They told me to bring it again.
When my husband’s extended family gets together for holidays, everyone brings food and we eat until we can’t fit through the doorway.
The Thanksgiving and Christmas menus are generally different, but this year, I was ordered to do a repeat.
You know you’ve got a good recipe when people tell you to bring it again.
Every real food cook needs some basic resources that everyone recognizes.
If you have a desire to cook real food more fluently or gain confidence in remaking some of your own processed style recipes using only whole foods, you’ll love the bestselling eBook Better Than a Box.
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Because this is a hot dip, it had to be near an electrical outlet and wasn’t right with the other food. I supremely enjoyed hearing people walk around with their plates, ogling others’ dip and saying, “Where’s that chicken stuff? Where didja get the spicy dip there?”
It’s the best compliment a chef can receive, right?
I originally got this recipe six years ago or so from a friend, but as our family transitioned to real food, it was one of those that landed in the “packaged food ingredients” pile. It had SIX ingredients that came in boxes or cans that I just didn’t purchase anymore.
One day I decided it was just too delicious NOT to try to reverse engineer. It’s in my eBook titled Better Than a Box, the purpose of which is to teach you to reverse engineer your old favorites that use packaged ingredients.
The book will be in three parts: first instruction on how to make recipes into real food, then the recipes I’ve successfully redone, then a section with all the recipes to make the ingredients you’ll need to make your own recipes.
Nobody said real food was easy, but it sure tastes great (and feels great, more importantly!).
I’m pretty excited about it, and I can’t help but share this recipe with you all today. You can make it in time for any parties you might be heading to this weekend and evangelize about how awesome real, whole ingredients can be!
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Spicy Cheesy Chicken Dip
- Category: Appetizer
Ingredients
- 8 oz. cream cheese or 1 c. yogurt cheese, softened
- 2 c. cooked, shredded chicken
- 1 1/2 cups homemade cream of chicken soup
- 8 oz. sour cream
- 8 oz. cubed cheddar (any kind, although sharp is always fun)
- 4 oz. jalapeno jack
cheese, cubed - approx. 1/2-1 whole fresh diced jalapeno, to taste
- 1 small onion, chopped (or ~1 Tbs. dried minced onion flakes)
- 1/2 green pepper, chopped
- salt (Use the code kitchenstewardship for 15% off of your first purchase) to taste – often needs 1/4-1/2 tsp., especially with homemade chicken broth in the ‘cream of’ soup
Instructions
- Prep the cheese in cubes (or shreds).
- Mix all ingredients in a medium pot (optional: saute peppers and onions first in butter).
- Then set that pot into a larger pot of water (a homemade double boiler, see photo below).
- Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then cook over medium or low heat, stirring often until cheeses are all melted. It does take a while; just plan to have something else to do while you’re in the kitchen.
- Serve hot with homemade crackers. Also good with tortilla chips. I use a mini slow cooker to keep it warm.
- Makes about 6 cups worth, feeds plenty!
Notes
* The chicken needs to be boiled so it shreds well, not just baked chicken breasts. They don’t taste or act the same. A perfect opportunity to use slightly mushy chicken from making homemade chicken stock, if you want my humble opinion.
* The whole jalapeno is frugal for me because I buy in bulk (a quart for a dollar or so) at our local Farmer’s Market in August and freeze them. You can freeze jalapenos without blanching, already diced, simply cut in half and seeded, or even just washed and whole to be cut while frozen, depending on how much time you have in August and how you might use them. Dried chili powder, chipotle or something else spicy would be a possible alternative if you still like a little spice, but not enough to go out and buy a jalapeno.
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In Better Than a Box I even include one-pot instructions! My site editor Helen LOVES to use this method – make your “can of soup” then mix everything else in. It’s also great to store jars of pre-made “cream of anything” soup in the freezer, provided you remember to thaw them in time.
Other Great Appetizers
I had a tough time deciding today between this dip and our family’s other favorite dip, a 7-layer Mexican dip that’s already in The Everything Beans Book. Our little family with just two kids can nearly polish off a 9×13 pan of this stuff if we don’t hold back, it’s that good. It includes homemade guacamole and homemade refried beans, plus this creamy layer that makes it the best chip dip I’ve ever met! But you’ll have to grab the book to get it…
If you want to know how to reverse engineer a dip with Velveeta, by the way, just make a basic roux/cream sauce and add cheese and spices to your heart’s content. Mix with already-made taco meat and salsa, and oh, my – you’ll be a real food hero.
Click for more real food party and pot luck food ideas!
Tired of Unhealthy Choices at Every Social Gathering…
…and tired of watching your kids eat junk?
I’m happy to be able to offer you this free ebook with:
- 10 whole foods recipes that won’t break your budget
- Well-tested appetizers, salads, and desserts that every guest will recognize and enjoy
- Practical strategies for sharing healthy food with others
- And the valuable secret to getting kids to eat real food in the face of a rich buffet spread…
Yumm. I made something similar once when I added some blended leftover white chicken chili to a chili cheese dip. It was delicious, everybody loved it, and snacking nutrition was ramped up by the addition of the pre-soaked and home cooked beans and bone broth.
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I’m so excited about this blog – what a GREAT idea! This is exactly the path I have been led to lately, and I am so excited to see someone share my passions and desires to discover how food actually can be!! Looking forward to reading more. And to getting the e- book!
Welcome aboard! 🙂 Katie
Pingback: 37 Eat Well, Spend Less Potluck Dishes for Summer | Easy. Homemade.
Would you be able to freeze the cheesy chicken dip? How long does it last in the fridge? Just trying to plan ahead 🙂
Elizabeth,
Good questions! It lasts in the fridge 5-7 days, and I’m not positive about freezing. I’ve never done it, but it would be a minor risk for separating and looking odd, although I’m confident it would still taste amazing! You could freeze all the parts and then dump them together in 5 minutes the day of the party though! 🙂 Katie
★★★★★
Thanks for this spicy cheesy chicken dip recipe. I think this could help make game days even more fun.
Spicy? cheesy? I am all over that, girl!! ;D My mouth is watering…
Lordy, lordy. Bring on the Super Bowl!
I love the sound of your new box – although I dad use pamela’s herehttp://bit.ly/aBX5p5 but prefer to make my own – just a bit challenging for GF at times
I know what that creamy secret layer is – and I know how delish it make that dip…
Sooo good -planning on that dip for the s bowl. can’t wait to try your chicken dip – but may add some crystal hot sauce to make it more hot-wangy!
Blessings!
Sarah Rhyner Sanders – yes, I use a mini to serve it – I need to update teh post to say that! Thx!
Thanks for the great recipes! One quick tip: Pacific Naturals makes condensed soups now so if you don’t have the time to make your own or you’re running low, lots of grocery stores are carrying it. The ingredients are fabulous, nothing weird or chemical: Filtered water, organic celery, organic créme fraîche (organic cultured cream [milk]), organic rice starch, organic rice flour, sea salt, organic whey powder [milk], organic celeriac juice concentrate, organic onion powder, organic garlic powder.
This stuff all looks great! I can’t wait for the book.
Could this be put in a crockpot to heat up?
I sometimes stockpile whole, bone-in chicken breasts when my grocery store throws them on sale for $0.99 a pound. I throw a frozen one in the crockpot with water and pull/shred the meat when I get home at night for things like chicken and noodles. I guess that’s probably very similar to boiling it, isn’t it?
Elizabeth,
Yes, and in fact, that’s how I’d prefer for this recipe. The more shredd-y, the better!
🙂 Katie