Buffalo Chicken Cheeseball

My friend Megan is a big fan of my cheeseballs and she’s made the recipes a couple times when she’s entertained family and friends. Because I know how much she enjoyed them, I wanted to introduce her to another cheeseball that’s got the flavor of buffalo chicken wings. Why buffalo chicken? It’s one appetizer I can never turn down and figured my guests would like all the flavor of buffalo chicken wings without the mess.

Cheeseballs are great appetizers without having to do much work. You can make them in advance (which is great so that the flavors can meld) and they’re much more affordable homemade than buying them prepared. When I make cheeseballs, I just combine various ingredients and bind them with cream cheese. For my Buffalo Chicken Cheeseball, I put together all the flavors reminiscent of buffalo chicken wings – chicken, blue cheese, cheddar cheese, ranch dressing and hot sauce. Add the cream cheese to bind it all together, form the whole thing in a ball and coat with more cheddar cheese. Voila! You’ve got a flavorful appetizer which may come in handy for those upcoming football games!

1 cup cooked chicken breast or thighs, chopped
2 scallions, thinly sliced – green part only
1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup bottled ranch dressing
1 brick (8oz) cream cheese (low fat version works well too)
4-6 dashes of hot sauce (or to taste)

1 cup shredded cheddar cheese for coating

Combine all the ingredients in a bowl. Form into a ball and roll in the shredded cheddar cheese to coat. Wrap in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1-2 hours before serving. Serve with crackers, carrot sticks, and/or celery sticks.