College football kicked off late last month, and the pro teams play their first game Wednesday, so itap time to get your tailgating menu ready. Maybe you’re a superfan who paints your face in your team’s colors, or perhaps you just show up for the Buffalo chicken dip and halftime show. Either way, we have all the tailgating recipes you need.
Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip
Sour cream and onion, spinach-artichoke, queso and fondue are warm dips you know and love, but we’d urge you to get to know Buffalo chicken dip a little better. Itap a quick, one-pan snack, spicy from a heavy pour of hot sauce, luscious from sour cream and cream cheese and a little funky from the blue cheese. With just the right amount of acid and salt, it’ll keep people coming back for more. It also plays well with beer, but that you already knew.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 2 cups shredded, cooked chicken
- 1/2 cup Buffalo-style hot sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 4 ounces cream cheese, cut into pieces and softened
- 1/2 cup freshly shredded white cheddar cheese
- 1/4 cup crumbled blue cheese
- 1 1/2 teaspoons finely chopped chives, or to taste
- Celery sticks, carrot sticks, bread, potato chips, and-or tortilla chips, for serving
Preparation:
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. In an 8-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the chicken and hot sauce and simmer until the sauce has thickened and reduced by half, 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat, then stir in the lemon juice, sour cream and cream cheese until combined. Sprinkle the cheddar cheese over the top.
3. Bake until bubbling around the edges and the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. If you’d like the top to get browned, run it under the broiler for a minute or two.
4. Immediately garnish with blue cheese and chives. Serve with chips, bread or vegetables for dipping
Recipe: Turkey Reuben Sliders
With turkey, melty Swiss, sauerkraut, Thousand Island dressing and a buttery glaze, these turkey Reuben-inspired sliders are an instant crowd-pleaser. So much so, you’ll probably want to double the recipe. Sandwiches can be labor intensive to make for a crowd, but a package of Hawaiian sweet rolls makes this approach easy. If you want to scale up, two batches of sandwiches can be baked side-by-side on a sheet pan–just be sure to wrap the pan tightly with foil so the cheese melts. Serve with extra dressing on the side for dipping, if desired, and watch the sandwiches disappear!
By Lidey Heuck
Yield: 12 sliders
Total time: 40 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1 (12-ounce) package Hawaiian sweet rolls
- 1/3 cup Thousand Island or Russian dressing, plus extra for dipping
- 1/2 pound thinly sliced roasted deli turkey
- 1 1/2 cups jarred sauerkraut, drained and squeezed in a paper towel
- 1 teaspoon caraway seeds, divided
- 6 ounces thinly sliced Swiss cheese
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 teaspoons minced dried onion
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)
Preparation:
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides.
2. Slice the whole sheet of rolls in half horizontally, without breaking apart the individual rolls.
3. Place the bottom half of the rolls in the prepared pan, cut-side up, and spread half the Thousand Island dressing on top. Spread the remaining dressing on the cut side of the top rolls.
4. Add the turkey, layering it evenly over the bread. Scatter the sauerkraut over the turkey, and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the caraway seeds on top. Layer the cheese over the sauerkraut, and finally, place the top half of the rolls over the cheese. (See Tip for make-ahead instructions.)
5. In a small skillet, combine the butter and remaining 1/2 teaspoon caraway seeds. Cook over medium-low heat, swirling the pan, until the butter is melted and the seeds are sizzling. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, until the caraway seeds are fragrant and the butter is beginning to foam. Off the heat, stir in dried onion, Worcestershire sauce and salt.
6. Brush the butter mixture all over the tops and sides of the rolls.
7. Cover the sliders tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake, uncovered, until the tops of the rolls are toasted, about 5 minutes.
8. Using the overhang, carefully lift the parchment paper and rolls and transfer to a cutting board. Cut rolls into individual sandwiches with a large, serrated knife and serve hot or warm.
Tip: To make in advance, complete the recipe up to the end of step 4. Cover the sandwiches and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. Resume the recipe at step 5 and bake as directed.
Recipe: Baked Buffalo Wings
For chicken wings that come out of the oven as crisp and tender as their fried counterparts, coat the wings in salt and baking powder. The combination promotes even browning, crackly-crisp skin and moist, tender meat. (Do this for roast chicken, too!) Then, cook them directly under the high heat of the broiler, which renders fat and fuses the spicy buttery sauce to each wing. You can buy any combination of meaty drumettes, wingettes (flats) or wing tips, or buy whole wings and break them down yourself, cutting at the joints to separate each wing into three pieces.
