Football Chicken Cheese Ball is a perfect Game Day Snack. It's easy to make and delicious, but everyone will think you are magically talented in the kitchen. Full of ranch flavor and covered in pecans.
Yield: 12 SERVINGS
Prep Time: 20 MINUTES
Total Time: 20 MINUTES
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) ranch dressing mix
- 1 cup chopped pecans
- 2 squares white cheese
INSTRUCTIONS
- In a medium bowl, combine cream cheese, chicken, and ranch dressing mix.
- Place cheese ball mixture onto a sheet of waxed paper and cover loosely with plastic wrap. Use your hands and the plastic wrap to form the mixture into an oblong football shape.
- Spread the chopped pecans onto a clean sheet of waxed paper. Roll the ball in the pecans until it is fully coated. Be sure to maintain the football shape.
- Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
- Unwrap the football cheese ball and place it on a serving platter.
- Use a sharp knife to cut four strips of the cheese about 1/2-inch wide each. Place two strips end to end and lay over each end of the cheeseball to look like the stripes on a football.
- Cut one long strip of cheese about 1/4-inch wide. Cut four strips of cheese 1/4-inch wide by 1 1/2-inches long. Lay the small strips down the middle of the cheeseball to look like the laces on a football.
NOTES
- Can substitute a mozzarella stick for the cheese slices
- Serve with buttery crackers, Ritz, Townhouse Crackers, Chicken in a Biscuit crackers, or pretzel sticks.
Nutrition Information: YIELD: 12 SERVING SIZE: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: CALORIES: 237 TOTAL FAT: 19g SATURATED FAT: 8g UNSATURATED FAT: 0g CHOLESTEROL: 60mg SODIUM: 479mg CARBOHYDRATES: 4g FIBER: 1gSUGAR: 1g PROTEIN: 12g
Football Chicken Cheese Ball is a delicious chicken cheese ball that is shaped like a football. Impress your friends with this festive football-themed snack at your Game Day or Super Bowl party.
Chicken Cheese Ball is a favorite snack
KEY TO SUCCESS #1 – LET THE CREAM CHEESE SOFTEN
This Chicken Cheese Ball is not only cute but it’s also delicious.
It starts off with a base of canned chicken and cream cheese then you can begin to layer on the flavors.
The key to combining the chicken and cream cheese is to let the cream cheese soften before you start mixing.
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 RANCH FLAVOR
This recipe calls for a packet of Ranch dressing mix. I use the classic Hidden Valley Ranch Ranch Dressing mix.
You can find these packets in the salad dressing aisle of your local supermarket.
They are usually up on the top shelf at my store but sometimes on the bottom.
If you like spicier snacks, I highly recommend the Hidden Valley Ranch Spicy Ranch Dip mix in this chicken cheese ball.
I’m a big fan of this variety and will use this if I think the guests will like the spiciness.
There is also a Fiesta Ranch Dip mix that is slightly less spicy but majorly flavorful.
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 – MAKE IT A GAME DAY SNACK FAVORITE
Now that we’ve nailed the recipe, we’re going to take it to the next level by forming it into a football.
With the amount of cream cheese and chicken that we’re using, the cheese ball will be just a bit smaller than a standard-sized football when we are done.
THE FOOTBALL SHAPE
Place the cream cheese mixture onto a sheet of waxed paper.
Lightly cover the cheese ball with plastic wrap to keep your hands clean.
Use your hands and the plastic wrap to shape the cheese ball mixture into an oblong football shape.
Be sure to curve or tuck the sides of the football under like a real football would be.
THE FOOTBALL TEXTURE
We’re adding texture to our Football Cheese Ball by rolling it in chopped pecans.
Finely chop the pecans and spread them out onto a clean sheet of waxed paper.
Next, start rolling the cheese ball into the pecans.
Press the cheese ball firmly into the pecans to make sure they stick.
Ensure that you are maintaining the oblong football shape while you are adding the pecans.
As you keep adding pecans, the cheese ball will get less sticky and easier to handle.
Keep going until you have used up all the chopped pecans.
THE FINISHING FOOTBALL TOUCHES
We’re adding the stripes and the laces on the football using some white cheese slices.
I used White American Cheese Slices, but you can use any type of white cheese slices or white string cheese.
Cheese slices are preferred over blocks of cheese because the cheese slices are more flexible.
Use a sharp knife to slice a 1/2-inch wide piece of cheese.
You will need four of these – two for the stripe on each end of the football.
Lay two cheese strips end to end across the football for each stripe.
Use the photo below as a guide.
Cut smaller strips for the laces on the football.
Use one long, thin strip under the laces then shorter strips for the actual laces.
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