Innovative Game Day Snacks

By Food & Wine
Updated January 17, 2017
From one-pot sticky chicken wings to bacon-bourbon brownies, here are innovative game day snacks.
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Roasted Shrimp-and-Fennel Skewers with Mustard Chimichurri

© John Kernick
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To turn simple shrimp into a party-worthy dish, Boston chef Matt Jennings roasts them along with fennel, then skewers them for dipping in a tangy sauce packed with horseradish, parsley and chives.

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French Fries with Bulgogi and Caramelized Kimchi

CON POULOS
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For his famous late-night snack, Chi’Lantro chef and owner Jae Kim tops hot french fries with caramelized kimchi, grilled Korean-style beef and a mayonnaise spiked with Sriracha.

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Broccoli Cheese Dunk

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Gooey and luscious, this addictive starter is like a deconstructed broccoli quesadilla.

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Natchitoches-Style Meat Pies

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A meat-pie shortcut for the home cook: Use store-bought empanada dough instead of making your own.

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Maple-Glazed Peanuts & Bacon

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“Because everything’s better with bacon,” reads the menu description for these addictive nuts from NYC’s The Redhead. The sweet and salty snack has become so popular that the restaurant now sells it online in packs of three 8-ounce mason jars.

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Crispy Pork, Shrimp and Cabbage Imperial Rolls

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These crispy fried Vietnamese rolls are perfect for parties.

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Chicken & Poblano Tacos with Crema

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This is a variation on the chorizo tacos that Justin Large makes at Big Star. You can replace the chicken strips with chorizo; for a vegetarian taco, Large recommends subbing in crumbled spiced tofu.

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Sesame-Chile Kettle Corn

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Besides the huge boxes of candy, movie theaters often turn popcorn—a fiber-rich food—into a sponge for fat. Grace Parisi adds a fiery kick to her healthier sweet-and-salty version of kettle corn by tossing it with whole red chiles.

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Pork Sandwiches with Garlicky Red Pepper Jus


© Eva Kolenko
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Thinly sliced and spiced pork shoulder gets braised in a juicy red pepper-Vinho Verde broth until tender, then both the pork and jus get made into flavorful and delicious sandwiches from Chicago chef Abraham Conlon. The best rolls for these sandwiches should be crispy outside and tender within to hold those delicious braising juices.

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Whole-Wheat Pizza with Onions and Bitter Greens

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“Italians really appreciate bitter flavors, so I wanted to include them in this pizza,” says Olympic swimmer Garrett Weber-Gale. He developed a taste for bitter ingredients like radicchio and kale while interning at a little pizzeria in Umbria.

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Pork Dumplings with Chile-Sesame Sauce

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These wrinkly dumplings are filled with pork, shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, scallions and ginger.

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Fingerling Papas Bravas with Smoky Aioli

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Students in Haven’s Kitchen’s tapas class learn to make this twist on classic Spanish fried potatoes. The lemony aioli gets its deep flavor from smoked paprika. There are usually lots of fried potatoes left over after the class, so chef David Mawhinney turns them into a luscious oversize frittata to serve at the coffee counter.

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One-Pot Sticky Chicken Wings

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This recipe is Andrew Zimmern’s take on glazed chicken wings he ate in Malaysia.

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Tequila-Mustard-Glazed Chicken Skewers

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James Holmes developed the glaze for this recipe while experimenting with homemade mustards.

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Bacon Candy

JOHN KERNICK
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Crispy, sweet and salty, this three-ingredient snack is the ultimate cocktail party hors d’oeuvre.

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Chili Shrimp

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Rajat Parr discovered Singaporean chili crabs while cooking at a hotel there and exploring the local street food. When crabs aren’t available, he substitutes large shrimp and cooks them in sweet, sticky chile sauce.

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Double-Grilled Antipasto Sandwiches

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These gooey sandwiches get double-grilled on a grill or a grill pan: the prosciutto-wrapped provolone is grilled first before being sandwiched on grilled baguette. “In a pinch, I’ll use Polly-O string cheese instead of provolone,” says Grace Parisi. Slice the sandwiches into smaller pieces to feed a crowd at a party.

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Crispy Corn Tortillas with Chicken and Cheddar

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For these flautas, tortillas are rolled around a savory filling and pan-fried until crisp.

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Pork-and-Cheese Arepas with Tangy Cabbage Slaw

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“My first exposure to authentic Mexican food was through Zarela Martinez,” says F&W’s Grace Parisi. “These stuffed flatbreads prepared with masa (dough made from corn) are my tribute to her. You can use rotisserie chicken in place of the pork, or omit meat entirely.”

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Bacon-Bourbon Brownies with Pecans

FREDRIKA STJÄRNE
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Kat Kinsman tops her rich brownies with bacon and pecans. To enhance the smoky flavor, she mixes some of the bacon fat into the batter.

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Hello Kitty Hot Dogs

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Daniel Wright tops these inspired hot dogs with wasabi mayo and a ponzu-spiked cabbage and carrot slaw. Cutting a cross pattern into the ends of the dogs helps them get crispy.

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S'mores Pizzas

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Chris Ainsworth makes all kinds of seasonal dessert flatbreads at his restaurant, but his s’mores version is a year-round favorite. While baking the flatbreads in the oven is easier, they’re also delicious grilled; just be sure to set the dough away from direct heat so the bottom doesn’t burn before the toppings melt.

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