By Ali Slagle
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 35 minutes, plus brining (optional)
Ingredients:
For the blue cheese dip:
- 3 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/4 cup mayonnaise
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or apple cider vinegar
- 1 to 3 tablespoons milk or buttermilk, or to taste
- Kosher salt and black pepper
For the chicken wings:
- 3 pounds chicken wings, or any combination of drumettes, wingettes and tips
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 1/3 cup Buffalo-style hot sauce, such as Frank’s
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
Preparation:
1. Make the blue cheese dip: In a small bowl, stir together blue cheese, mayonnaise, sour cream and lemon juice. Thin with milk until spoonable. Season with salt and pepper and set aside. (Dip keeps for up to 4 days in the refrigerator; thin as needed with more milk.)
2. Place an oven rack 4 to 6 inches from the broiler. Heat the broiler.
3. Prepare the chicken: Pat the wings dry. If the wings are not yet broken down into three pieces, cut each wing at the two joints. To do so, flip the wing over and wiggle each part to find the joint. Cut at the joint hinge to separate the meaty drumette from the wingette (also known as the flat) and the wingette from the smaller wing tip.
4. In a large bowl, toss the baking powder with 1 tablespoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 1/2 tablespoon coarse kosher salt (such as Morton’s). Add the wings and toss until evenly coated. Spread the wings in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. (To prepare them in advance and allow them to dry-brine, let the wings sit out at room temperature for up to 1 hour after coating, or in the refrigerator overnight. Let them come to room temperature before proceeding.)
5. Broil the wings in the oven until golden and crisp all over, turning halfway through, about 15 minutes per side.
6. As wings cook, make the buffalo sauce: In a large bowl, stir together the hot sauce, butter, lemon juice and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
7. Transfer the wings to the hot sauce-mixture and toss to coat. Using a slotted spoon, return the wings to the baking sheet, leaving extra sauce behind. Broil until sizzling and browned in spots, about 5 minutes. (Depending on your broiler, you may need to rotate the pan so all the food is exposed to the heat source.)
8. Serve with extra buffalo sauce and the blue cheese dip.
Recipe: Crunchy Ramen-Broccoli Slaw
With sterling silver platters piled high with sliders, professionally decorated pop-up tents and students wearing not hoodies or jeans, but dresses and sport coats, tailgating at the University of Mississippi looks a little different than in the rest of the country. J-Jaye Shackelford Hurley has been a regular at the pre-football game festivities in The Grove, a 10-acre lawn dotted with oak, elm and magnolia trees in the center of campus, since she was a freshman in 1992, and she’s been showing up with a big bowl of this broccoli salad almost as long. Chopped broccoli florets, along with julienned broccoli stems, carrots, purple cabbage, red onion, slivered almonds, sunflower seeds and crushed instant ramen noodles, are tossed in a tangy-sweet dressing of apple cider vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Itap unconventional, to be sure, but a crunchy complement to all of the soft and salty dishes — pulled pork, deviled eggs, Rotel dip and pimento cheese — on the table. The slaw contains no mayo and it keeps for several hours, so itap perfect for an all-day hang, whether you make it to the game or not.
Recipe from J-Jaye Shackelford Hurley
Adapted by Margaux Laskey
Yield: 8 servings
Total time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
For the dressing:
- 3/4 cup canola oil, or other neutral vegetable oil
- 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce, plus more to taste
For the salad:
- 2 heads broccoli (about 3/4 pound), florets removed and roughly chopped; stems peeled, julienned and cut into 2-inch pieces (see Tip)
- 1 medium carrot, peeled, julienned and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 cup shredded purple cabbage, about 1/4 pound (optional)
- 1/2 large red onion, diced
- 1 cup slivered almonds (toasted if you feel like it)
- 1 cup sunflower seeds, roasted and salted
- 2 packages dried instant ramen noodles
Preparation:
1. Make the dressing: In a lidded jar, combine the oil, vinegar, sugar and soy sauce. Shake to combine. Set aside.
2. To a large bowl, add the broccoli, carrot, cabbage, red onion, almonds and sunflower seeds. Use a rolling pin to gently crush the ramen noodles in their packages. Open the packages and discard the seasoning sachets, then add the noodles to the top of the salad. If serving immediately, add the dressing, then toss well to combine until evenly coated. Taste and season with more soy sauce, if necessary, to balance the sweetness. (To make ahead, combine all salad ingredients except for the noodles and dressing, then add the noodles, dress and toss just before serving.) This salad is best the day itap made, but it keeps overnight in the fridge in an airtight container, although the noodles will soften.
