Nashville Hot Chicken Dip
Nashville hot chicken dip puts the classic flavors of the spicy, sweet dish into a cream dip. You’ll love serving this appetizer for holiday parties, before the big game, and at picnics all year long!
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We absolutely love fried chicken in our house.
That goes times two if it’s spicy fried chicken covered in an addicting sticky sauce, which is pretty much what Nashville Hot Chicken is.
You know what else we love?
Buffalo chicken dip.
This dip takes the classic spicy fried chicken and combines it with zesty buffalo chicken dip for a dish that is roll your eyes back good.
What is Nashville Hot Chicken?
Nashville hot chicken is a regional take on fried chicken popular in Nashville, Tennessee.
It is sort of a hybrid of traditional fried chicken and Buffalo wings.
Most often, it is a portion of batter, fried chicken breast, thigh, or wing covered in a cayenne paste or sauce. You’ll normally see it served on slices of white bread with pickle chips.
This dip takes that cayenne pepper chicken and turns it into a spread you’ll love digging into.
Ingredients
To make this you’ll need:
- Cream cheese– Soften it on the counter before using it in this recipe.
- Buttermilk– Don’t substitute plain milk. You want the extra tang. For best results, use full fat, room temperature buttermilk.
- Hot sauce– Use a good quality cayenne pepper sauce like Texas Pete or Crystal’s.
- Honey– To balance the heat.
- Spices– A combination of cayenne, smoked paprika, and garlic powder.
- Chicken tenderloins– Use baked, breaded tenders cooked according to the directions on the package. You could also substitute popcorn chicken or chicken nuggets.
- Garnish– Dill pickle slices and thinly sliced green onions.
How to Make
To make this, start by putting the cream cheese and buttermilk in a microwave safe bowl.
Microwave for one minute on high heat and then stir.
Then, cook another minute and stir again before microwaving a final 30 seconds.
Next whip the mixture with a hand mixer until smooth and creamy.
Add the hot sauce and spice to the whipped buttermilk cream cheese mixture and whip again until everything is evenly incorporated.
Scoop the mixture into a serving dish, and spread it out with a spatula into a thick even layer.
Then spread the cooked, chopped crispy chicken pieces out overtop of the spiced dip.
Add the remaining hot sauce, honey, and garlic powder to a small bowl and whisk them together.
Then pour the sauce evenly out over the chicken topped dip.
Finish by topping with sliced pickles and green onions.
Serve with your choice of dipping options. Enjoy!
Dipping Options
You can dip whatever you like into this, but some of our favorites are:
- carrots and celery sticks
- cucumber slices
- tortilla chips
- pita wedges
- crackers
- pretzels
Storing Leftovers
You can store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
Reheat in the microwave prior to serving until warmed through.
Tips and Tricks
- Make sure the chicken is cooked and extra crispy before chopping and using.
- You can adjust the amount of cayenne pepper if you prefer less heat.
- For extra flavor, stir a little bit of ranch powder seasoning into the cream cheese mixture.
Other Sandwich Themed Dips You’ll Love
Nashville hot chicken dip turns the regional favorite into a creamy appetizer dip. Make it for your next party and enjoy!
Looking for other sandwich styled dips? Try these:
- Chicken Club Sandwich Dip
- Philly Cheesesteak Dip
- Italian Hoagie Dip
- Dill Pickle Wrap Dip
- Hot Ham & Swiss Dip
If you’ve tried this NASHVILLE HOT CHICKEN DIP, or any other recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers! You can also follow along with me on PINTEREST, FACEBOOK, and INSTAGRAM to see more amazing recipes and whatever else we’ve got going on!
Nashville Hot Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 3 8 oz pkgs cream cheese softened
- 3/4 cup buttermilk full fat, recommended, at room temperature
- scant 1/4 cup hot sauce recommend using a brand like Texas Peter or Crystal's
- 1 1/2 tbsp honey
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 1/4 tsp garlic powder
- 3-4 baked, breaded chicken tenderloins cooked according to package instructions & chopped into 1/2" pieces
- 2 tbsp hot sauce for sauce
- 1 1/4 tbsp honey for sauce
- pinch garlic powder for sauce
- sliced dill pickles
- green onions thinly sliced
Instructions
- Add the cream cheese & buttermilk to a microwave safe bowl. Cook for one minute on high heat. Stir.
- Cook another minute and stir again. Microwave a final 30 seconds.
- Using a hand mixer, whip the mixture until smooth & creamy.
- To the whipped cream cheese add the hot sauce, honey, cayenne pepper, & garlic powder. Whip the mixture just until everything's evenly incorporated.
- Transfer the mixture to a serving dish, and spread it out into a thick even layer.
- Spread the cooked, chopped crispy chicken pieces out overtop of the spiced dip.
- In a small mixing bowl, add the remaining sauce ingredients- hot sauce, honey, garlic powder. Whisk together to evenly combine. Slowly pour the sauce evenly out over the chicken topped dip.
- Add sliced pickles to the top, as desired, and sprinkle liberally with green onions.
- Serve with your choice of dipping options. Enjoy!
Nutrition
recipe adapted from Baking Beauty
This post may contain affiliate links. As an amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. See my full Disclosure Policy for details. As always, all opinions are my own.
