This cheesy, creamy dip is made with chicken breast chunks, spicy smoked sausage, and has just the right amount of heat! This dip is ready for your next tailgating event, and trust me - it will not last long!
Here in the South, we love tailgating season and dips are one of my favorite foods to serve at a tailgating gathering. Cream cheese, sour cream, chopped peppers, chicken breasts, sausage, and lots of melty cheese come together to create this flavorful, crowd-pleasing dip!
Whenever I serve this dip it's always the first thing to go and I'm sure it will be the same at your party! Get ready to share the recipe because my guests always ask for it at every gathering.
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Ingredients You Need to Make This Recipe
- Extra virgin olive oil. We will use 2 tablespoons of oil to cook our vegetables and meat. You can also use light flavored vegetable oil if that is what you have on hand.
- 1.5 pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts. About three medium chicken breasts should do. Chop chicken breasts into cubes a little less than an inch in diameter - no need to be exact.
- 14 ounce package of spicy smoked sausage. This is the typical size of a pack containing two large links. Any variety, such as Andouille, or cajun pork, beef, chicken, or turkey sausage works well for this dip. Slice sausage into discs.
- Half of a large yellow onion. Peel and dice the onion for this recipe.
- One medium red bell pepper. Rinse, seed, and chop the pepper for this recipe.
- One medium green bell pepper. Rinse, seed, and chop the pepper for this recipe.
- Salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. These are the spices we will use to flavor our dip.
- 16 ounces of cream cheese. Cube the cream cheese and allow it to sit out at room temperature while you prepare the other ingredients so that it softens a bit.
- One 16-ounce container of sour cream. This, along with the cream cheese, creates an extra creamy consistency for the dip.
- Half cup of hot sauce such as Frank's RedHot ® Sauce. This adds the perfect amount of heat to the dip without it being overpowering.
- 1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese, divided. We will melt half a cup into the dip and add half a cup as a topping before transferring the dip to the oven.
- 1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese, divided. We will melt half into the dip and top the dip with the other half.
How to Make This Dip
Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
Season the chicken lightly with salt and black pepper and add the cubed chicken breasts and sausage to the pot. Cook until the chicken is lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes.
Add the chopped onion and bell peppers and cook until veggies are softened and chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 more minutes.
Add the cream cheese and sour cream to the pot and cook until cream cheese is melted and creamy, stirring constantly, about 2-3 minutes. Season the dip with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Add cheeses and hot sauce and cook while stirring until the cheese is melted.
Transfer the dip to a 12-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9x13 baking dish. Bake dip in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbly.
Allow dip to cool for about 10 minutes and garnish with sliced scallions if preferred. Serve dip with tortilla chips and crackers for dipping!
Make-Ahead and Storing Instructions
This dip can be prepared one to two days ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Just wrap dip tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator until the day you plan to serve the dip.
Remove the dip from the refrigerator and allow it to sit out at room temperature while you preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Cook the dip in the oven for about 15-20 minutes until heated through. You may want to cover the dip with foil for part of the cooking time to keep the top from browning too much.
Leftover dip may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Variations of This Recipe
You can make this dip with different combinations of meat if you prefer. You may omit the sausage and make it with just the chicken breasts or vice versa.
I've even made this dip with a combination of fresh and smoked Atlantic salmon and it was delicious!
Recommended Tools for This Recipe
Check Out These Other Tailgating-Ready Recipes Before You Go!
📖 Recipe
Cheesy Cajun Chicken and Sausage Dip
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or vegetable oil
- 1 ½ pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into cubes a little less than an inch in diameter, about 3 medium chicken breasts
- 14 ounces spicy smoked sausage such as Andouille or Cajun, about 2 large links, sliced into discs
- ½ large yellow onion peeled and diced
- One medium red bell pepper rinsed, seeded, and chopped
- One medium green bell pepper rinsed, seeded, and chopped
- Salt and cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 16 ounces cream cheese two blocks, cubed
- 1, 16-ounce container sour cream
- ½ cup hot sauce such as Frank's
- 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese divided
- 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese divided
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Heat the oil in a large heavy-bottom pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.
- Season the chicken lightly with salt and black pepper and add the cubed chicken breasts and sausage to the pot. Cook until the chicken is lightly browned, about 4-5 minutes.
- Add the chopped onion and bell peppers and cook until veggies are softened and chicken is cooked through, about 4-5 more minutes.
- Add the cream cheese and sour cream to the pot and cook until cream cheese is melted and creamy, stirring constantly, about 2-3 minutes. Season the dip with salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and cayenne pepper. Add cheeses and hot sauce and cook while stirring until the cheese is melted.
- Transfer the dip to a lightly greased 12-inch cast-iron skillet or 9x13 baking dish. Bake dip in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until golden and bubbly.
- Allow dip to cool for about 10 minutes and garnish with sliced scallions if preferred. Serve dip with tortilla chips and crackers for dipping!
Alicia Francis
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