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Making this Weight Watchers Crack Chicken is easier than ever thanks to the Instant Pot. You can make this lighter version for sandwiches, dips, and more!
This creamy, ranchy chicken is made with Greek yogurt instead of cream cheese, which lowers the fat content in the recipe. Instead of using ranch dressing or a ranch seasoning packet, this recipe uses homemade ranch sauce–cutting out a ton of extra sodium, fat, and preservatives.
Where’s the recipe?
Here at My Crazy Good Life, we write recipes that anyone–and I mean anyone–can follow. Whether you’re brand new in the kitchen or you’ve been cooking for years, you’ll have recipe success here!
If you’re looking for all the details, read the post below for complete instructions along with a ton of cooking tips. If you simply want the recipe, go ahead and scroll down to the printable recipe for Weight Watchers Crack Chicken.
Ingredients:
These ingredients will give you the lowest WW points. If you substitute any of the ingredients, please recalculate your points.
- Boneless skinless chicken breast or thighs: the WW points were calculated with breasts.
- Turkey bacon: If you’d rather use regular bacon, just make sure to recalculate the points.
- Fat free cottage cheese: If you’re concerned about sodium levels, you can rinse the cottage cheese before blending it.
- Fat free greek yogurt: Unflavored yogurt makes for a creamy base for this recipe.
- Homemade Ranch Spices
- Fat free Cheddar cheese
Instant Pot Crack Chicken
This recipe takes about 15 minutes to get into the pot. The time estimate is including the cook time and release time. This doesn’t include how long it takes your pot to come to pressure, since that changes depending on location and your pot.
- Place the frozen chicken breasts in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup water or chicken broth, then lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to Sealing.
- Cook on high pressure using the manual function for 12 minutes. When cooking time is finished, let the pressure release naturally. NPR (natural pressure release) is when you don’t touch the sealing valve of your pot when it’s done cooking–it will release the pressure naturally over the period of about 10 minutes. This prevents the chicken from drying out.
- While the chicken is cooking, cook the turkey bacon in the oven according to the package. Cut into small cubes and set aside until ready to use.
- Blend the cottage cheese, yogurt, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, parsley, and dill together in a blender. Mix well until you have a ranch-like dressing. Set aside until ready to use.
- Drain and shred the chicken. I love doing this with a hand mixer or stand mixer. You can also use two forks
- Pour the dressing from the blender onto the chicken. Add the turkey bacon and cheddar cheese.
- Mix well. You can turn the Instant Pot to sauté to help the melt the cheese if your chicken has cooled.
Slow Cooker Crack Chicken
- There are two ways to make this recipe in the slow cooker. Choose the chicken cooking method that works best for you.
- Cook the chicken on high heat for 4 hours, then drain and shred the chicken.
- Cook the chicken on the stove, drain and shred, and then add chicken to the slow cooker.
- Blend the cottage cheese, yogurt, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, parsley, and dill together in a blender or food processor. Mix well until you have a ranch-like dressing. Set aside until ready to use.
- Add the blended sauce, cooked turkey bacon, and cheddar cheese over the chicken. Mix well.
- Cook the dip on low heat for 1.5 hours. I think that as this recipe slow cooks, it gets tastier!
Stovetop Directions
- Bake or boil chicken, and cook the turkey bacon in the stove according to package directions.
- Shred the chicken and cube the bacon.
- Mix the cottage cheese, yogurt, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, parsley, and dill together in a blender. Mix well until you have a ranch-like dressing. Set aside until ready to use.
- Pour the dressing from the blender into the chicken, then add turkey bacon and cheddar cheese over the chicken. Mix well.
- Melt it all together by placing back on the stovetop for a few minutes.
Serve this recipe 3 ways!
- Follow the directions above to serve this as a dip with vegetables, crackers, or your favorite dip partners.
- To make Stuffed Peppers:
- Preheat the oven to 450 degrees if you’d like to eat these warm.
- Cut 6 mini sweet peppers in half and remove the seeds.
- Stuff crack chicken into the peppers and top with cheese and parsley (optional, but delicious!).
- Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is melted and begins to crisp up.
- To make a Salad for 2:
- Chop 2 cups romaine lettuce, 1/2 cup cilantro, 1/2 cup carrots, 1/2 cup celery, 1/2 cup bell pepper, and 1 tomato.
- Toss ingredients together and top with 1 1/2 cups of crack chicken (remember, for 2 salads). Add 2 tbsp cheddar cheese, optional.
Recipe Tips and Common Questions
- Double the sauce and use it for a dip–you won’t be sorry about that. The sauce is made from cottage cheese, greek yogurt, and spices.
- You can use thawed or frozen chicken in this recipe. The only difference is that frozen chicken in the Instant Pot takes a little longer to come to pressure.
Weight Watchers Instant Pot Crack Chicken Points
This WW Crack Chicken is just 1 Point on the 2023 Plan | 3 Blue Plan Points | 5 Green Plan Points | 3 Purple Plan Points per serving, when using fat free cottage cheese and fat free Greek yogurt. I use the WW website to calculate this recipe based on ingredients, not nutrition information. WW has told me that this is the most accurate way to count.
