Game day recipes get judged by a harder panel than dinner ever faces: a room full of people watching something else. Nobody sits down, nobody uses a knife, and the food competes with the fourth quarter for attention. That’s the design brief for everything on this page: dips that empty before halftime, handhelds that survive a lap around the living room, and wings and ribs that taste like the reason you showed up. The pool below grows all season; the proven spread-starters lead it off.
Dips & spreads
The first casualties. Make more than the recipe says; the recipe doesn’t know your friends.
Artichoke Spinach Dip
The party dip with actual seasoning behind it. Bakes in one dish, travels in the same dish, comes home empty. Thick chips only; thin ones are casualties waiting to happen.
7 Layer Dip
The architecture dip: every scoop pulls a core sample of all seven layers. Build it in glass so the layers show. Assembles a day ahead and improves for the wait.
Buttery Buffalo Chicken Breadsticks
Buffalo chicken baked onto breadsticks: the dip and the dipper in one hand. The heat stays round instead of sharp, which is why the tray never makes it to the second half.
Handhelds & sliders
Food that works standing up, one hand busy with something else.
Honey Hot Smashed Sliders
Thin patties seared hard and glossed in honey-hot. A dozen disappear in a quarter; the griddle keeps pace with the line. The glaze tightens at the flip, so it rides instead of dripping.
Al Pastor Burgers
Al pastor flavors on a burger: caramelized pineapple, crema, real char. The one on the table people ask about. Grill the pineapple next to the patties; it wants the same fire.
Grilled Tri Tip Sliders
One tri tip, sliced thin, stretched across a whole slider tray. Grill it whole before kickoff, rest it through the first drive, slice against the grain. Assembly beats cooking when the game’s on.
Wings & bones
The plates that need napkins and earn them.
Spanglish Seasoned Grilled Chicken Wings
Citrus and spice in the rub, char doing the sauce’s job. No sticky-fingers bowl required, which matters when the food is standing-room-only.
Bacon Wrapped Lollipop Chicken Drumsticks
Drumsticks frenched into handles and wrapped in bacon. The built-in grip is the game day feature; the bacon is just good sense.
3-2-1 Hickory Brown Sugar Ribs
The long-game centerpiece: three hours of smoke, two wrapped, one sauced. Start them in the morning and they land right as the late game kicks off.
Rules of the Spread
The spread math is simple and unforgiving. Plan more food than feels right, because game day appetites run a quarter ahead of normal ones. Stagger the cooking so something new lands each quarter instead of everything at kickoff; the smell of a second wave keeps a party alive. And balance the table: for every sweet-and-sticky plate, something sharp or cool next to it. A spread of five rich things eats worse than a spread of three rich things and two bright ones. The recipes handle their own timing; the balance is your call.
Every game day recipe on FlavorMade
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Teriyaki Skirt Steak Stir Fry with Kinder’s Teriyaki Cooking Sauce
35 min Teriyaki skirt steak stir fry with Kinder’s — seared hard over high heat, finished with a glossy teriyaki glaze. Serves 4, ready in 35 minutes.
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Smoked Onion Steak Sandwich
35 min Smoked onion steak sandwich with butter-basted ribeye, caramelized red onions, and a brandy cream sauce built on Kinder’s Smoked Onion Seasoning.
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Skirt Steak Pinwheels with Kinder’s The Greek Blend Seasoning
35 min Skirt steak pinwheels layered with pesto, prosciutto, and provolone, seasoned with Kinder’s Greek Blend. Two-zone grill technique, ready in 35 minutes.
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Woodfired Garlic Tri-Tip Sandwich
35 min Kinder’s woodfired garlic tri-tip sandwich: high-heat sear, thin-sliced beef, Colby cheese, and BBQ sauce. A California BBQ move done right.
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Buttery Steakhouse Tri-Tip Grilled Cheese
35 min Buttery Steakhouse Tri-Tip Grilled Cheese with Kinder’s seasoning, caramelized onions, and sharp cheddar on sourdough. Grilled and griddled in 35 minutes.
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Grilled Tri Tip with Original 46 Marinade
45 min Grilled tri tip marinated in Kinder’s Original 46 — seared hot, finished low, and sliced against the grain for a juicy California BBQ centerpiece.
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Grilled Tri Tip with Kinder’s Original 46 Marinade
6 hr 35 min Grilled tri tip marinated in Kinder’s Original 46, seared for deep char, finished to medium-rare. Full technique, two-zone setup, slicing guide.
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Carne Asada Seasoned Fajita Veggies
15 min Carne asada seasoned fajita veggies in 15 minutes. Bell peppers, red onion, and mushrooms seared with Spanglish Asadero seasoning — one pan, bold flavor.
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Carne Asada Seasoned Crema
2 min Carne asada seasoned crema made with Spanglish Asadero seasoning, Mexican crema, and fresh lime. Two-minute mix, 30-minute rest, ready to drizzle over tacos.
