Spicy Chicken Dip is out of this world. Creamy, cheesy, spicy, and full of tender bits of chicken, this warm crack chicken dip will please kids and adults alike. It’s easy to prep and perfect for dipping.
Serve this creamy buffalo chicken-style dip with Homemade Tortilla Chips for a fun Game Day Appetizer. It’s a fantastic addition to a homemade Nacho Bar and leftovers are great to include in a Burrito Bar for a yummy cheesy filling.
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You will be shocked and amazed at how simple this appetizer is to make. My Spicy Chicken Dip recipe contains just a few ingredients: cooked and shredded chicken (great use of leftovers or a rotisserie chicken), cream cheese, cheddar cheese, hot sauce, chopped green onions, and cilantro. Mix that all up, cook in the toaster oven/big oven/air fryer/crock pot, and serve with chips and a Blue Lagoon Mocktail.
My friend Jessika and I have been known to eat a whole pan of it ourselves. The kids were a little miffed that we didn’t save them any.
Spicy Chicken Dip is your ticket to all kinds of potluck and party happiness this year, my friends!
Why Make This
It’s easy. With a handful of ingredients that you just stir together and bake, there isn’t an easier appetizer out there. It’s one of those budget-friendly appetizers everyone loves.
It’s very make-ahead. You can mix up this dip and freeze it several weeks in advance, or just prep it a few days before you want to serve it. Warm in the oven or even heat in the slow cooker for the simplest of dip recipes.
Spicy Chicken Dip is delicious. This type of buffalo dip is called “crack” because it’s so addictingly good. I like to make mine without ranch dressing so that the ingredients list is as unprocessed as possible.
It’s a good use of leftovers. Leftover chicken or even leftover turkey are great in this. Got more than one kind of cheese that needs using? Throw it in.
Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this Spicy Chicken Dip:
chicken – Shred cooked chicken so that it’s easy to combine with the other ingredients. This can be leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken, or any other style of cooked chicken, such as slow cooker chicken. If you have leftover Buffalo Chicken or my easiest Skillet Chicken Tenderloins, those would be perfect!
cream cheese – You’ll need just one brick, softened. It can be full fat or Neufchatel.
shredded cheddar cheese – I like to use sharp cheddar for optimum flavor, but any good melting cheese will work.
green onions – Chopped scallion adds a really nice layer of freshness to this spicy chicken dip.
hot sauce – Choose your favorite hot sauce for this. It might be Franks RedHot Sauce, the standard for buffalo chicken, or a taco hot sauce, like Tapatio or Cholula.
fresh cilantro – The fresh herb adds another layer of freshness to cut the richness of the cheeses.
tortilla chips for serving – Try Homemade Tortilla Chips for the ultimate experience.
Variations: There are lots of ways to jazz up your Spicy Chicken Dip. Consider stirring in any of the following: chopped pickled jalapenos, chopped bacon bits, ranch dressing or ranch seasoning mix, sour cream, or bleu cheese crumbles.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here’s how to make this Spicy Chicken Dip:
- Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch pie plate.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions, and hot pepper sauce. This goes really easy in a stand mixer.
- Spoon the chicken mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 15 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over the top before serving with chips.
- Slow Cooker: If you’d like, you can warm the dip in the slow cooker. The cheese may break down a bit after a long cooking time, so try not to keep it on the heat for more than a few hours.
- Make ahead: The dip can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to bake, up to 2 days. Freeze for longer storage.
- What to do with leftovers: Store leftover chicken dip promptly in an airtight container in the fridge. Reheat to serve with chips or pile it on nachos, pizza, or burritos.
FAQs
Buffalo Chicken Dip or Crack Chicken Dip is typically made of cooked chicken, cream cheese, Ranch dressing, shredded cheese, and hot sauce. Our version doesn’t use ranch so it’s as unprocessed as possible.
Serve this warm and spicy dip with tortilla chips, vegetables such as celery sticks or baby carrots, crackers, or sliced bread. It’s also good on pita or tortillas.
Prepared food is good, refrigerated, for up to 4 days. Freeze for longer storage, provided you have not added sour cream or ranch dressing to the mixture.
Our Favorite Buffalo Style Recipes
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Spicy Chicken Dip
Equipment
- baking dish or pie plate
Ingredients
- 2 cup chicken (cooked and shredded)
- 8 oz cream cheese softened
- 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded)
- 1 to 2 green onion chopped
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce such as Franks RedHot
- 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (chopped)
- tortilla chips for serving
Instructions
- Preheat the oven or toaster oven to 400 degrees. Grease an 8-inch baking dish or pie plate.
- In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cream cheese, cheddar cheese, green onions, and hot pepper sauce. This goes really easy in a stand mixer.2 cup chicken (cooked and shredded), 8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup cheddar cheese (shredded), 1 to 2 green onion, 2 tablespoon hot sauce
- Spoon the chicken mixture into the prepared dish and bake for 15 minutes until hot and bubbly. Sprinkle cilantro over the top before serving with chips.1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (chopped)
- The dip can be prepared in advance and stored in the fridge until ready to bake, up to 2 days.tortilla chips
Notes
Nutrition
This post was originally published on July 21, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Kelly
We used canned chicken because we wanted it for lunch and didn’t have another option and we added diced green chilies. It comes together quickly and is delicious!
Kim
I’ve swapped the hot sauce for bbq sauce…delish!
Sandi
I’ve always made this with Frank’s hot sauce. I usually add either blue cheese or ranch dressing to it so it is more like a buffalo chicken. Never tried it with cilantro, though.
Jessica Fisher
I imagine it would be really good with the blue cheese, but I don’t think my people would go for it. Great idea!
Jennifer
This looks delicious! Would the green Tabasco be considered a “hot jalapeño pepper sauce”? Or do you use something else? Just trying to get an idea of the spice level. Cream cheese soaks up a lot of heat.
Jessica Fisher
Trader Joe’s is red, similar to Tapatio or Chalula. It’s fairly spicy. I tried to find a green one, but the jalapeño tomatillo I bought (Kroger) was sweet. No bueno. I think what you have would work.