If you’re just making the dressing (omitting bacon, chicken, and cheese), your points are 0 2023 Points | 1 Green Plan Point | 1 Blue Plan Point | 1 Purple Plan Point
With 2 carbs ad 33 grams of protein, this is a keto friendly recipe.
More Weight Watchers shredded chicken recipes
Weight Watchers Crack Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot 6 qt
- Sealing Rings
- Olive Oil Spray
Ingredients
- 1 lb chicken breast frozen, or thighs
- 1 cup water
- 4 slices turkey bacon
- ¾ cup cottage cheese fat free
- ¼ cup Greek yogurt fat free
- 1 tsp garlic salt
- 1 tsp onion powder
- ½ tsp black pepper
- ½ tsp parsley
- 1 tsp fresh dill 1/2 tsp dried
- ¼ cup cheddar cheese fat free
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions:
- Place the (frozen or thawed) chicken in the bottom of the Instant Pot. Add 1 cup water, then lock the lid into place and turn the pressure valve to Seal. 1 lb chicken breast, 1 cup water
- Cook on high pressure using the manual function for 12 minutes. When done, let the pressure release naturally. This will prevent the chicken from drying out.
- While the chicken is cooking, cook the turkey bacon in the oven according to the package. Cut into cubes and set aside until ready to use 4 slices turkey bacon.
- Mix the cottage cheese, yogurt, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, parsley, and dill together in a blender. Mix well until you have a ranch-like dressing. Set aside until ready to use. ¼ cup cheddar cheese, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp parsley, 1 tsp fresh dill
- Drain and shred the chicken. Add the dressing from the blender, turkey bacon, and cheddar cheese over the chicken. Mix well. You can turn the Instant Pot to sauté to help the melt the cheese if your chicken has cooled. ¼ cup cheddar cheese
Slow Cooker Directions:
- Add 1 cup water or low sodium chicken broth to the crockpot. Add the chicken and cook on high heat for 4 hours. 1 cup water, 1 lb chicken breast
- While the chicken is cooking, cook the bacon in the oven. Cube it when it's finished cooking. 4 slices turkey bacon
- Blend together the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, parsley, and dill in the food processor or blender. ¾ cup cottage cheese, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp parsley, 1 tsp fresh dill
- Pour the sauce into your shredded chicken. Add turkey bacon and cheddar cheese. Optional: Add back to the slow cooker if you want to keep it warm for later. ¼ cup cheddar cheese
Stovetop Directions:
- Bake or broil the chicken to cook. I prefer boiling it in a pot of water. 1 lb chicken breast
- Cook the bacon at 400 degrees for about 15 minutes. When it's done, cube it. 4 slices turkey bacon
- When the chicken is done cooking, shred it with two forks or a mixer.
- Mix the cottage cheese, Greek yogurt, garlic salt, onion powder, pepper, parsley, and dill in a food processor or blender. ¾ cup cottage cheese, ¼ cup Greek yogurt, 1 tsp garlic salt, 1 tsp onion powder, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp parsley, 1 tsp fresh dill
- Pour the sauce over the shredded chicken. Add the cooked bacon and cheddar cheese. ¼ cup cheddar cheese
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Make This Recipe?
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Are the slow cooker directions for frozen chicken? My chicken is already thawed, would it still be 4 hours? Thank you
They will probably take about 3 hours if thawed, just test the temperature and wait for them to hit 165º :)
Thinking about putting this in a tortilla. How many points would that be?
I’d take the points of one serving of crack chicken and calculate it with your brand and type of tortilla :)
I decided to use a little different method to cook the chicken. I didn’t feel like dragging out the Instant Pot and then clean it. I did season the chicken with a little salt, pepper and garlic powder and roasted it the oven at 375 for 40 minutes. I then let it cool and the shredded it. I followed the remainder of your recipe and I really enjoyed it! Thanks!
This recipe looks so good, I can’t wait to try it. Quick question, what are the points value now on the new Weight Watchers plan?
We are starting to update this week with the new plan counts!
Hi—Can I use plain non fat yogurt, or does it have to be Greek yogurt?
You can use it but please add it slowly and stop when you get to the consistency you like, it’ll be a little thinner than greek yogurt :)
Can this be prepared days in advance, then spoon the chicken mixture onto mini bell peppers and bake the day of a party? If so, how many days in advance? Or can it be frozen, thawed the day before, and baked the day of the party?
Freezing tends to make the cream base in the recipe a little watery, so I’d opt to make it a couple (2) days ahead.
I’m looking for serving size? For the Smart points…
Hi Karen,
The serving size is about 3/4 cup :)
Can I use something other than yougart? I can’t stand the weird flavor of yougart.
You can use mayo and cottage cheese, but your points will change :)
I thought I had fat free cottage cheese but turns out I used it all. Has anyone tried fat free sour cream?
I see the nutritional count but to what serving size is it related.
Hi there, the serving size is about 3/4 cup :)