This Healthy Crack Chicken recipe is low calorie and packed full of flavor. It’s just 238 calories and has 31g of protein!
Originally featured in my best selling Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook, this healthy recipe for crack chicken has become a reader favorite! Below I have included oven baked directions of those without an Instant Pot.
These healthy instant pot recipes for weight loss help you eat what you crave, while reducing or maintain weight. Or just allow you to have seconds without guilt.
Try this healthy crack chicken instant pot recipe tonight. And if you love it, check out my Healthy Instant Pot Cookbook online for more Instant Pot weight loss recipes inspiration.
This Instant Pot Crack Chicken is just 238 calories and so easy to make!
Healthy Crack Chicken
What You’ll Find in this Article:
Ingredients in Low Calorie Crack Chicken
I add a lot of extra veggies in with my cream cheese chicken recipe. This helps lower the calories and allows you to have a bigger portion, for less calories.
Originally I included just 2 added veggies (potatoes and Brussels sprouts) but I have found that this cracked chicken recipe is great with lots of veggies. So here I have supplied you with several veggie swaps. So if you want to skip the Brussels sprouts and potatoes, you have more veggies to choose from instead.
Optional Crack Chicken Veggie Swaps:
- Sliced Mushrooms
- Red Bell Pepper slices
- Frozen Peas
- Chopped Parsnips
Mushrooms are great as they have practically no flavor and have a meaty consistency. And parsnips are a great low carb swap for the potatoes. No matter how you make this healthy crack chicken, I know you’ll love it!
Shopping List for Skinny Crack Chicken:
- Fingerling potatoes
- Brussels sprouts
- Boneless, skinless chicken breast
- Neufchâtel cheese (or fat free cream cheese)
- Garlic salt
- Fresh chives
- Fresh dill
- Flat-leaf parsley
- Shredded sharp cheddar cheese
How to Make Low Calorie Crack Chicken
This simple crack chicken recipe is easy and fast! You can make it 100% in the instant pot, or you can turn this recipe instant pot into a casserole!
Feel free to skip the casserole step, but when I baked this crack chicken recipe in these individual casserole dishes, everyone went wild for them. Somehow this dish seams more fun individual casserole style.
How to Make Skinny Crack Chicken:
- In the Instant Pot (see recipe card for oven directions), combine the potatoes, Brussels sprouts, chicken, Neufchâtel cheese, garlic salt, chives, dill, parsley, and water.
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Quick-release the pressure.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks.
- Return the chicken to the pot.
- Mix in 1/2 the cheddar cheese (unless you are skipping the next step, in that case add all the cheese).
- Optional Step: Move the crack chicken to one large, or 4 small casserole dishes. Top with remaining cheese and broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes until melted and browned.
Special Tip: If you don’t have an Instant Pot, you can find Oven Directions below in the Recipe Card!
Healthy Tips and Swaps
It’s easy to modify this low calorie instant pot chicken recipe to suit your dietary needs.
Low Carb Crack Chicken:
To cut the carbs in this crack chicken, remove the potatoes and swap in for a low carb vegetable like mushrooms or cauliflower. You can also add in 1/2 pound more of chicken to balance the protein more.
Low Sodium Crack Chicken:
To lower the sodium in this crack chicken, replace the garlic salt with garlic powder.
High Protein Crack Chicken:
To boost the protein oil this low calorie crack chicken, add in another 1/2 pound of chicken to the pot.
Low Sugar Crack Chicken:
This crack chicken is already pretty low in sugar, but you can cut even more by swapping out the potatoes for a low sugar vegetable like mushrooms or cauliflower.
Healthy Crack Chicken Recipe
This healthy crack chicken is from the best selling cookbook Lose Weight With Your Instant Pot. I have added in some veggie swaps (above in the ingredient section) and given you the option to broil and turn this skinny crack chicken into a fantastic casserole.
Try out this recipe for crack chicken, it’s a reader favorite and a recipe I know you’ll come back to again and again!
More Low Calorie Dinner Recipes:
Low Calorie Crack Chicken
Equipment
- Instant Pot
Ingredients
- ½ pound fingerling potatoes halved crosswise
- ½ pound Brussels sprouts trimmed, dark outer leaves removed, halved through the stem
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breast
- 2 ounces Neufchâtel cheese or fat free cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh chives
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh dill
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
- ¾ cup water (if using a large IP you may need 1/2-3/4 cup water)
- ¼ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
Instant Pot Directions:
- In the Instant Pot, combine the potatoes, Brussels sprouts, chicken, Neufchâtel cheese, garlic salt, chives, dill, parsley, and water.
- Cover and cook on high pressure for 15 minutes.
- Quick-release the pressure.
- Remove the chicken to a plate and shred with two forks.
- Return the chicken to the pot.
- Mix in 1/2 the cheddar cheese (unless you are skipping the next step, in that case add all the cheese).
- Optional Step: Move the crack chicken to one large, or 4 small casserole dishes. Top with remaining cheese and broil in the oven for 3-5 minutes until melted and browned.
Oven Baked Directions:
- Preheat oven to 450 degrees, spray the bottom of two 9×9 casserole dishes with olive oil spray.
- Add the chicken to one and the vegetables to the other.
- Bake for 15-18 minutes. Until the chicken is done and the juice runs clear.
- Shred the chicken right in the baking dish, add in the cooked veggies, plus the Neufchâtel cheese, garlic salt, chives, dill, parsley, (slip the water!)
- Mix well and top with cheddar cheese.
- Add back to the oven and bake for 15 minutes until the cheese is melted and the casserole bubbling.
Nutrition
Nutrition and Calories in Crack Chicken
The nutrition below is based off 1 cup of crack chicken form the above recipe card.
If you have the cookbook (Lose Weight With Your Instant Pot) this recipe was originally in, you may notice the calories are lower here. That is because the nutrition label database I use for nutrition is constantly growing and improving. And in the last few years they have uploaded more ingredients making the nutrition more accurate. It’s a great program and we encourage you to check it out.
Important Note: As a reminder, at Lose Weight By Eating it is my goal to make you healthier, all-natural versions of your favorite recipes… not all will be “diet worthy” depending on the diet you are on. But they will be healthier versions to help curb your cravings.
More Weight Loss Recipes:
Lose Weight By Eating Cookbooks
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Article History:
- Originally written and published February 13, 2019 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on September 15, 2022 by Audrey Johns
- Updated on September 25, 2023 by Audrey Johns
I fixed it, thanks for catching it 🙂
Haven’t made this one, but there is a typo in step 4. I think you mean to tell us to shred the chicken with the two forks.
Not calling you out. just letting you know. Please delete the comment once you’ve see it.
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