Tip: If the thought of all of that chopping gets you down, you can hand chop the broccoli florets, then use a food processor fitted with the shredding attachment to shred the broccoli stems, carrot and cabbage. Or, do like Hurley does, and use a 16-ounce package of precut broccoli slaw and call it a day.
Recipe: Brownies
There are many kinds of brownies, but this simple recipe aims for a chewy, fudgy texture with a shiny, crackly top. Theories abound on what creates that delectable flaky top layer, but here, it is achieved by dissolving the sugar into the butter, then stirring in chocolate chips until melted. Use semisweet chocolate for sweeter brownies, or dark for a slightly more grown-up treat, and feel free to stir in 1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans before baking if you like a little extra crunch. For easy cutting, let the brownies cool completely and use a hot, dry knife, wiping off the crumbs in between cuts.
By Lidey Heuck
Yield: 9 to 12 servings
Total time: 45 minutes
Ingredients:
- Nonstick cooking spray, for greasing
- 1/2 cup (113 grams) unsalted butter (1 stick)
- 1 cup (200 grams) sugar
- 1/2 cup (86 grams) dark or semisweet chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup (47 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup (64 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
Preparation:
1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees, with a rack positioned in the center. Grease an 8-inch-square baking pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Combine the butter and sugar in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until the butter comes to a simmer. Turn off the heat, then add the chocolate chips and stir until melted. (The mixture will be grainy at this point.) Pour into a large mixing bowl and set aside until just warm to the touch.
3. Add the eggs and vanilla to the mixing bowl and whisk vigorously for 1 minute, until pale and glossy. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until incorporated. Add the flour, salt and baking soda and mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until well combined. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan and smooth the top.
4. Bake brownies until a toothpick comes out with just a few crumbs on it, 30 to 33 minutes. Cool completely in the pan before slicing into squares. Brownies will keep for up to 3 days, well-wrapped at room temperature.
Recipe: Bricklayer-Style Nachos
Bricklayer-style beef, or puntas al albañil, made with tender pieces of beef, salty bacon and sometimes chorizo in a chunky fire-roasted salsa, is a beloved taco filling in Mexico. Once a common snack available near construction sites in central Mexico, it became popular beyond street food stands, expanding into homes and restaurants over the years. Here itap used as the foundation for nachos, topped with mounds of melted cheese, tangy queso fresco, creamy avocado and crunchy scallions for a hearty, delicious meal.
By Pati Jinich
Yield: 6 to 8 servings
Total time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds ripe Roma tomatoes or 2 (15-ounce) cans fire-roasted tomatoes
- 8 ounces thick-cut bacon, thinly sliced
- 8 ounces fresh Mexican chorizo, casing removed, coarsely chopped
- 1 1/2 pounds beef sirloin, excess fat removed, meat cut into 1/2-inch pieces
- Kosher or sea salt and black pepper
- 1 medium white onion, halved and slivered (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 to 2 jalapeños or serrano chiles, halved, deseeded if desired, and sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 1 to 1 1/2 pounds tortilla chips
- 12 ounces shredded Mexican melty cheese, such as Oaxaca, Asadero or quesadilla, or even Monterey Jack or mozzarella (about 3 cups)
- 1 ripe avocado, halved, pitted and finely chopped
- 1 cup crumbled queso fresco
- 8 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced
Preparation:
1. If using fresh tomatoes, place them on a small baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. Place them under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes, turning halfway through, until charred, mushy and juices have begun to run. Remove from heat. Once cool enough to handle, chop them without discarding any of the juices, seeds or charred skin.
2. Heat a large (12-inch) skillet over medium-high. Add the bacon and cook, stirring occasionally, until it browns slightly and renders some of its fat, 3 to 4 minutes.
3. Add the chorizo to the bacon, and cook, breaking the sausage into smaller pieces using a wooden spoon as it begins to brown and crisp, 3 to 4 minutes.
4. Add the beef, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring a couple times, until it begins to brown, about 4 minutes. Incorporate the onion and jalapeño and cook until they begin to wilt, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant but not browned, less than 1 minute.
