By zp7op | Contributor
Keep your game strategy straightforward this season and light up the scoreboard with fan favorites such as dips and wings. These recipes are both simple to make and can be enjoyed fresh or prepared in advance, keeping them warm or reheating to energize your fellow fans.
Add Flavorful Spice to Game Day Festivities
A successful game day starts with a pregame spread, and no tailgate or home gathering is complete without a zesty dip that packs a punch.
This Game Day Buffalo Chicken Dip is an ideal choice for rallying your crowd, as it requires minimal preparation time, allowing you to save valuable moments before kickoff. Whether you bake it shortly before the game or prepare it in advance for a parking lot party, just keep it warm and serve it with chips or veggie sticks for a quick, shareable appetizer.
Game Day Buffalo Chicken Dip
Servings: 3-4
2 cups shredded chicken
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sharp cheddar cheese, plus more for topping
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Heavy pinch of dried dill
1/2 cup hot sauce
2 green onions, chopped
Blue cheese crumbles
Chips
Vegetable sticks
Preheat the oven to 400°F.
In a bowl, combine shredded chicken, cream cheese, sour cream, 1 1/2 cups of shredded cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, and dried dill until well mixed. Add hot sauce and combine thoroughly.
Transfer the mixture to an oven-safe dish. Sprinkle additional shredded cheese on top, as desired.
Bake until the cheese is melted, about 15 minutes.
Garnish with blue cheese crumbles and chopped green onion.
Serve warm with chips and vegetable sticks.
Make a Touchdown with a Game Day Dip
One way to elevate your tailgating experience this season is by creating healthier takes on classic game day dishes. Become the MVP of your gathering with a delightful, standout appetizer. Switch it up by using fresh, wholesome ingredients to make it better for you, earning extra cheers from family and friends.
This Game Day Taco Dip features beloved flavors like beef, refried beans, salsa, guacamole, sour cream, cheese, tomatoes, and black olives, adding a twist with the Fresh Express Butter Supreme Salad kit. This colorful blend of green butter lettuce, red butter lettuce, radicchio, and baby chard, available in the refrigerated produce section, is ideal for crafting healthier versions of classic tailgating dips, snacks, finger foods, and beyond.
Visit FreshExpress.com to explore more winning game day recipe ideas and locate a retailer near you.
Game Day Taco Dip
Prep time: 25 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Servings: 12
1 pound ground beef
1 package (1 ounce) taco seasoning
1/4 cup water
2 tablespoons minced cilantro
1 can (16 ounces) refried beans, zesty salsa flavor
1 jar (16 ounces) thick and chunky salsa, medium or hot
2 cups guacamole
1/2 cup sour cream
3 packages (5 ounces each) Fresh Express Butter Supreme
1 1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
1 cup tomatoes, chopped
1 can (2 1/4 ounces) sliced black olives, drained
1 package (14 ounces) tortilla chips
In a skillet over medium-high heat, cook ground beef for 5 minutes, or until browned. Sprinkle in taco seasoning and mix well. Add water and cook for an additional 2 minutes, or until the water evaporates. Transfer to a bowl and let cool to room temperature. Add cilantro and mix well.
In a 9-inch pie plate, evenly spread refried beans, then top with seasoned ground beef and salsa. Add spoonfuls of guacamole over the salsa and carefully spread it smooth.
Place sour cream in a small resealable bag; cut off a corner to pipe the sour cream into a football shape on top of the guacamole.
Position the pie plate in the center of a 15-by-18-inch tray. Arrange the salad blend around the pie plate. Finish with shredded cheddar cheese, tomatoes, and olives. Serve with tortilla chips.
Just Wing It
Skip the utensils at your next homegate and dig into a crowd-pleaser that only requires your hands and plenty of napkins: wings.
Whether you pick at your pieces or clean each wing to the bone, these Game Day Chicken Wings are perfect for all kinds of eaters. A simple flour coating keeps the recipe straightforward and baking in the oven eliminates the mess of frying or grilling.
Cook until crispy, then gather your party’s favorite dipping sauces from ranch and blue cheese to barbecue and beyond. Once your spread is ready, sit back and enjoy the game.
Game Day Chicken Wings
Total time: 50 minutes
Servings: 4
1/2 cup butter, cubed
1/3 cup flour
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
10 chicken wingettes, thawed
Dipping sauces (optional)
Fresh parsley (optional)
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange butter cubes on the foil.
In a medium bowl, mix flour, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper together.
Coat both sides of the wings in the flour mixture and then evenly space them among the butter cubes on the baking sheet.
Bake wings for 30 minutes.
Flip the wings and bake for an additional 15 minutes, or until crisp and fully cooked. Serve with dipping sauces and sprinkle with fresh parsley, if desired.
Visit Culinary.net for more tailgate recipes that are sure to score big.
