Easy Crack Chicken Lettuce Cups. A bacon, ranch and cheddar cheese sauce tossed with shredded chicken and served on butter lettuce. These Crack Chicken Lettuce Wraps can be made in the Instant Pot pressure cooker or oven-baked. A healthy main dish to serve for dinner or as an appetizer.
This homemade lettuce wrap version is inspired by Garlic Sesame Lettuce Cups and my Instant Pot Crack Chicken recipe. Now made with a tastier ranch cheese sauce for better flavor. They are so easy to make and can be made in advance.
How to Make Crack Chicken
To make Crack Chicken, you’ll need chicken breasts, bacon, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, chicken broth, ranch powder seasoning, hot sauce, Italian seasoning, green onions, and butter or green leaf lettuce.
My preferred method to cooking crack chicken is to use an Instant Pot pressure cooker. Otherwise, the chicken can be baked in the oven. I give further instructions in the notes* of the recipe on how to oven bake chicken. For a quick alternative, fully cooked rotisserie chicken may be used.
If you are new to the Instant Pot, read this post for in-depth pressure cooker directions to make crack chicken. Start by adding the chicken breasts to the pressure cooker then pour in chicken broth, ranch seasoning, Italian seasoning, hot sauce, and cream cheese. Cook the chicken on high pressure for 15 minutes then allow it rest for 10 minutes. Remove the chicken to a bowl and shred it with two forks. Whisk the sauce until combined, then stir in the shredded cheddar cheese, parsley, bacon, and green onions.
Healthier Crack Chicken
Crack chicken gets its name because it’s made with popular ingredients like bacon, ranch, cheddar cheese, and chicken. This combination is popular in the United States and it makes for a delicious topping on chicken.
To make Crack Chicken Lettuce Cups healthier, I’ve reduced the amount of ranch seasoning, and cream cheese. The result is a better tasting crack chicken recipe that’s not overpowered with flavor. I’ve swapped out the sandwich bread buns and replaced it with butter lettuce. Not only is this chicken recipe gluten-free, but it’s also keto diet friendly. In case you want to swap out the store-bought ranch seasoning, search for a homemade ranch seasoning blend to use instead.
Serving shredded ranch Crack Chicken on lettuce greatly reduces unnecessary carbs and sugar. Using a pressure cooker creates easy to pull apart shredded chicken. I make these chicken wraps for dinner at least three a month. The chicken is tender, flavorful, and moist thanks to an incredible cheese sauce.
Homemade chicken wraps are the perfect chicken recipe to meal prep, too. Make a double batch of this Instant Pot shredded chicken on Sunday, then portion it out in meal prep containers and pack it for lunch along with butter lettuce.
For more lettuce wrap ideas, try my famous quick Garlic Sesame Chicken Lettuce Cups or these Korean Chicken Wraps.
Crack Chicken Lettuce Cups
Ingredients
- 1.7 lb. chicken breasts
- 1/2 cup chicken broth
- 2 oz. cream cheese diced into 4 cubes
- 1 tbsp ranch seasoning powder
- 1 tsp hot sauce
- 1/2 tsp Italian or Greek seasoning
- 5 slices bacon, chopped
- 8 oz. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 1/2 tbsp dried parsley
- 7 stalks green onions, diced
- 2 heads butter lettuce or green leaf lettuce
Instructions
- In an Instant Pot ( or pressure cooker ) insert, add chicken broth, chicken breasts, Greek or Italian seasoning, dry ranch seasoning powder, and cream cheese.
Turn device on. Secure lid. Set pressure valve to SEALING. Select MANUAL or PRESSURE COOK; cook on high-pressure 15 minutes. Wash lettuce, dry; set aside. Cook bacon according to package directions. Chop; set aside.
Once the pressure cooker is done, select CANCEL. Allow the pressure valve to Natural Pressure Release at least 10 minutes. Quick-release pressure after 10 minutes. Once pressure pin drops, open lid and turn off the device.Remove the chicken to bowl. Shred with two forks. Whisk remaining cream cheese mixture. Add in 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese, hot sauce, dried parsley, and bacon. Add in shredded chicken, and green onions; mix well.Serve on lettuce: If using butter lettuce, break lettuce at the stem. Use 2 leaves to make a cup. If using green leaf lettuce, break off stem then serve shredded chicken on a leaf.Top with remaining cheddar cheese, and green onions.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate and it’s accuracy is not guaranteed to be exact.
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4 Responses
My only complaint is that you didn’t list the Parmesan cheese in the list of ingredients, so I did not realize I needed it until i got to that step of the recipe. You also don’t mention it anywhere in your explanation. I’m making it without Parmesan since I don’t have any on hand, but you also don’t say how much parmesan is needed.
New to the instant pot and and am wondering is this made with frozen chicken breasts or thawed?
Thawed. I believe I have directions for frozen chicken breasts in the comments but you can “defrost” them in the ip first then continue to the recipe next.
Absolutely beautiful photos and, needless to say, inviting week dinner ! Thank you so much !