A folding ball hitch having a recessed safety chain latching mechanism is of the type normally mounted in the bed of a pickup truck. The ball is foldable from an upright or active position to a down or stowed position in which the ball does not interfere with the usage of the bed when the truck is not towing a trailer. To accommodate the safety chains of a trailer, the present invention provides a sliding rod mounted below the mounting plate of the hitch. Chain link sized slots are formed in the mounting plate. The end links of the safety chains can be inserted into the slots and the rod can be slid from one side to the other to securely lock the chains in respective slots. The rod is biased toward a latching position wherein the rod can be manually translated to open the slot for allowing insertion of a link of the safety chain, following which the rod can be returned to its center position in which the link is secured and any chain forces are transferred by the rod directly to the mounting structure. The safety chain mechanism is completely recessed (except when the bar operator is in the active position) to avoid obstruction of the truck bed.