Our mini Savory Chicken Cheese Balls are a great appetizer, snack, and perfect for game day. Enjoy them as is or spread ’em on crackers or toasted slices of warm bread.
Savory Mini Chicken Cheese Balls
We’re snackers, and we need to have things we can munch on throughout the day. We’re also big cheese fans. I created a snack recipe that is both easy to make on short notice and cheesy. I’m using ground chicken and chopped leftover rotisserie chicken to add flavor to this mini cheese balls recipe.
More Cheese Balls recipes to try:
Easy Cheese Ball Recipe With Peppermint & White Chocolate
What You Need To Make Our Savory Chicken Cheese Balls:
Ground Chicken. I used ground chicken in this easy recipe, and it turned out great. Just brown the ground chicken and season with a bit of sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to your taste. I also love using leftover rotisserie chicken for this recipe because it is a great way to use up leftovers.
Seasonings. To add lots of savory flavor to this recipe, I added a combination of seasoning, including dried thyme, onion powder, garlic granules (garlic powder will do), and an Italian seasoning mix blend. When our garden is in full-swing in the summer months, I add fresh thyme, oregano, and lots of fresh basil.
Cream Cheese. Mild Cheddar. You can’t make cheese balls without the cheese. Well, technically, you can. You shouldn’t call them cheese balls. Right? Anyway, for this recipe, I used room temperature cream cheese and freshly grated mild cheddar cheese. I have also used grated Parmigiano-Reggianoasiago, romano, or one of my favorites Grana Padano and they’re all just as good. I also love a smoked gouda or smoked white cheddar in this recipe too! So good!
Onions. Red Bell Pepper. Garlic. Adding this trio of ingredients is another great way to get lots of flavor into our cheese ball recipe. Especially the onion and garlic. You can use yellow, white, or sweet onion. I have also used chives, green onion, Spanish onions or and leeks. If you want to use green bell pepper, then make it happen. I have also used spicier peppers like jalapeño, habanero, or serrano to bump the heat index up a bit.
Mini Chicken Cheese Balls Recipe
Ingredients:
8-10 Servings
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground chicken or leftover Rosttiserie chicken
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black peppercorns to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic granules
- 8-ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence or use Italian seasoning mix or double the amount of fresh thyme, oregano, and basil
- 1/3 cup chopped onions
- 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
How to make mini cheese balls
- Place a skillet over med-high heat and brown the ground chicken, adding sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste. Strain off any liquid and place the ground chicken into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes until cool.
- Remove the bowl, and add the room temperature cream cheese, grated mild cheddar, onions, garlic, red bell peppers, and seasonings.
- Mix well and form into 2 ounce balls and place them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Next, one at a time, place a cheeseball in crushed multigrain crackers and roll it around until the cheeseball is evenly coated with the crushed crackers. Repeat until all of the cheeseballs are finished. Place the cheeseballs into an airtight container and store the cheeseballs in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Serve with crackers, pretzels, or pair with sliced veggies like celery, radishes, carrots, cucumber slices, etc.
Can I store cheese balls in the refrigerator?
Yes. Place the cheeseballs in an airtight container, and they will keep up to two weeks.
What else can I roll cheese balls in?
You can roll cheese balls in chopped nuts, crushed crackers, or even crushed pretzels or crushed corn tortilla chips.
How far in advance should I make cheese balls?
If you are using fresh ingredients, you can make them up to a week ahead. Use an airtight container and store them in the fridge.
Now that you have the recipe, all you have to do is grab the ingredients and make this easy cheese balls appetizer for your family for the upcoming game day. As always, if you have any questions, feel free to drop us a line in the comment section down below.
Game Day Appetizers you need to try:
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Bacon Deviled Eggs Made with Spinach & Artichoke Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 lb ground chicken or leftover Rosttiserie chicken
- sea salt to taste
- freshly ground black peppercorns to taste
- 1 tablespoon dried thyme
- 1/4 tsp onion powder
- 1/4 tsp garlic granules
- 8- ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup grated mild cheddar cheese
- 1 tbsp Herbes de Provence or use Italian seasoning mix or double the amount of fresh thyme oregano, and basil
- 1/3 cup chopped onions
- 1/3 cup chopped red bell pepper
Instructions
- Place a skillet over med-high heat and brown the ground chicken, adding sea salt and freshly cracked black peppercorns to taste. Strain off any liquid and place the ground chicken into the fridge to chill for 15 minutes until cool.
- Remove the bowl, and add the room temperature cream cheese, grated mild cheddar, onions, garlic, red bell peppers, and seasonings.
- Mix well and form into 2 ounce balls and place them onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.
- Next, one at a time, place a cheeseball in crushed multigrain crackers and roll it around until the cheeseball is evenly coated with the crushed crackers.
- Repeat until all of the cheeseballs are finished. Place the cheese balls into an airtight container and store the cheeseballs in the fridge until ready to serve.
- Serve with crackers, pretzels, or pair with sliced veggies like celery, radishes, carrots, cucumber slices, etc.
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