Buffalo Chicken Cheese Balls
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Buffalo chicken cheese balls with cream cheese, shredded chicken, shredded cheddar, buffalo sauce, ranch seasoning, and rolled in bacon make a tasty mini party appetizer.
If you’re a fan of buffalo chicken dip, you’re going to love these zesty buffalo chicken balls with cream cheese. That’s because they are made with similar ingredients!
When it comes to finding delicious appetizer recipes, the classic flavor of buffalo chicken wings is always a popular choice.
But who wants to snack on messy wings at a party?
With this simple recipe for buffalo chicken cheese balls, you can make a delicious no-bake snack for your next party featuring all the flavor of delicious chicken wings without all the mess.
All these easy mini buffalo chicken balls need is a few minutes of prep work and a short chill, making them a perfect party finger food for entertaining.
For more buffalo chicken recipes try my buffalo chicken mac and cheese and buffalo chicken jalapeno poppers.
Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball Ingredients
This section includes ingredient notes and substitution options. Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
To prepare your buffalo cheese balls, you’ll need:
- Cream cheese— Softened to room temperature so that it is easy to blend with the chicken and other ingredients.
- Shredded chicken— Cooked chicken shredded or chopped into small pieces. I often make shredded chicken in the crockpot but you can use rotisserie chicken as well.
- Shredded cheddar cheese— Cheddar jack would work great here as well.
- Buffalo sauce— I used Frank’s RedHot Buffalo Wings Hot Sauce.
- Ranch seasoning mix—I used a 1-ounce envelope of Hidden Valley Original Ranch Seasoning Mix but sometimes I use homemade dry ranch seasoning mix instead.
- Bacon bits— You can use homemade crumbled bacon or real bacon bits. Not a fan of bacon? Try rolling your mini cheese balls in crushed almonds or crushed ritz crackers instead.
How to Make Buffalo Chicken Cheese Balls
This section shows you how to make the recipe with step-by-step photos and instructions. For the full printable recipe, see the recipe card below.
To make these buffalo cheese balls, start by combining the cream cheese, cooked chicken, buffalo sauce, and ranch seasoning together in a medium bowl. Stir until all the ingredients are well blended and the mixture is smooth.
After that, cover the bowl and place the mixture in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour. The longer you let your cheeseball mixture chill, the more the flavors will meld. You can store the mixture in the fridge up to overnight.
When you’re ready to make your spicy chicken cheese balls, place the bacon bits or cooked bacon in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse the bacon a few times to chop it into fine crumbs, then transfer it to a small bowl.
After that, remove the bowl and use a cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop out the cream cheese mixture.
Lightly roll the ball between your hands to smooth it out, then roll the cheese ball in the bacon. Place the coated cheese balls on a plate until all the balls have been rolled in bacon. Then, return the cheese balls to the fridge again for around 30 minutes before serving.
What to Serve with Buffalo Cheese Balls?
There are so many different ways you can serve your cheese balls after they’re finished chilling! If you’re looking for a low-carb appetizer option, simply stick a toothpick in the top of the cheese balls and serve them as-is.
You can also serve your buffalo chicken cheese balls with snacks for dipping. The cheese balls are delicious with crackers, corn chips, or tortilla chips. Or you can serve them with healthier options, like baby carrots, celery stalks, or sliced bell peppers.
Storage
Wrap tightly in plastic wrap or place in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 2 days.
I do not recommend freezing these mini cheese balls.
How Do I Make a Buffalo Chicken Cheese Ball?
These mini cheese balls make the perfect bite-sized appetizers for entertaining and cocktail parties. But if you prefer to make a full-sized cheese ball instead of bite-sized snacks, it’s easy to adjust the recipe.
After mixing the cheese ball ingredients together, transfer the mixture to a piece of plastic wrap. Form the mixture into a ball shape, then tightly wrap the plastic wrap around it. Place the ball in the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour or up to overnight.
When you’re ready to serve the cheese ball, remove the plastic wrap and coat the cheese with chopped bacon pieces.
More Easy Finger Food Ideas for Parties
- Slow Cooker little smokies
- Spinach dip bites
- Crockpot grape jelly meatballs
- Hot Italian sliders recipe
- Cuban sandwich sliders
- Loaded cheeseburger muffins
Buffalo Chicken Mini Cheese Balls
Ingredients
- 1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
- 1 cup finely chopped cooked chicken
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- ⅓ cup buffalo sauce
- 2 Tablespoons ranch seasoning mix
- 1 cup real bacon bits or 6 strips cooked bacon, crumbled
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix well to combine the cream cheese, chicken, cheddar cheese, buffalo sauce, and ranch seasoning.
- Cover and chill in the refrigerator for one hour.
- Add the bacon bits to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the bacon is finely chopped.
- Use a 1-Tablespoon-sized cookie scoop or Tablespoon to scoop out balls of the cheese mixture.
- Use your clean hands to roll them into a ball, then roll the ball in the chopped bacon until coated.
- Return the finished cheese balls to the refrigerator to chill for 30 additional minutes before serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Did You Make This Recipe?
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amazing!Instead of toothpicks….use stick pretzels!