Make some fun appetizers for the big game including Zesty Cheddar Ranch Crispy Football Chicken Nuggets and Baby Bella Bacon Cheeseburger Dip. These game-day appetizers
With the Big Game less than a week away, I know many of you are finalizing your grocery shopping lists, buying decorations, and pulling together recipes to make for your party guests.
Have you figured out your party menu yet?
I hope not, because I have two more fun recipes I'm sure you are going to want to make.
First up are football and helmet-shaped chicken nuggets Each supersized nugget is made using ground chicken which is shaped into either a football or a football helmet using cookie cutters.
The shaped chicken is popped in the freezer for a while, then dipped first in seasoned flour, then into a ranch dip egg wash, and finally coated in crushed Zesty Cheddar Ranch Cheez-It Grooves. They are fried until golden brown, then baked until cooked through.
These festive-looking fried chicken footballs and helmets are big enough to be eaten as a sandwich on a bun or can simply be served along with some ranch dip.
To make them look more like the real thing, I piped on some ranch dip to create the stripes and laces on the footballs and some of the details on the helmets.
You don't have to be a kid to enjoy these crispy fried chicken snacks, that's for sure.
I also made a Baby Bella Bacon Cheeseburger Dip which I topped with a goal post created with some Cheddar Cheese Cheez-It Crunch'd snacks. The hot cheesy dip is loaded with hamburger, caramelized baby Bella mushrooms, crispy bacon, fresh tomatoes, and lots of gooey cheese.
Need I say more?
It has all the components of a great cheeseburger, but is served on chips instead of a bun.
I realize the dip isn't very pretty looking because I stirred everything together. Next time, I will layer the ingredients instead.
No biggie, it looked pretty cool on the table alongside my Football & Helmet Chicken Nuggets and lots of other snacks.
I decorated my table with plenty of fun football-themed partyware, served some chips in football-shaped bowls, and put ranch dip in my touch down shot glasses.
This spread of football-themed food would definitely help you score points with your friends during your big game party, don't you think?
Are you ready to party?
Zesty Cheddar Ranch
Crispy Fried Chicken Footballs & Helmets
Ingredients:
1 pound ground chicken breasts
6 ounces Zesty Cheddar Ranch Cheez-It Grooves
⅓ cup ranch dressing
1 egg
½ cup flour
½ teaspoon salt
6-8 cups oil for frying
Decoration:
1 ½ tablespoons ranch dip
(or mix ½ tablespoon cream cheese with 1 tablespoon ranch dressing)
Supplies:
football cookie cutter
football helmet cookie cutter
cooking spray
baking sheets lined with non-stick tin foil or a non-stick baking pan
Instructions:
Spray the cookie cutters with cooking spray.
- Set the cookie cutters on the baking sheet.
- Spoon some ground chicken into each cookie cutter.
- Use your finger to press it into an even layer that is ½ inch or so thick.
- Carefully lift the cutter up, leaving the chicken in place.
- You may need to hold the chicken in place around the edges of the cutters, especially in the thin mouthguard area on the football helmet.
- Place the shaped chicken in the freezer for at least one hour.
- Crush 6 ounces of the Cheez-It Zesty Cheddar Ranch Grooves into fine crumbs either by using a food processor, or by placing them in a zip-top bag and smashing them with a rolling pin or pan.
- Prepare 3 dipping bowls: one with the crushed Cheez-It Grooves, another with the ranch dip mixed with the egg, and the third with the flour and salt.
- Stir 1 tablespoon of the ranch dip egg mixture into the flour and let it sit for 10 minutes, then rub the wet dip into the dry flour until you have fine crumbs.
- When the chicken is frozen enough that it will keep its shape, dip it first into the flour, then into the ranch dip egg wash, then into the Cheez-It Grooves crumbs, allowing the excess of each to fall or drip off as needed before placing in the next bowl.
- Set them on a clean baking sheet.
- Bring your oil to 350 degrees either in a fryer or in a pot on the stove.
- Also, heat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Fry the football chicken nuggets until golden brown on each side, then place them in the oven for 6-10 minutes until a thermometer inserted into a nugget registers 165 degrees Fahrenheit.
Notes:
I found it best to use a reasonable flat fine mesh sieve to remove my nuggets. I first tried using tongs but found the tongs tore the breading.
Also, I placed my nuggets on a cooling rack set over a tin foil-lined baking sheet to heat them in the oven. That way they stayed crispy on the top and bottom.
- To decorate your football and helmet nuggets, pour ranch dip into a zip-top bag, snip off one tip to create a small hole, pipe the dip onto the nuggets to decorate.
- Serve while hot.
These nuggets can be made ahead of time and reheated and decorated when your party guests arrive.
A cheesy dip loaded with bacon, baby bella mushrooms, ground beef, and tomatoes. Topped with a cheddar cheese, cheez-it crunch'd goal post is perfect for any super bowl or football themed party.
- 8 slices bacon
- 8 ounces Baby Bella Cremini Mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
- ½ pound ground beef
- salt and pepper for seasoning
- 1 splash Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon ketchup
- 8 ounces cream cheese cut into small cubes
- ½ cup sour cream
- ⅓ cup mayonnaise
- 1 ½ cups freshly shredded cheddar cheese or use Swiss Cheese, if you prefer
- ½ cup freshly shredded Monterey Jack Cheese
- ½ cup diced tomatoes
- 14 Cheddar Cheese Cheez-It Crunch'd
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Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
-
Cook bacon in a skillet set over medium heat until crisp.
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Remove bacon using a slotted spoon.
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Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute until nicely browned.
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Remove from pan and add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
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Cook until browned.
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Remove pan from heat and stir in the mushrooms, cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in half of the cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and bacon. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bacon. Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly.
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Top with a goal post made out of the Cheddar Cheese Cheez-It Crunch'd.
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Serve hot.
How to make Baby Bella Bacon Cheeseburger Dip
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cook bacon in a skillet set over medium heat until crisp.
Remove bacon using a slotted spoon.
Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute until nicely browned.
Remove from pan and add the ground beef, salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
Cook until browned.
Remove pan from heat and stir in the mushrooms, cream cheese and sour cream. Stir in half of the cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and bacon. Pour into a baking dish and sprinkle on the remaining cheese and bacon. Bake for 20-30 minutes until bubbly.
Top with a goal post made out of the Cheddar Cheese Cheez-It Crunch'd. Serve hot.
Items used for this project that are available on Amazon.com (commission earned for sales)
More Super Bowl Party Food Ideas
from Hungry Happenings
Beer Bacon Cheddar Dip Footballs
Bacon Cheddar Beer Bread Footballs
Jalapeño Cheddar Corn Bread Footballs
If you want more tailgating or homegating party ideas for the college football season,
be sure to check out my Football Party Food ideas.
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- Peanut Butter Popcorn - December 20, 2022
Samantha
Amazing ideas for the game this weekend! The kids will love the chicken nuggets! #client
beth
I'm glad you like my recipes/ideas. Thanks for stopping by.
Karla
Perfect for my child 🙂 thnks.
beth
Thanks, Karla:)
The Partiologist
Seriously, even if I hated football, I would come to your party just to try all the fantastic food you created!
beth
Thanks. I can host a fun party for just about anything and would love to have you join in on the fun.
Lisa@hooplapalooza
i swear you make THE most original and tasty snacks! :0
beth
Thanks, Lisa. I just had some of these Chicken Footballs for lunch. Even left over, they were great dipped in ranch dressing. Yum!