BBQ Chicken Dip

BBQ Chicken Dip is a creamy, zippy, decadent appetizer recipe that can be made in the slow cooker, on the stovetop, or in the oven!

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For more tasty gameday grub, you might enjoy Pimento Cheese & Bacon Mini Cheese Ball Bites, Bacon Cheeseburger Monkey Bread, or S'mores Dip!

Y'all know I can't go too many weeks during football season without creating a new dip or appetizer or tailgating treat for you, so here's my latest concoction: BBQ Chicken Dip!

But this isn't just any ol' BBQ Chicken Dip, my friends. This one is based on my BBQ Chicken Tortilla Pinwheels...which are based on the famous flavor combo of California Pizza Kitchen's BBQ Chicken Pizza...which then inspired my BBQ Chicken Soup.

Because all good things start with pizza and end with soup, am I right?!

Ingredients

But lest I confuse anyone, there's no pizza here today.

Rather, this is a cheesy, creamy, indulgent dip loaded with plenty o' good stuff:

• Chicken. I used rotisserie chicken for this recipe...about half of a small chicken yielded 2 cups. Feel free to use any leftover cooked chopped chicken you have on hand.
• Bacon.
• Barbecue sauce. Use your preferred barbecue sauce to make this dip sweet, savory, smoky, or spicy. I prefer a barbecue sauce that's on the sweeter side to mimic the flavors of traditional BBQ chicken pizza. You can also increase the amount of barbecue sauce stirred into the dip, if you wish.
• Cream cheese.
• Mozzarella. But feel free to switch up the cheese, if you like. Provolone, cheddar, pepper jack, Mexican blend...each one will lend a different twang to the dip.
• Red onions. Those of us who abhor onions should feel free to omit them altogether from this recipe. And if we nevertheless feel compelled to sprinkle chopped red onions on top for colorful food styling/photography purposes, we should not get annoyed when we then have to pick off every last tiny piece.
• Fresh cilantro. Again, leave it out if you don't like it. Or add more if you love it!

It's yummy, it's addictive, and it's a perfect party dip for tortilla chips!

Or, if you're feeling virtuous, you can always opt for raw veggies to balance out those slightly more decadent dip ingredients. 😉

And as an added bonus, this recipe is versatile!

You can choose to make your BBQ Chicken Dip in one of three ways.

The ingredients are the same but the steps differ just a bit.

Bottom line? It's an easy dip to throw together regardless of your chosen cooking method.

3 Different Cooking Methods

I based the proportions for this recipe off of a Chicken Enchilada Dip that I've been making (and my family has been enjoying) for-evah. (Incidentally, that dip also went on to inspire a Beef Enchilada Dip, but I digress...)

In the process of testing this recipe, I concluded that there are three options for making this dip:

1. Bake it in the oven.
2. If you'd like to keep your dip warm while serving, make it in a slow cooker.
3. And finally, what works in a crock pot typically works in a pot on the stove!

Which Way is Best?

So what's my favorite version of this recipe? Well, it really just depends upon the occasion and who's going to be enjoying it.

• If I was making this dip for a sports- or movie-watching party at home and we were all going to be eating around the coffee table, I'd probably bake it...so that we could stick it in the middle of everyone and dip straight out of the dish.
• If I was making this dip for a big party with an all-out buffet -- or taking it to a party or tailgating event -- I'd probably make it in a slow cooker that could be easily transported and then plugged back in for serving.
• And if I was making it for a casual get-together or family gathering with folks congregating in the kitchen, I'd consider making it on the stove and leaving it in its pot on the burner to stay warm.

Any way you slice it -- er, cook it -- BBQ Chicken Dip is rich and decadent, full of bold flavor and oozing with cheesy goodness. It went over swimmingly with our crew...and I hope it's a hit with yours, too!

Helpful Tips, Tricks, & Equipment

• The slow cooker pictured here is a 3-Quart Round Crock Pot. It's the perfect size for a dip like this.
• As with any slow cooker recipe, you need to know YOUR slow cooker and adjust the cooking time and temperature accordingly. If your slow cooker runs hot, the ingredients are going to melt more quickly, potentially burn around the edges, and require more frequent stirring. An older model, cooler-running slow cooker is going to take longer to heat the ingredients through.
• For faster melting, you may choose to heat the ingredients together in a pot on the stove and then transfer the melted/combined dip to a slow cooker to stay warm while serving.
• Save back a little bit of barbecue sauce, bacon, cilantro, and red onion for garnishing the top of the dip before serving.

More Football-Friendly Dips

• The BEST Corn Dip
• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip
• Creamy Jalapeño Dip {Chuy's Copycat Recipe}

BBQ Chicken Dip ~ for Slow Cooker, Stovetop, or Oven!

BBQ Chicken Dip is a creamy, zippy, decadent appetizer recipe that can be made in the slow cooker, on the stovetop, or in the oven!

By Samantha Skaggs

Course: Appetizer

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 40 minutes minutes

Servings: 10 servings

Calories: 333kcal

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces (1 ½ packages) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 cups cooked chopped chicken
• 8 ounces bacon, cooked until crispy, drained, and chopped
• 1 ½ cups shredded mozzarella cheese, DIVIDED
• ½ cup barbecue sauce
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• ¼ cup finely diced red onion, optional
• 1 teaspoon garlic salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

For Serving:

• Tortilla chips
• Extra barbecue sauce, bacon, onion, and/or cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

SLOW COOKER INSTRUCTIONS:

• In a small (3-quart) slow cooker, combine the cream cheese, chicken, bacon, 1 cup shredded cheese, barbecue sauce, cilantro, onion (if using), garlic salt, and pepper. Cover and cook on LOW for 1 ½ to 2 hours until the ingredients are warmed through. Stir well to combine, covering and cooking for a bit longer if necessary. Sprinkle the top of the dip with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese, cover, and cook for a few more minutes until melted. Reduce heat to WARM, drizzle with barbecue sauce, sprinkle with optional garnishes, and serve with tortilla chips.

STOVETOP INSTRUCTIONS:

• In a large pot set over medium heat, combine the cream cheese, chicken, bacon, 1 cup shredded cheese, barbecue sauce, cilantro, onion (if using), garlic salt, and pepper. Stir occasionally until melted and well-combined. Reduce heat to low. Sprinkle the top of the dip with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese, cover, and cook for a few more minutes until melted. Drizzle with barbecue sauce, sprinkle with optional garnishes, and serve with tortilla chips.

OVEN INSTRUCTIONS:

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• In a large bowl, use an electric mixer to beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in the chicken, bacon, 1 cup shredded cheese, barbecue sauce, cilantro, onion (if using), garlic salt, and pepper. Beat until well blended. Spread into a shallow baking dish or large (10-inch) glass/ceramic pie plate. Sprinkle the top of the dip with the remaining ½ cup shredded cheese.
• Bake for 30 minutes or until lightly browned and bubbly. Check after 20 minutes and, if top is browning too quickly, cover with foil for the last 10 minutes of baking time.
• Drizzle with barbecue sauce, sprinkle with optional garnishes, and serve with tortilla chips.

Equipment Needed

• 3-quart Slow Cooker

Nutrition

Calories: 333kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 17g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 12g | Cholesterol: 89mg | Sodium: 765mg | Potassium: 219mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 670IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 128mg | Iron: 0.7mg

Made this recipe? I'd love to see on IG!Mention @FiveHeartHome or tag #FiveHeartHome!

Sa