Chicken Cheese Ball Recipe (2024)

Chicken Cheese Ball always made an appearance around my house growing up. Especially around the holidays, whenever Mama hosted a shower, or for other special occasions, her chicken cheese ball was sure to requested.

Chicken Cheese Ball Recipe (1)

It is definitely one of the easiest recipes to toss together when entertaining, which probably explains why she has always loved to make it through the years.

I just remember being excited when it was finally time to serve her chicken cheese ball at whatever event she was hosting so that I could have a bite. She’d usually prepare it the evening before, or even earlier, and there it would be, taunting me in the refrigerator until time for her party. Talk about tempting!

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Now that I’m older, I’m the one keeping the cheese ball covered in the refrigerator and begging my family not to dive into it too early. I probably should learn to just make two of them, one for entertaining and one for my family to enjoy.

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Mama’s chicken cheese ball recipes are legendary in our family. The one I’m sharing today is her classic version that we all loved. I’ll have to share some of her other chicken cheese ball recipes soon so that you can give them a try, too. They are out of this world.

Here are a few tips for making her chicken cheese ball ahead of time.

Have all of the ingredients at room temperature before you begin mixing them. Then, you can easily stir all of the ingredients together with a wooden spoon or spatula.

Have a large piece of plastic wrap ready for wrapping the chicken cheese ball for chilling as you begin mixing your ingredients together. Then, just pour your cheese ball mixture onto the center of the wrap and form it into a ball.

Press the chopped pecans onto the cheese ball before it is refrigerated as they will adhere better to the outside of the chicken cheese ball once it is chilled.

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So, be sure to pick up the ingredients for this recipe if you don’t already have them in your pantry so that you can make this over the holidays. It’s perfect to pull out of the refrigerator to snack on anytime of the day.

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Here’s Mama’s Chicken Cheese Ball recipe. I can’t wait to hear how you love it.

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Chicken Cheese Ball Recipe

Robyn Stone

5 from 12 votes

Chicken Cheese Ball makes an easy, elegant dish when entertaining. This family favorite chicken cheese ball recipe can be made up to three days ahead.

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-ounce) can chicken, white meat only preferred
  • 2 (8-ounce packages) cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion, or 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
  • 2 cups chopped pecans
  • crackers and fruit, for serving

Instructions

  • Mix together chicken, cream cheese, onion or onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and 1/2 cup of chopped pecans in a medium mixing bowl.

  • Pour chicken cheese ball mixture into the center of a large piece of plastic wrap. Using plastic wrap, press chicken cheese ball mixture to form a ball.

  • Press remaining chopped pecans onto top and sides of chicken cheese ball.

  • Wrap with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator for 1 hour up to 3 days before serving.

  • Serve with crackers and fruit.

Nutrition

Calories: 269kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 45mg | Sodium: 256mg | Potassium: 86mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 13IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 15mg | Iron: 1mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Enjoy!
Robyn xo

Chicken Cheese Ball Recipe (7)

Categorized as:30 Minutes or Less Recipes, All Recipes, Appetizers, By Cooking Style, By Special Diets, Christmas Recipes, Cooking, Egg-Free Recipes, Game Day Recipes, Gluten-Free Recipes, Grain-Free Recipes, Holiday and Occasion Recipes, No Cook Recipes, Recipes, Shower Recipes, Simple Recipes, Southern Favorites, Sugar-Free Recipes

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About Robyn

Robyn Stone is a cookbook author, wife, mom, and passionate home cook. Her tested and trusted recipes give readers the confidence to cook recipes the whole family will love. Robyn has been featured on Food Network, People, Southern Living, and more.

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Chicken Cheese Ball Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you firm up a cheese ball? ›

Cover the cheeseball in cling wrap and refrigerate for about 1 hour to allow it to firm up. Take it out of the refrigerator about 20 minutes before serving to allow it to soften just slightly.

How to thicken a cheese ball? ›

Your cheese ball is too runny: Once you have added all the extras, and it's all mixed in well, if the texture is more salad dressing-like than something you might spread on a bagel, you can tighten it up easily by adding unsalted butter, one tablespoon at a time, mixing before you add more.

