Chicken Bacon Ranch (aka Crack Chicken)

This recipe for Instant Pot Bacon Ranch Chicken makes the best sandwich and salad topper with a creamy, cheesy sauce and smoky bacon.

❤️ Why You’ll Love This Recipe: It’s hard not to love any dish that has the words bacon and ranch in the title. Some like to call this crack chicken, and it’s a favorite among kids and adults (not to mention it’s a fast dump-and-go Instant Pot recipe).

We’re always testing out new Instant Pot recipes, and when we find one that lets you simply dump everything into the pot and walk away, we call it a winner. This one happens to be loaded with our favorite flavors, and we think you’ll love it too. 

We adapted this recipe from a slow cooker recipe. It’s one of the most-requested recipes we get from readers, so we’re finally converting it to the pressure cooker!

This is a fantastic Instant Pot chicken recipe made with chicken breasts. If you love bacon as much as we do, be sure to try our Chicken Bacon Penne Pasta in a Garlic Cream Sauce next!

INGREDIENTS YOU NEED

Here’s what you need for this smoky bacon-ranch chicken recipe:

• Butter. Use unsalted butter to brown your chicken in the pressure cooking pot. 
• Chicken broth. Use unsalted store-bought or make your own chicken broth in the pressure cooker. 
• Spices. This ranch chicken is flavored with red pepper flakes, dried parsley, and ranch dressing mix. 
• Chicken. We use boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
• Cornstarch. This is a great thickener for the perfect creamy, spoonable sauce. 
• Cream cheese. This will melt into your sauce for a tangy, delicious flavor.
• Cheddar cheese. You can use any kind of cheddar for this recipe. 
• Bacon. You can use real bacon bits or crisp up finely chopped bacon to top your ranch chicken sandwiches. 
• Sandwich buns. If you want to serve the chicken as a sandwich, we recommend toasting your bread first. 

How to Make Ranch Chicken in an Instant Pot

✅ This easy recipe will work in any brand of electric pressure cooker, including the Instant Pot, Ninja Foodi, or Power Pressure Cooker XL.

This ranch chicken is an easy dump-and-go recipe. So all you need to do is add the chicken broth, butter, seasonings, chicken, and ranch dressing mix to your pressure cooking pot. Then cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Let the pressure release naturally for 10 minutes, then remove the lid when the valve drops. 

Transfer the chicken to a plate or bowl and use two forks to shred it into small pieces. Select Sauté on the Instant Pot and combine the cornstarch and water in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch mixture to the Instant Pot and stir until the sauce is thickened. 

Add the cream cheese and cheese to the sauce and continue to stir until the cheese is melted. Finally, add the chicken to the sauce in the pot, along with the bacon, and stir well. When everything is heated through, serve your delicious bacon-ranch chicken on toasted buns!

Important Tips for Making Bacon Ranch Chicken

Here are a few key tips to keep in mind with this chicken recipe:

• I recommend letting the cheddar and cream cheese come to room temperature so they melt a little faster into the sauce. You can take them out of the fridge when you start the cooking process. 
• Feel free to adjust the spice level according to your taste buds. 
• For even cooking, make sure the chicken is roughly the same thickness throughout. Our grocery store sells really thick chicken breasts, but thinner chicken will cook faster. 
• Cooking for 7 minutes ensures that your chicken becomes super tender and shreddable. 
• We love using real bacon bits in this recipe, but be sure to buy the real bacon version. They’re a great easy shortcut. If you want, you can sauté chopped regular bacon in the pot before you start the pressure cooking process. Then remove it from the pot and continue the recipe as written. 

Frequently Asked Questions about Chicken Bacon Ranch

MORE Instant Pot Chicken Recipes

You might like these other pressure cooker recipes with chicken too:

• Instant Pot / Pressure Cooker Spicy Chicken Soup is a hotter version of the classic pick-me-up chicken noodle soup. 
• Instant Pot Honey Sesame Chicken has a sweet and sticky glaze that’s delicious over fluffy white rice. 
• Chicken Parmesan Meatballs are soft, tender and smothered in a melty cheese sauce.

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Bacon Chicken Ranch (aka crack chicken)

Yield: 8 to 10 Sandwiches

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 7 minutes

Additional Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 27 minutes

This Instant Pot Ranch Bacon Chicken recipe has a rich, creamy cheese sauce and smoky bacon for sandwiches, salads, and more easy dinners.

Print

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1/2 cup chicken broth
• 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 tablespoon dried parsley
• 4 large boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
• 1 packet (1 oz) ranch dressing dry mix
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons cold water
• 8 ounces cream cheese, cut into about 1-inch cubes
• 1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, plus more for serving
• 1/4 cup real bacon bits OR bacon, cooked crisp and finely crumbled
• 8 to 10 sandwich buns, toasted

Instructions

1. To the pressure cooking pot, add the chicken broth, butter, red pepper flakes, and parsley. Gently add the chicken breasts, then sprinkle the contents of the ranch packet on top of the chicken.  
2. Lock the lid in place. Select High Pressure and 7 minutes cook time. 
3. When the cook time ends, turn off the pressure cooker. Use a natural release for 10 minutes then finish with a quick pressure release. When the valve drops, carefully remove the lid.
4. Remove the chicken to a tray. Use two forks or a mixer to shred the cooked chicken.
5. Select Sauté. Stir together the cornstarch and water, then add it to the pressure cooking pot. Continue stirring until thickened, about 2 minutes. 
6. Add the cubed cream cheese and stir until the cheese is melted. Add a handful of cheddar cheese to the cooking pot and stir until melted and well incorporated. Return the shredded chicken to the pot, add the bacon, and stir to combine.
7. Place spoonfuls of the chicken on the toasted buns and serve immediately.

Recommended Products

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• 
  Thermapen Mk4 Instant-Read Thermometer
• 
  Instant Pot Duo Nova 6-Quart Pressure Cooker

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 10 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 417Total Fat: 20gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 9gCholesterol: 82mgSodium: 671mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 2gSugar: 1gProtein: 26g

Nutrition information is calculated by Nutritionix and may not always be accurate.

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