You’re going to love these Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pin Wheels! They come together with just a few simple ingredients and are ready in under 20 minutes. Whether you're serving them as a quick and easy appetizer for a holiday party or a fun dinner recipe, they’re guaranteed to be a family favorite.
Why This Recipe Works
- Tempting Flavor: The addictive blend of chicken, cheese, and bacon is a crowd-pleaser.
- Quick & Easy: The Instant Pot simplifies preparation, making this recipe a breeze.
- Perfect Party Food: These pinwheels are an ideal appetizer or snack for any gathering.
📋 Ingredients
- Chicken Breast: The main protein, providing a hearty and lean base for the pinwheels.
- Salt & Pepper: Basic seasonings that enhance the flavors of the other ingredients.
- Bacon: Adds a smoky, savory flavor and a satisfying crunch.
- Cream Cheese: Gives a creamy, tangy richness that binds all the ingredients together.
- Ranch Mix: Instantly adds a burst of tangy, herby flavor that pairs perfectly with the chicken and cheese.
- Shredded Cheddar Cheese: Melts to give a gooey, cheesy element that's irresistible in every bite.
- Milk: Adds a bit of moisture, helping to create a creamy texture when mixed with the cheese.
- Burrito Tortillas: The wrap that holds everything together. Flour tortillas are pliable, making them perfect for rolling into pinwheels.
For the complete list of ingredients with measurements and instructions, please see the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
🔀 Substitutions & Variations
There are plenty of possibilities when making crack chicken mixture for your pinwheels.
- Use Bacon Ranch: You could switch the ranch seasoning mix and use bacon ranch or even a garlic parmesan ranch if you wanted to give it even more flavor.
- Use Precooked Bacon: You could also use pre-cooked bacon instead of cooking your own. This will help to reduce the time it takes to make these pinwheels and make them even easier to put together.
- Use Extra Cheese: To give your crack chicken mixture a cheesy kick, you can always add in some extra shredded cheese or even more cream cheese!
- Add Different Veggies: Adding some diced tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, or onions can give your crack chicken pinwheels an extra crunch as well as a pop of color.
- Add Hot Sauce: If you want your pinwheels to have a bit of kick, add some hot sauce or sriracha. This will give them an extra zest and make them even more flavorful!
- Add Avocado: Adding diced avocado or Guacamole can also be a great way to give your crack chicken pinwheels some extra flavor.
- Crack Chicken Sandwiches: If you don't have tortilla bread you can always make crack chicken sandwiches with your crack chicken mixture. Just spread your mixture onto a slice of bread and top with another. You could also make these into sliders by using Hawaiian dinner rolls instead.
🔪How To Make Instant Pot Crack Chicken Pin Wheels
- Step 1: Place your trivet in the Instant Pot and add one cup of water. Mix your salt and pepper. Season each side of your chicken breasts.
- Step 2: Put your chicken breast on the trivet. Close the lid on the Instant Pot and close the sealing valve. Pressure cook for 8 minutes, followed by a natural pressure release.
- Step 3: Remove your cooked chicken breast and shred. Set aside.
- Step 4: Remove your trivet and water from your Instant Pot. Turn your Instant Pot on to sauté mode. Once hot, sauté your bacon pieces until fully cooked.
- Step 5: Add to a large bowl your chicken, bacon, softened cream cheese, ranch mix, shredded cheese, and milk.
- Step 6: Set the ingredients aside while you wait for the Instant Pot to release pressure naturally.
- Step 7: Evenly distribute your crack chicken mixture onto four tortillas and roll them. Cut them into 1-inch sections.
- Step 8: Garnish your pinwheels with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and green onions. Serve and enjoy!
Tortilla pinwheels are the perfect appetizer for any gathering. They’re easy to make, can be made ahead of time, and they’re always a hit with everyone!
Be sure to check out my Chicken Salad Cucumber Bites for another super delicious and easy recipe.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
- Perfect the Crack Chicken: Begin with preparing the crack chicken mixture. Use your Instant Pot to cook chicken breasts with chicken broth, seasoning with ranch dressing mix for that signature flavor. After cooking, shred the chicken finely in the liquid to soak up extra flavor, then mix in cream cheese and cheddar cheese until smooth and creamy.