What are cheese balls made of? ›

Cheese balls are traditionally made with two kinds of cheese – cream cheese (or another soft cheese like quark cheese, mascarpone or ricotta) and a grated semi-soft or semi-firm cheese like cheddar, colby cheese, monterey jack cheese, or muenster.

Can you freeze a chicken cheese ball? ›

Yes! Cheese balls freeze quite well. Again, it's best to wrap the cheese ball in one layer of plastic wrap, then one layer of aluminum foil. Freeze for up to four weeks.

Why is my cheese ball so hard? ›

Why is my cheese ball so hard? You want your cheese ball to be firm enough to hold its shape, but soft enough to allow for easy spreading. To achieve this consistency, the key is making sure your cream cheese is softened before preparing.

How do you make cheese taste stronger? ›

Other common additions to help offset the lack of flavour in poorly-aged cheeses are:
  1. Salt. Remember, salt is essentially a flavour enhancer and will bring out the natural taste of any other ingredient.
  2. Mustard. ...
  3. Ground cayenne or red pepper.
Oct 25, 2010

What does adding cornstarch to cheese do? ›

For a cheese dip or sauce, the addition of cornstarch serves a similar function: Starch molecules absorb water and expand, not only thickening the liquid phase of the sauce, but also physically preventing the proteins from binding into long, tangled strands and the fats from separating out and pooling.

How do you keep cheese from getting watery? ›

Our top recommendation is cheese paper. Cheese paper is the waxy paper your cheese often comes in when you get it from your local cheesemonger. Coated in both wax and a porous layer of plastic on the inside, cheese paper allows your cheese to breathe without being totally exposed and losing its precious moisture.

Can you melt mozzarella into a sauce? ›

it's very simple – a flavoursome tomato sauce with lots garlic, basil and a hint of chilli into which a handful of mozzarella cubes are added just before serving. the cheese slowly melts into the sauce and before you know it you're twirling mozzarella strands round your fork as well as linguine.

How long is a homemade cheese ball good for? ›

The cheese ball will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. If you are going to keep it in the fridge for that long, I would wait to add the pecans until ready to serve so they don't get soggy.

Can cheese balls go bad? ›

Because of the bacteria found in a soft cheese you can keep a cheese ball in the fridge for up to two weeks.

Can chicken balls be reheated? ›

The best way to reheat our Traditional Chicken Balls is. by air frying them at home! This way it stays juicy on. the inside and crispy on the outside!

How do you keep cheese balls fresh? ›

Wrapping and storing a cheese ball in the fridge will help hold its shape, prevent it from crumbling, and keep the cheese from drying out. Furthermore, wrapping the cheese ball in aluminum foil will provide additional support and stop the cheese from absorbing odors from other foods in the fridge.

Can you freeze a cheese ball with sour cream in it? ›

The answer is yes, you can. Freezing a cheeseball works great. Thanks to the cream cheese, classic cheeseballs keep a good texture through freezing and thawing. Any dried herbs and spices are fine.

What makes cheese harden? ›

The longer a cheese is aged, the more of its moisture is lost, and the more rigid the proteins become—they resist breaking apart and becoming fluid.

How do you thicken cheese spread? ›

For a cheese dip or sauce, the addition of cornstarch serves a similar function: Starch molecules absorb water and expand, not only thickening the liquid phase of the sauce, but also physically preventing the proteins from binding into long, tangled strands and the fats from separating out and pooling.

How do you fix lumpy cheese? ›

There's a way to save gritty cheese sauces, and you likely already have it in your fridge: lemon juice. A squirt of lemon comes to the rescue of ruined sauces in a pinch. All you have to do is cool the broken sauce, add a tablespoon of lemon juice (or white wine, if you don't mind the flavor), and whisk vigorously.

What solidifies cheese? ›

Coagulation. Coagulation is the process of transforming the liquid into a semisolid. When making cheese, an enzyme called rennet is added either as a liquid or paste to further encourage the milk to solidify.

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