Chicken Cheese Ball is a fantastic and flavorful appetizer that is perfectly paired with buttery crackers. The Ranch Dressing Mix adds tons of flavor to this Chicken Cheese Ball recipe. You can customize the flavor by using fiesta ranch, spicy ranch, buttermilk ranch or any of the other ranch flavor mixes.
Table of contents
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Key to Success #1 – Let the Cream Cheese Soften
This Chicken Cheese Ball is so rich and flavorful!
It starts off with a base of canned chicken and cream cheese then you can start to layer on the flavors.
The key to combining the chicken and cream cheese is to let the cream cheese soften first.
If you have time, let the cream cheese sit out on the counter for at least an hour.
If you’re in a rush, you can certainly pop the unwrapped cream cheese into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave on high power for about 30 seconds. This will let your cream cheese soften without melting.
After your cream cheese is softened, you can use a wooden spoon to combine the cream cheese, chicken, and ranch dressing mix.
Make sure that your canned chicken has been drained very well!
Key to Success #2 – Choose Your Favorite Ranch Flavor
This recipe calls for Fiesta Ranch Dip Mix. I use the Hidden Valley Ranch Fiesta Ranch Dip mix.
It has a blend of tomatoes, red bell peppers, and onions and it’s a fantastic choice for this chicken cheese ball.
I have also used the Hidden Valley Ranch Spicy Ranch Dip mix and it’s also a crowd favorite for those who like things a little spicier.
I’m a big fan of this variety and will use this if I think the guests will like the spiciness.
Those two are my favorites but you can use any ranch dressing mixes that you enjoy. You really can’t go wrong with this easy recipe.
Key to Success #3 – Roll the Cheese Ball in Chopped Pecans
The pecans on top of the Chicken Cheese Ball add a nice crunch and texture to the cheese ball. I like to go with a medium chop on the pecans, not too fine.
It’s not too hard or complicated to get the pecans on the cheese ball.
Start by spreading out the pecans on a sheet of waxed paper. Then form the ingredients into a ball with your hands.
TIP! To keep your hands clean, wrap the ingredients in a piece of plastic wrap then form it into a ball.
Once your ingredients are in a ball, you can roll them in the pecans on the waxed paper.
Just keep shaking the loose pecans back into the center of the waxed paper and rolling the ball around until all the pecans are attached.
Be sure to wrap your chicken cheese ball in a piece of plastic wrap and refrigerate it until you’re ready to serve it.
You can also spoon the chicken and cheese mixture into a serving dish and press the pecans into the top.
We use a really cute green Christmas Tree dish that we’ve had for years when we serve this at Christmastime.
I saw a white one at Target this season that looked similar.
(And how cute are these?!)
Save this Ranch Chicken Cheese Ball recipe to your favorite Appetizers board or your Party Snacks board.
Ranch Chicken Cheese Ball
Ingredients
- 2 pkgs 8 oz each cream cheese, softened
- 2 cans 12.5 oz Tyson Premium Chunk White Chicken Breast, drained
- 1 pkg 1 oz fiesta ranch dressing mix
- 1/2 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- In medium bowl, combine cream cheese, chicken, and ranch dressing mix. Form the mixture into a ball or spoon into a small serving dish.
- If forming into a ball, spread the chopped pecans on a sheet of waxed paper. Roll the ball in the pecans until it is fully coated. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
Notes
Nutrition
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