5. Stir in the fresh or canned chopped tomatoes with their juices and cook over high, stirring occasionally, until saucy, 2 to 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
6. Set the rack in the middle of the oven and heat to 400 degrees. Place all the tortilla chips in a half sheet pan or large baking sheet in an even layer. Cover the chips with the bricklayer meat mixture and all of its chunky salsa. Cover with the shredded cheese. Bake until cheese has completely melted, 8 to 10 minutes.
7. Garnish with the avocado, crumbled queso fresco and scallions. Dig in while hot!
Recipe: Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken With Fried Basil
This spiced fried chicken is a staple in the night markets of Taiwan. You can order the chicken in cutlet form or small bites like these, which are served in paper bags with wooden skewers. This recipe uses a few spices that cannot be skipped: five-spice powder and white pepper. The Sichuan peppercorns are a bonus, adding a little numbing tingle. If you can’t find Sichuan peppercorns, use black peppercorns instead. You won’t get the same tingly feeling, but the chicken will be just as good. This fried chicken recipe happens to be gluten-free thanks to the tapioca flour, which imparts the dish’s signature crunch.
By Sue Li
Yield: 4 to 6 servings
Total time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour marinating
Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
- 1 teaspoon ground white pepper
- 4 teaspoons kosher salt
- 6 cups vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon Sichuan peppercorns or whole black peppercorns
- 1 cup (115 grams) tapioca flour
- 1 cup fresh basil leaves
Preparation:
1. In a large bowl, season chicken thighs with soy sauce, sugar, five-spice powder, white pepper and 2 teaspoons salt. Set aside to marinate about 1 hour at room temperature, or refrigerate it overnight.
2. When ready to cook, fit a medium pot with a cooking thermometer and heat vegetable oil over medium to 350 degrees. Coarsely grind the peppercorns in a spice grinder or mortar and pestle and mix with the remaining 2 teaspoons kosher salt. Set aside.
3. Wet your hands and toss marinated chicken with tapioca flour and about 1 tablespoon water until the tapioca flour looks like small beads and clings to the chicken. (Adding a little moisture to your chicken helps the tapioca flour form small beads that will also stick to the chicken and give it a very crunchy crust.)
4. Working in batches, add the battered chicken to the hot oil and fry until golden brown and crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. With a slotted spoon or spider, transfer fried chicken to a paper towel-lined plate and season each batch with peppercorn mixture.
5. Fry basil leaves until translucent and crisp, 1 to 2 minutes, then scatter over the fried chicken. Serve with leftover peppercorn mixture for sprinkling to taste.
Recipe: Jerk Chicken Meatballs With BBQ-Pineapple Glaze
This recipe takes the deep flavor of jerk chicken and turns it into easy meatballs. The jerk seasoning paste does double duty here, adding both spices and moisture, so don’t reach for dry jerk seasoning. Whether served alone as an appetizer, over rice, or even tucked in a sandwich, these meatballs are perfectly salty, sweet and spicy.
By Millie Peartree
Yield: 4 servings
Total time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
For the meatballs:
- Neutral oil
- 1 pound ground chicken or turkey
- 1 small yellow or red onion, finely diced
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup breadcrumbs
- 2 tablespoons Jamaican jerk seasoning paste, such as Grace or Walkerswood
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley or cilantro leaves
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
For the glaze:
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 1/2 packed cup light or dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup ketchup
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- Pinch of red-pepper flakes
- Pinch of kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- White rice, for serving
Preparation:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil and very lightly coat it with oil.
2. Prepare the meatballs: In a medium bowl, combine the chicken, onion, egg, breadcrumbs, jerk seasoning paste, parsley, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly to combine, being careful not to overwork the meat. Using lightly wet hands, form the mixture into 12 meatballs, each a bit larger than a golf ball, and space them out on the prepared pan. Bake until golden brown, about 15 minutes. (Alternatively, you can fry them in a nonstick pan coated in oil over medium heat for about 4 to 5 minutes per side.)
3. While the meatballs cook, prepare the glaze: Whisk the pineapple juice, brown sugar, ketchup, Worcestershire sauce, garlic, onion powder, red-pepper flakes and salt together in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until it reduces enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 10 to 15 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, mix together the cornstarch with 1 tablespoon water. Slowly whisk into the sauce, increase the heat to medium and stir until you reach the desired consistency. (Sauce should look like a thicker gravy.) Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
5. Add the meatballs to the sauce and stir until coated. Cook over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until the meatballs are evenly glazed and deepen slightly in color. Serve hot on their own or over rice.
This article originally appeared in .
