Turn a simple 5-ingredient chicken dip into the cutest appetizer for Easter by adding ears, eyes, a nose and mouth to create the most adorable little lamb.
This Easter Chicken Dip will definitely brighten up your holiday meal but it would also be fun to serve at a baby shower or farm animal themed party as well.
No matter the holiday or special occasion my family makes and enjoys some form of this chicken dip.
We usually keep it plain but for the holidays I like to have a little fun with it and decorate the dip like a Skillet Dip Snowman or a Patriotic Chicken Dip or this adorable Chicken Dip Lamb.
On occasion, I spice things up and make a dip like my Buffalo Chicken Dip Jack-O-Lantern but typically I keep it just as it is. That's the way my family likes loves it.
This dip is so easy to make using just five ingredients including cream cheese, Miracle Whip, and canned chicken. These are items I keep stocked in my fridge and pantry all year long so I can make this at a moments notice for any occasion.
I like to add a splash of Worcestershire sauce and lemon juice to add more depth of flavor but there have been many times that I didn't have those ingredients on hand and I skipped them altogether.
Dip Ingredients:
- 1 (8-ounce) block of cream cheese, softened (you'll need about 2 teaspoons of cream cheese for the decorations so you may want to take that from this block)
- 1 cup Miracle Whip or Mayonnaise*
- 1 large (12-ounce net weight) can or 2 small cans of chunk chicken breast, drained (pour off all of the liquid)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
*Homemade Miracle Whip.
I personally prefer the flavor of Miracle Whip in this dip but have had it made using just plain mayonnaise. It was a bit too bland for my liking. So if I only had plain mayonnaise on hand I would doctor it up to give it a more tangy flavor. I used this recipe when making my Donut BLT Egg Salad Sandwiches and it was delicious.
To make homemade Miracle Whip blend together:
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- 1 cup mayonnaise
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon mustard powder
- 3 teaspoons white vinegar
- pinch of salt
Bread ring.
We typically just bake this dip in a pie plate and serve it with crackers but when I decided to make this cute lamb I chose to add puffs of bread around the perimeter.
It looks so cute that way. Plus I love using the bread to scoop up the dip.
You can use any of the following to make your bread ring:
- Pillsbury French Bread Dough (this is what I used)
- biscuit dough
- pizza dough
- frozen dinner roll dough
- homemade bread dough
Decorations:
- 2 Naan Dippers (Or you can cut your ears out of white or wheat bread (toast will work best), large Naan bread, flour tortillas or pizza crust.)
- 2 teaspoons cream cheese, softened (take the 2 teaspoons out of the 8-ounce block you use to make the dip if you don't have any more on hand)
- pink food coloring
- 1 large black olive**
**If you don't have an olive you can cut Nori sheets or you can color a teaspoon of cream cheese using black food coloring then pipe on the eyes and mouth.
Make the hot chicken dip.
- Combine the softened cream cheese, Miracle Whip, drained chicken, lemon juice, and Worcestershire sauce together in a large mixing bowl.
- Use an electric mixer to beat it until the cream cheese is broken down and the dip comes together. It will be lumpy from the chicken and you do not want to make it smooth.
- If you are using the tube of Pillsbury French Bread, cut it into 12 slices and arrange them around the edge of a glass pie pan. You can also use a non-stick skillet that has a heat-proof handle. See my Skillet Chicken Dip Snowman recipe for information.
- If you are using pizza dough, cut pieces then roll it into balls.
- If using biscuits cut them into smaller pieces and roll into balls.
- Spoon the chicken dip in the center of the pie pan and spread it out to the edge of the dough.
- Bake in a preheated 350 degree Fahrenheit oven for 25-30 minutes until the bread is golden brown and baked through.
Decorate.
- Color 2 teaspoons of cream cheese with pink food coloring.
- Spread a thin layer in the center of the Naan dippers to create the inner ears.
- Naan Dippers are perfectly shaped like little lamb ears but you can also just cut pieces of bread, tortillas, or pizza crust to make your own ears.
- If using bread, you might want to toast it so that the ears stay in shape once the cream cheese is spread on top.
- Use the remaining pink cream cheese to create a nose.
- Cut four crescent moon shaped slices from the black olive to create the lamb's eyes and mouth.
- When the chicken dip comes out of the oven, add an ear on either side, then add two eyes, a nose, and the two pieces of the mouth.
Serve hot or cold.
I personally love this Easter Chicken dip when it's served hot but it's good when it's cold too.
Recipe
Decorate a hot chicken dip with ears, a nose, eyes, and a mouth to create an adorable little lamb. This Easter appetizer will bring smiles to everyone in your family.
- 1 tube Pillsbury French Bread Dough (or pizza,biscuit, or dinner roll dough)
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened (less 2 teaspoons used for decoration)
- 1 cup Miracle Whip (or mayonnaise)
- 12 ounce can of chunk chicken breast, drained of all liquid
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 2 Naan Dippers (or cut ears from bread, tortillas, or pizza crust)
- 2 teaspoons cream cheese, softened (taken from the 8-ounce block above)
- pink food coloring
- 1 large black olive
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
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Cut tube of bread into 12 equal slices.
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Arrange the slices around the inside perimeter of the pie dish.
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Combine chicken dip ingredients in a large mixing bowl.
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Using an electric mixer beat on medium speed until well blended.
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Spoon the chicken dip in the center of the pie dish and spread it into an even layer so that the dip just touches the inner part of the bread ring.
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Bake for 25-30 minutes until the bread is golden brown and baked through.
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While the dip is in the oven, color the 2 teaspoons of cream cheese using pink food coloring.
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Spread about ½ teaspoon of the pink cream cheese in the center of each Naan Dipper or bread ear to create the look of the furry inner ear.
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Shape the remaining teaspoon of pink cream cheese into a nose. Pop it in the freezer until needed.
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Cut thin crescent moon shaped slices from the black olive to create the eyes and mouth of the lamb.
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Pull the hot chicken dip from the oven and add two ears, two eyes, the pink nose, and two olive slices for the mouth.
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Serve the dip hot.
- This dip is best served hot but it can also be served cold.
- Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheat for 6-8 minutes in a 350 degree oven.
Did you make this recipe? Let me know by leaving a comment and rating the recipe below.
I hope you enjoy making this cute Easter chicken dip.
I'd love to see pictures of your fun food creations. You can share in our How to Make Fun Food Facebook group. It's a great place to ask questions and learn from others.
If you love making chocolate be sure to check out my Chocolate Making Courses at The Sugar Academy.
Have a sweet day,
Beth
Before you go, you might also like to check out these other cute lamb-themed recipes...
- Gingerbread Cookie Cups - December 2, 2023
- Cheeseburger Skulls - October 15, 2023
- Mini Peanut Butter Cheesecakes - June 20, 2023
Coco in the Kitchen
OMG this is DARLING!
Beth
Thank you!
The Partiologist
This looks so good, fun and easy!