- Consistency is Key: Ensure the crack chicken mixture is thick enough to spread but not too runny; it should hold together well. If the mixture is too wet after adding cheeses, use the sauté function to reduce and thicken it.
- Cool Before Spreading: Allow the crack chicken mixture to cool slightly before spreading onto tortillas. If it’s too hot, it can make the tortillas soggy or hard to handle.
- Choose the Right Wraps: Use large, high-quality flour tortillas for the pinwheels. They are easier to roll and hold together better than smaller or corn tortillas. Warm them slightly to make them more pliable and prevent cracking while rolling.
- Roll Tightly and Chill: Spread the mixture evenly over the tortillas, leaving a small border around the edges to prevent spillage. Roll the tortillas tightly to ensure the pinwheels hold their shape when cut. Wrap the rolls in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour or until firm. This makes slicing easier and helps maintain their shape.
- Slice With a Sharp Knife: Use a sharp or serrated knife to slice the chilled rolls into pinwheels. A sharp knife ensures clean cuts without squishing the rolls. Slice them about 1 to 1.5 inches thick, perfect for bite-sized treats.
- Serve with Dipping Sauce: Serve your crack chicken pinwheels with a dipping sauce that complements the rich flavors. A ranch dressing or a spicy buffalo sauce can be perfect for enhancing the overall taste experience.
💭 FAQs
Pinwheels are thin slices of meat, cheese, and/or vegetables rolled up into a circular shape. These can be served as an appetizer or light meals. Chicken pinwheels are great as buffet food because they’re easy to eat and can be made ahead of time. Whilst we called them pinwheels others often call them tortilla roll-ups.
Crack chicken is a creamy, cheesy, and flavorful dish. It’s made with shredded chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, bacon bits and ranch dressing mix. All of these ingredients get combined and cooked until everything is melted and perfectly blended.
You can easily make these pinwheels in advance, but I’d recommend no longer than 24 hours in advance. Otherwise, you’re risking the tortilla getting soggy and nobody has time for that!
Making crack chicken pinwheels works well with shredded chicken breast, however, if you’re short on life or want to use up leftover rotisserie chicken then simply skip the cooking chicken part and use the pre-cooked chicken to make your crack chicken mixture. You can also use chopped chicken or canned chicken if you have a can or two and want to use this s up. Either way any kind of crack chicken wrapped in large burrito tortillas will taste fantastic, especially with ranch seasoning.
If you’re lucky enough to have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge! As long as you’re keeping them cool and storing them in plastic wrap or an airtight container in the fridge, your finger sandwiches should last for 2-3 days. Freeze your pinwheel sandwiches for up to 3 months. Be sure to wrap them individually in plastic wrap first and then place them in a freezer-safe container or bag. When you’re ready to eat, pull one out and let it thaw in the fridge overnight before enjoying it.
Serving Suggestions
Wondering what to serve with pinwheels? Crack chicken pinwheels can make a great meal on their own! If you want to have a side of chips or Fresh Veggies, that would balance it out quite nicely.
You could also serve these chicken pinwheels with the following:
🍜 Related Recipes
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Crack Chicken Pin Wheels
Ingredients
- 1 Chicken Breast 6 oz chicken breast Fillets
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 6 slices thick bacon cut into small pieces
- 1 Cream Cheese 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
- 1½ tablespoon ranch mix
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 tablespoon Milk
- 4 burrito tortillas 10-inch
Instructions
- Place your trivet in the instant pot and add one cup of water.
- Mix your salt and pepper. Season each side of your chicken breasts.
- Put your chicken breast on the trivet. Close the lid on the Instant Pot and close the sealing valve.
- Turn your Instant Pot to high pressure and pressure cook for eight minutes.
- Once your Instant Pot is finished coming to pressure, do a natural release.
- Remove your cooked chicken breast and shred. Set aside.
- Remove your trivet and water from your Instant Pot. Turn your Instant Pot on to sauté mode. Once hot, sauté your bacon pieces until fully cooked. Remove the cooked bacon and then set aside.
- Add to a large bowl your chicken, bacon, softened cream cheese, ranch mix, shredded cheese, and milk.
- Evenly distribute your crack chicken mixture onto four tortillas and roll them. Cut them into 1-inch sections.
- Garnish your pinwheels with a sprinkle of shredded cheese and green onions. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
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