Super crack chicken recipe

I made “Crack Chicken” for the first time yesterday. A quick google search will yield many recipes to draw from but they all rely on base ingredients of chicken, tomatoes, cream cheese and ranch dip mix. I remembered how butternut squash is used to cream-ify Mac and Cheese and decided to try and replicate that here. For added bulk, I added peas as well. I doubled the recipe and served 6 children and 4 adults. Plenty of left over and very happy customers. It is actually very macro-friendly and filling.

8 servings | Per serving including upgrade ingredients 314 kcal (12C, 13F and 36P)

Base Ingredients:

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, frozen or fresh

• 1 x 8 oz package of Philadelphia low fat cream cheese or Neufchâtel cream cheese (Hack: Even 4oz works great!!)

• 1 packet of ranch dip mix (Crack chicken gets its name from this key ingredient. Heads-up, it contains MSG. For non-MSG option, get this Penzey’s spice).

• 16 oz of any form of tomatoes (Diced fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes, leftover pizza sauce, rotel spicy tomatoes)

Optional upgrade ingredients: (Pick from what you have and use whatever amount you have on hand)

• 1 diced onion, any size. Depends on how onion-y you like things.

• 2 strips of bacon or pancetta, diced .

• 1 lb of fresh or frozen butternut squash, cubed (Roughly)

• 1/2 packet of frozen peas

Equipment:

• Slow cooker or Instant Pot

Instructions

1. Turn on the slow cooker on high while you start prepping your ingredients. It takes a while to heat up.

2. Saute the bacon on your cooking device

3. Once the fat renders, add in the onion and fry until fragrant

4. Add tomatoes until it’s hot. This helps mix the cold cream cheese.

5. Add in the cream cheese, ranch dip mix and butternut squash and mix well.

6. Place the four chicken breasts in the cooker

7. If it’s not covered by the mixture, add enough water or broth until the chicken breasts are all slightly covered

8. Slow cooker: Cook on low for 6 hours or high on 4 hours.
   Instant pot: High pressure 15 mins and natural release 10 minutes

9. In the last 30 minutes of cooking on the slow cooker:

   1. Ladle out some of the butternut squash and sauce and blend it to make the creamy sauce (optional)

   2. Remove the chicken breasts and shred it using two forks

   3. Add the frozen peas and mix

   4. Continue to cook until peas are hot.

   5. Serve over one of these “vehicles” (In order of increasing carbs): Steamed veges, Saute zoodles, rice, pasta, bread (like a pulled pork sandwich)

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