Tired of the same old appetizers? Our easy Nashville chicken dip is your delicious solution combining tender chicken with a kick of hot sauce and a touch of sweetness. This easy recipe comes together quickly with minimal fuss. You are in for a versatile dish that you can customize to your preferred spice level, making it ideal for any family meal or party. The chicken, tangy hot sauce, sweet honey, and dill pickles all make a great combination! Not to mention it is a quick and easy appetizer recipe!
What You Will Need:
- 2-8oz packages of room temperature cream cheese
- 1/2 cup of room temperature buttermilk
- 4 tablespoons of hot sauce such as Frank’s hot sauce
- 3 tablespoons of honey
- 1/2 teaspoon of chipotle chili powder or cayenne powder
- 1/2 teaspoon of smoked paprika
- 4 pre-baked and diced chicken tenders
- 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder
- Enough halved pickles to cover the top of the dip
The chicken in the Nashville hot chicken dip
I used frozen breaded chicken from the grocery store for the hot chicken dip. You can use any type of breaded or unbreaded chicken pieces for this recipe. Bake the chicken according to manufacturer’s instructions I am going to try a plant based chicken in the future to see what it is like. The amount of chicken can be adjusted also. I just suggest dicing the chicken into small pieces so it will fit on a piece of baguette or a cracker that would be used for dipping.
Combining the cream cheese and buttermilk
I warmed the cream cheese and buttermilk for about 45 seconds in the microwave before combining. The cream cheese can look a bit clumpy if they are not warmed before combining until smooth. This is not vital for the recipe to come together but it makes it look nicer.
Layering the hot chicken dip
Once the buttermilk and the cream cheese are well combined and smooth, mix in the honey and the hot sauce. I used Frank’s hot sauce. You can use whatever hot sauce does it for you. Once the cream cheese mixture is ready with the hot sauce and honey, spread it on the bottom of the dish you are going to be using for serving. The next layer is the diced chicken. I pressed the chicken into the cream cheese mixture a touch so the chicken pieces stay put. I suggest making a solid layer of the diced chicken.
Next, mix together the ingredients for the sauce for the topping. At this point you can adjust the honey or the hot sauce to suit your taste. Once combined pour it over the top of the chicken as evenly as possible. Lastly, layer the pickles. If your guests do not like pickles, it is not a game changer for the dip. Just don’t put them on. Slice the dill pickle slices in half and then apply the layer.
Try some of my other appetizers such as the reuben ravioli, or smoked salmon baguette, or my street corn dip!
FAQ’s:
This recipe is incredibly quick! With about 30 minutes of active prep time and 25 minutes for chicken cooking (if applicable), the dip comes together in approximately 55 minutes total, making it a perfect quick appetizer.
You can use any type of pre-cooked chicken pieces, whether frozen breaded chicken tenders from the grocery store, baked unbreaded chicken, or even rotisserie chicken. The key is to dice it into small pieces.
Yes, absolutely! The recipe uses hot sauce and chipotle/cayenne powder, but you can easily adjust the amount of hot sauce and honey in the topping mixture to suit your personal taste and desired spice level.
Dill pickles add a crucial tangy contrast to the rich, sweet, and spicy flavors of the dip. While they complete the “Nashville Hot Chicken” experience, the dip will still be delicious if you omit them for guests who don’t like pickles.
It’s recommended to warm the cream cheese and buttermilk in the microwave for about 45 seconds before combining them. This helps prevent the cream cheese from clumping, resulting in a smoother base for the dip.
While the recipe comes together quickly, you can likely prepare the base mixture and store it separately from the cooked chicken and topping components in the refrigerator. Assemble just before serving for the best texture and freshness.
Nashville Hot Chicken Dip
Ingredients
Base
- 2 – 8 ounce packages of room temperature cream cheese
- ½ cup of room temperature buttermilk
- 2 tablespoons of hot sauce
- 1 tablespoons of honey
- ½ teaspoon of chipotle chili powder or cayenne powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
Topping
- 4 baked diced breaded chicken tenders/large pieces
- 2 tablespoons of hot sauce
- 2 tablespoons of honey
- ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder
- Sliced dill pickles halved. Enough to cover the top of the dip when served
Instructions
For the base
- Combine the cream cheese and the buttermilk. Mix until very well combined.
- Add Hot sauce, honey, chipotle chili powder, and smoked paprika.
- Place into the bottom of an appropriately sized serving dish or bowl
For the topping
- Mix the hot sauce, honey, and garlic powder and set aside.
- Add chicken to the top of the base. The chicken should cover the top of the base.
- Pour hot sauce mixture over chicken.
- Add pickles to the top of the dip.
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