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This smoked crack chicken dip starts with a whole chicken smoked low and slow on the pellet grill, then gets shredded and mixed with cream cheese, sour cream, ranch seasoning, sharp cheddar, and crispy bacon before going back on the smoker until hot and bubbly. It’s the tailgate appetizer that disappears first – every single time.
Tailgate season is here, and if you’re looking for an appetizer that’s going to get demolished before kickoff, this is it. You’ve probably had crack chicken dip before – it’s all over the internet for a reason. But we don’t do plain baked dips around here. We put ours on the smoker, and that extra layer of wood-fired flavor is the difference between “good dip” and “who made this, I need the recipe” dip.
We already smoke a lot of dips on this site – our Smoked Pickle Dip and Smoked Jalapeno Popper Dip are both regulars in our tailgate rotation, and if you want even more options, check out our roundup of 11 of the best smoked dips.
But this crack chicken dip might be the one that gets requested the most. It’s rich, smoky, a little tangy from the ranch, and loaded with bacon – basically everything you want to be eating while you watch football.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Smoked, not baked. Smoking the whole chicken first – and then smoking the dip itself – builds in a layer of flavor you just can’t get from the oven.
- It’s a crowd favorite. This is one of those dips that even the pickiest eaters go back for seconds on. Our teenage daughters, who can be tough critics, love it, and it disappears fast at every football party we bring it to.
- Great use for leftovers. If you somehow have dip left over (rare), it makes an amazing mini quesadilla filling. My mother-in-law does this every time we make it. You can even add extra rotisserie chicken to the mix to make it more of a filling meal.
- Simple ingredients, big payoff. No fancy techniques here – just smoked chicken, cheese, bacon, and ranch, mixed together and smoked until bubbly.
Ingredient Notes
- Smoked chicken – We season and smoke a whole chicken specifically for this dip, which gives you that deeper smoky flavor all the way through the meat instead of just mixing in plain shredded chicken. If you’re short on time, rotisserie chicken will work in a pinch, but you’ll lose that smoky edge.
- Spice That Jalapeno All-Purpose Seasoning – This is what we season our smoked chicken with. It has salt, pepper, garlic, buttermilk powder, and a little dried jalapeño, which pairs perfectly with the ranch flavor already going on in the dip. Any all-purpose seasoning you like will work too.
- Ranch seasoning – We use the classic Hidden Valley Ranch seasoning packet.
- Sharp cheddar cheese
- Sour cream – Choose full-fat for this recipe.
- Mayonnaise
- Bacon – Thicker-cut bacon works great here – just dice it up before cooking. If you’re using thinner bacon, you can add an extra few slices. Be sure to cook the bacon so it is crispy, so you don’t have rubbery pieces in your dip.
Smoked Crack Chicken Dip
Ingredients
- 2-2½ cups smoked pulled chicken
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1½ cups full-fat sour cream
- ¼ cup mayonnaise
- 1 oz packet ranch seasoning
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
- 4 to 6 slices bacon
Instructions
- Preheat pellet grill or smoker to 275℉.
- Cook the bacon. Dice the bacon and cook it in a cast iron skillet until crispy. Transfer to paper towels to drain excess grease. Remove grease from the skillet.
- Mix the dip. In a large bowl, combine the shredded chicken, softened cream cheese, sour cream, mayonnaise, ranch seasoning, shredded cheddar, and cooked bacon. Mix until fully combined.
- Load the skillet. Spread the mixture into a 10–12" cast iron skillet, leaving some texture on top rather than smoothing it flat.
- Smoke the dip. Place the skillet on the pellet grill at 275°F and smoke for about 1 hour, until hot all the way through and bubbling around the edges.
- Rest and serve. Let the dip cool for a few minutes. Then serve with chips, corn chips, crackers, or veggies.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes – rotisserie chicken works if you’re short on time. You’ll still get some smoky flavor from smoking the dip itself, just not as deep as when the chicken is smoked too.
Reheat in the oven or back on the smoker at around 275-300°F until warmed through, or microwave in short bursts. It also makes a fantastic mini quesadilla filling if you want to switch things up with the leftovers.
Definitely. Add some diced jalapeños straight into the mix, or top the finished dip with pickled jalapeños.
Cast iron holds heat evenly and gives you those crispy, bubbly edges, so it’s our go-to. Any oven-safe and smoker-safe dish will work if that’s what you have on hand.
