter) and a small amount of chicken broth.