Before the Coronavirus lockdown hit, we were planning on a St. Patrick’s Day pot luck luncheon at work. I planned on bringing a cheesy rueben dip, and therefore had some cream cheese in the fridge. Since I would have been the only person in the house eating the dip (and I definitely did not need to binge on that much cheesy goodness!), I decided to find something else to make with the cream cheese. It seems like “crack chicken” recipes are popping up everywhere, so I decided to experiment and come up with my own variation – Indian Crack Chicken!
Inspiration Strikes
I love Indian food. The spices are heavenly and I don’t think I could ever eat too much naan bread. It’s a good thing that my family does not like Indian food, otherwise I would probably be the size of my house! This seemed like the perfect opportunity to do some experimenting with my favorite spices and see what happens. I gathered up my Garam Masala, curry powder, cumin and cayenne as well as some chicken thighs and the block of cream cheese that started this whole thing off and went to work.
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To make this yourself, you will need:
- Your trusty crock pot
- 20 ounce package chicken thighs
- 1 small onion
- 8 ounce package cream cheese
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Garam Masala
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne, optional depending on desired hotness
- 1/8 tsp turmeric
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions for Indian Crack Chicken
To start off, chop the onion, leaving the chunks large enough to hold up the chicken.
Place the pieces in the bottom of the crock pot. Cover the onions with a layer of chicken. Repeat with another layer of onion and top off with the rest of the chicken. I used chicken thighs for this recipe, but I would imagine that chicken breasts would work well too.
Place the cream cheese on top of the chicken.
Add your spices, sprinkling evenly over the top of the chicken and cream cheese. The turmeric is more for coloring than to really add flavor, so you could omit it if you don’t have any on hand. Also, the cayenne pepper adds the extra heat to the dish. If you do not like your food spice, you can omit the cayenne, or add a lot more if you like a big spicy kick. I use a pre-mixed Garam Masala (https://www.spiceislands.com/product/garam-masala), but there are several recipes out there to mix up your own if you don’t have any on hand.
Add 1/4 cup of water, pouring it down the sides so you don’t wash the spices away.
Cover the pot and cook on low for 6-8 hours. I usually let it cook overnight to allow plenty of time. Beware – your house will smell amazing as this cooks!
When finished, remove the cover and allow it to cool a little. The cream cheese will not melt into the chicken. It may break apart some and look slightly curdled or keep its shape on top of the chicken. Don’t worry – this is fine! You can see the spices get nice and brown (almost burn looking) on top of the chicken. This is also fine – everything blends together beautifully once you shred the chicken.
Once it has cooled slightly, take a knife and fork (or two forks) and shred the chicken. Mix everything together and leave to cool some more in the pot. It really is best to let it sit and set up a little before serving, which is why I prefer to let it cook overnight and then it can sit all day and develop the flavors even more before serving for dinner.
Serve warm over basmati rice or quinoa. I like to make quinoa using chicken broth and add in some fresh mint from the garden. Delicious!
Store the leftovers in the refrigerator for up to a week (honestly, mine didn’t last that long!). Or, portion it up in individual servings and freeze for future meals. I hope you enjoy Indian Crack Chicken as much as I do!
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