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Cold weather always has me turning to low carb slow cooker recipes. One of my favorites is this keto 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.
Why You’ll Love This Keto 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!)
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.
Ingredients & Substitutions
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 Keto Crack Chicken
This section shows how to make Crock Pot crack chicken, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, 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 keto 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 keto crack chicken, 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 keto 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 – Roasted potatoes are 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 keto crack chicken is a slow cooker! This one has flexible time settings and Keep Warm feature.
Crack Chicken Recipe (Crock Pot / Slow Cooker)
Keto Crack Chicken (Crock Pot, 5 Min Prep!)
This keto crack chicken recipe in the Crock Pot is EASY, creamy, and so addicting for the whole family! Prep takes just 5 minutes.
Go Ad-FreeRecipe Video
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Ingredients
Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them. Please turn Safari reader mode OFF to view ingredients.
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!
Share your recipe picture by tagging @wholesomeyum and hashtag it #wholesomeyum on Instagram, or in our free low carb support group, too – I’d love to see it!
Related Easy Recipes
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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248 Comments
Linda Jones
0Thank you. For some reason I did not see it! I loved the recipe and took some of the comments into consideration before making it. Since I like my food fairly spicy I added a jalapeno and used different spices. I used lactose free cream cheese. Not sure if it does not melt the same as regular, but I poured in a little wine to create more of a sauce. In the end I added another jalapeno and also added some high fat cream to smooth out the sauce. It gave me an amazing start.
Linda Jones
0I am looking for the nutritional information for this recipe and do not see it. Can you please post that and give serving size etc. Thanks
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Linda, You can find that info right under the recipe.
Teri
0Easy and very decadent! Fabulous moth feel.
Alison Finney
0I made this delicious recipe on Saturday. Can I freeze the leftovers today? It’s now Monday morning. I simply can’t eat it all by today or tomorrow!
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Alison, You can freeze the leftovers of this dish.
PurpleQueen
0Can this recipe be converted to cooking in a Dutch oven? If so, can you reply with specific instructions?Thank you for your consideration.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi, That would most likely work but I have never tried it. Please let me know the results if you try it.
Michelle
0Yummy, my family absolutely loves this recipe. They enjoy it in wraps and on buns. It’s easy to make and I appreciate how healthy it is. Thank You !!! 😃🎉
Kelly
0Very yummy. Husband and kids lived it. Served it with green veg and low carb pasta.
Angie Shelly
0What do you serve with it?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Angie, You can make this into a sandwich or eat it with crackers.
Michelle
0My family absolutely is in love with this recipe. It’s perfect to make on those busy days. I’m lucky if I get a bite 🤣Thank You So Much.
Kari Hulien
0Does this freeze well? I haven’t made it yet, so I can’t rate it yet. 🙂
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Kari, Yes, you can freeze this recipe.
Lora
0Are there any options for a non-dairy version?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Lora, Unfortunately, I don’t have a dairy-free version of this recipe. You could try vegan options, but I have never tried that.
Cheri
1Use dairy free cream cheese (kitehill or one that you prefer. I use a mixture of two.) I don’t use the extra shredded cheese. It is delicious. There is also a great dairy free ranch salad dressing (by simple truth but there are others I use if I can’t get out first choice) I use in place of the packet. I season to taste. We make this regularly in our home.
Jo
0I already have some ranch seasoning made up. How much would I need to add if I’m not using individual herbs and spices?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jo, You can use 1/3 cup of homemade ranch seasoning.
Jojo
0This sounds amazing! Thinking of making it…might be a dumb question from a novice cook. About how many strips of bacon would be needed to make the bacon bits.
Zeke
0I used 8 strips of Bacon and that was perfect.
Jamie
0Hi! In the reading, I noticed you mentioned ranch seasoning, but I don’t see it on the recipe card. Can you tell me how much?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Jamie, You would want to use 1/3 cup of powdered seasoning.
Bootybaby
0OMG by far my favorite keto recipe I’ve ever had!! Thank you for saving us from another boring chicken dinner!!!
Jeri Lynn Mcrae
0Awesome, use this recipe in my group home, girls are on a keto diet they have seizures. They loved it! Trying the taco one next!
Amber Kleihege
0My twin boys also have epilepsy and we follow a keto diet as well. I love this recipe, and so did they!
Tracy
0I made this using skinless, boneless, chicken thighs. I served it with a side of steamed broccoli and it came out delicious!
Dorothy Beckner
0The Crack Chicken was delicious! I did not have green onions on hand, but used chopped onions in the dish and added chives and parsley from my herb garden to dress it up. Husband lived it too!
Julia
0Can you make this using rotisserie chicken? If so, how would you do it on the warm setting to melt the cream cheese (since chicken is already cooked)?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Julia, Yes, you can use rotisserie chicken and just melt the other ingredients on the warm setting.
Christine Winn
0How would you use the rotisserie chicken? Would you shred the chicken and mix all the ingredients and cook on the stove?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Christine, Yes, that would work.
Melissa
0Hi Maya, If you use already-cooked rotisserie chicken, how long should you cook it on low or high?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi 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
0I 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
0Hi Charlie, It sounds like you may have overcooked the chicken, how long did you have the recipe in the slow cooker?
Julia
0Could you make it with rotisserie chicken?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Julia, Yes that would work.
Johnnie Latham
0This recipe is SOOOO GOOD! It was easy to make and all the seasons make this recipe very tasty!
Jane DeSanti
0I 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
0It 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
0Thank you for the feedback, Betheney! You can double the seasoning amount next time if you like more ranch flavor.
Ellen
0Dear 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
0Hi Ellen, Each serving should be around 5.5oz.
Nita
0My chicken got cracked up! So delicious!! My husband really enjoyed it as well!!
Jasmine
0This 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
0Hi 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.
Ray
0“crack” is actually a term used for a certain combination of ingredients: cheese, Ranch seasoning and bacon
Amy L Huntley
0So creamy and flavor full! This recipe really is so addicting! Making it again very soon!
Kristyn
0We 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
0This crack chicken is amazing! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!
Taylor
0This 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
0This has become a go-to in our house! My husband loves to take leftovers for lunch too.
Jill
0Made this many times and my non- keto, picky husband loves it!
Nay
0Hello, Can this be tweaked for instant pot instead of crock pot?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Nay, Yes, this can also be made in an instant pot.
Geo Klass
0Do you need the rack for the slow cooker and do you need to add any liquid?
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Geo, No rack is needed and you can follow the recipe exactly as written to achieve the best results.
Lori
0This 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
0This 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
0Super easy recipe but unfortunately it didn’t have much flavor. Most likely won’t be making this again.
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi 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
0This looks delicious. What would the cook time be if I made this in an instantpot?
Wholesome Yum M
0Hi 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
0This 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
0Once 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
0Hi Michael, There is no need to cook further, just stir in and serve.
Diana
0Good 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
0Hi Diana, Yes, you can add salt at the end to taste.
Nicole Willard
0Delicious! I also added some ranch powder, fried onions, dill, and bacon. Then, I slathered on garlic bread. It was SO good!
Jan
0Curious 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
0Hi Jan, You can enjoy this either way!
Teresa Thomas
0Hi what is red in this recipe please . It looks delicious .
Wholesome Yum D
0Hi Teresa, I am not sure what you are referring to but maybe you are seeing the bacon bits.
Sabra
0This 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
0I 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
0Hi 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
0I 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
0Hi Deb, You can re-heat your chicken with a little bit of fat (like butter) and a small amount of chicken broth.