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Grilled Carne Asada Beef Skewers with Spanglish Asadero Seasoning
30 min Grilled carne asada beef skewers built on Spanglish Asadero Carne Asada Seasoning. Ribeye, three peppers, direct heat, and a 10-minute rest. Serves 4.
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Taco Seasoned Mahi Mahi Tacos with Mango Salsa
25 min Taco seasoned mahi mahi tacos with mango salsa — pan-seared with Spanglish Asadero, 25 minutes start to finish. Firm crust, bright salsa, corn tortillas.
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Sweet and Sour Shrimp Stir Fry
30 min Sweet and sour shrimp stir fry built on Kinder’s sauce — charred bell peppers, fresh pineapple, and bold seasoned shrimp glazed in 30 minutes.
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Surf & Turf Skewers
35 min Surf and turf skewers recipe: sirloin and shrimp seasoned with Kinder’s All Purpose, finished with a caramelized BBQ glaze. Ready in 35 minutes.
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Sticky Grilled Salmon with Kinder’s Black Garlic BBQ Glaze
35 min Sticky grilled salmon with Kinder’s Hickory Brown Sugar rub and a two-stage Black Garlic BBQ glaze. Crisp skin, lacquered finish, 35 minutes.
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Kinder’s Garlic Butter Shrimp
35 min Garlic butter shrimp baked in one dish with Kinder’s Garlic Butter Seasoning, lemon, and rosemary. Ready in 35 minutes — serve over pasta or with crusty bread.
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Carne Asada Seasoned Tilapia with Mango Salsa
35 min Carne asada seasoned tilapia with mango salsa — pan-seared in a spiced flour crust with Spanglish Asadero, topped with chilled mango avocado salsa. 35 min.
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Blackened Shrimp Penne Pasta with Kinder’s Cali Blackened Rub
35 min Blackened shrimp penne pasta with Kinder’s Cali Blackened Rub — smoky crust, Parmesan cream sauce, sun-dried tomatoes, and spinach. 35 minutes.
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Bacalao a la Vizcaina (Basque-Style Codfish Stew)
9 min Salt cod soaked and layered with potatoes, olives, raisins, and roasted peppers — this bacalao a la vizcaina simmers into a briny-sweet stew.
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Big Blend Mac Smash Burger Recipe
30 min Big mac smash burger recipe: two crispy smashed patties, Kinder’s Burger Sauce, melted American cheese, and a toasted sesame bun. Done in 30 minutes.
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Honey Hot Pulled Pork Sandwich
8 hr 20 min Honey hot pulled pork smoked low and slow with Kinder’s rub, wrapped in beer, and tossed in Honey Hot BBQ Sauce. Served on a toasted brioche bun.
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Grilled Baby Back Pork Ribs
2 hr 20 min Grilled baby back ribs with a bold dry rub and Kinder’s Roasted Garlic BBQ Sauce glaze. Tender, sticky, and ready in about 2 hours — no smoker needed.
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Au Jus French Dip Sliders
30 min Au jus french dip sliders stacked with roast beef, provolone, and Kinder’s rich dipping broth — ready in 30 minutes and built for game day or any crowd.
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Beef and Potato Tacos Dorados
50 min Beef and potato tacos dorados fried crispy in 50 minutes. Seasoned with Spanglish Asadero Carne Asada for bold flavor all the way through.
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Beef Birria Chili with Spanglish Asadero Birria Seasoning
45 min Beef birria chili built on Spanglish Asadero Birria Seasoning — shredded beef, kidney and pinto beans, 45 minutes. Real birria depth on a weeknight.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much food do I need per person for game day?
Plan on more than a dinner party: figure each guest eats across the whole game, not at one sitting. A working baseline: one dip per four people, five to six wings or two sliders per person, plus one wildcard plate. When in doubt, add one more dip; leftovers of a good dip are not a problem anyone has complained about.
What can I make ahead the day before?
Most of the spread. The 7 layer dip builds a day out and improves overnight. The artichoke dip assembles ahead and bakes at kickoff. Slider patties form and chill, ribs can be rubbed and refrigerated, and wings marinate overnight. Day-of work shrinks to fires and ovens, which is exactly where it should be when guests are arriving.
How do I keep everything warm through a four-hour game?
Stagger, don’t hold. Cook in waves so something fresh lands every quarter instead of everything dying under foil at kickoff. For the things that must hold: a low oven (200°F) keeps wings and sliders honest for an hour, a slow cooker on low holds dips indefinitely, and ribs wrapped in foil and a towel inside a cooler stay hot for two hours.
What’s the right mix for a spread?
For every sweet-and-sticky plate, one sharp or cool neighbor: pickled jalapeños next to the honey-hot sliders, a vinegar slaw next to the ribs, lime wedges everywhere. Three rich plates plus two bright ones beats five rich ones every time. And put the napkins in more than one place; the room will tell you why.
More from FlavorMade
- Chicken Wings Recipes: the wing section, expanded to a full page
- Weeknight Dinner Recipes: for the nights that aren’t game day
- Grilling Recipes: the fire-based half of this spread, year-round
- Summer Grilling Recipes: when game day moves to the backyard