Tailgating Party: Recipes & Pro Tips

By Jeanne Benedict
Remoulade Basting Sauce for Grilled Chicken Succulent Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

Gridiron gourmets are fired up and ready to grill in stadium parking lots across the nation! Whether your tailgating menu includes regional favorites, such as Chicago Bratwurst or Dallas Barbecue Brisket, or you mix it up every week with cuisine themed for each team, there are a few guidelines that most portable party pros seem to follow.

Prep Like A Pro

Stadium Parking Lot Party Tips

  • Arrive 3 to 4 hours before the game starts to get a good parking space and prepare for the party.
  • Schedule your dining time at least 1 1/2 hours before game time, to allow a nice pace for eating, cleaning up, extinguishing fires, and cooling down grills.
  • Make friends with your tailgating neighbors, and stay an hour or so after the game to enjoy their company and wait for the parking lot to clear.
Check out more great ideas from our friends at tailgating.com.

Arrive with a game plan! Prepare a dip at home that you can serve the second you've parked your car and started your grill prep. The BLT Dip recipe below has a rich, smoky flavor that will get guests in the mood for a grilled menu.

Offer easy-to-grill appetizers that you can marinate and assemble at home, like the Salsa-Dipped Kabobs. Or score big with an exotic recipe like the Tropical Grilled Shrimp Cocktail.

Please the crowd with two types of entree's, such as a grilled chicken and steak. And toss some spuds on the bbq for a warm Grilled Potato & Avocado Salad.

Chipotle Flank Steak with Creamy Cilantro Sauce from Hellmann's / Best FoodsChipotle Flank Steak with Creamy Cilantro Sauce

Tasty Tailgating Recipes

My favorite tailgating grub includes lots of spicy food to help get me charged up for the game! I've included a few delicious recipes below to help make your tailgating experience tasty, and for awesome products, check out my favorite new Tailgating Gear.

BLT Dip

Ingredients

1 envelope Lipton® Recipe Secrets ® Golden Onion Soup Mix
1 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1 container (8 oz.) sour cream
1 medium tomato, chopped (about 1 cup)
6 slices bacon, crisp-cooked and crumbled (about 1/2 cup) or 1/2 cup bacon bits
Shredded lettuce

Preparation

1. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except lettuce; chill, if desired.

2. Garnish with lettuce and serve with your favorite dippers.

Serves: 3 cups dip
Prep Time: 10 Minutes

 

Salsa-Dipped Kebobs

Ingredients

1/2 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1/2 cup prepared salsa
1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces

Preparation

1. In small bowl, combine Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise and salsa. In large plastic bag or bowl, combine chicken and 1/4 cup mayonnaise mixture. Close bag, or cover bowl, and marinate in refrigerator 3 hours. Refrigerate remaining mayonnaise mixture.

2. Remove chicken from marinade, discarding marinade. Onto skewers, alternately thread chicken and red pepper.

3. Grill or broil kabobs, turning frequently, 8 minutes or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Serve with refrigerated salsa mixture.

*If using wooden skewers, soak in water 20 minutes before skewering.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes
Marinate Time: 3 Hours

Tropical Grilled Shrimp Cocktail

Ingredients

1 lb. uncooked large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/2 tsp. grated lime peel
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1/3 cup Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Canola Cholesterol Free Mayonnaise
1 medium mango, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
1/2 medium fresh papaya, peeled and diced (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preparation

1. Toss shrimp with 1 tablespoon lime juice, lime peel, garlic and 1 tablespoon Hellmann’s® or Best Foods® Canola Cholesterol Free Mayonnaise. Marinate 15 minutes. Remove shrimp from marinade, discarding marinade. Grill or broil, turning once, until shrimp turn pink; set aside.

2. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, combine mango, papaya, red onion, remaining Mayonnaise, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice and parsley. To serve, spoon mango mixture into margarita glasses or glass dishes and evenly top with shrimp. Garnish, if desired, with lime wedges.

Serves: 8 appetizer servings
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 10 Minutes
Marinate Time: 15 Minutes

 

Succulent Honey Mustard Grilled Chicken

Ingredients

1/2 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Hellmann's® Deli Mustard
1 Tbsp. honey
1 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1/8 tsp. ground black pepper
Pinch salt
2 green onions, chopped
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves (about 1-1/4 lbs.)

Preparation

1. In medium bowl, combine all ingredients except chicken. Reserve 1/3 cup mayonnaise mixture.

2. Grill or broil chicken, brushing frequently with remaining mayonnaise mixture, until chicken is thoroughly cooked, turning once. Serve chicken with reserved mayonnaise mixture and garnish, if desired, with additional chopped green onions.

Variations:
For Grilled Lemon-Pepper Chicken: combine 1 cup Mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon Lawry's® Lemon Pepper and 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves; reserve 1/2 cup and prepare as above.

For Grilled Caesar Chicken: combine 1 cup Mayonnaise, 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 1 teaspoon chopped garlic and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce; reserve 1/2 cup and prepare as above.

For Salsa-Dipped Grilled Chicken: combine 1/2 cup Mayonnaise and 1/2 cup prepared salsa; reserve 1/2 cup and prepare as above.

For Grilled Asian Chicken Salad: combine 1 cup Mayonnaise, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon ground ginger and 1 teaspoon chopped garlic; reserve 1/2 cup, prepare as above and serve over salad greens.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes

Chipotle Flank Steak with Creamy Cilantro Sauce

Ingredients

1 can (7 oz.) chipotle chili in adobo sauce
2 Tbsp. lime juice
1- lb. boneless flank steak
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1/2 tsp. Lawry's® Garlic Salt
1-1/2 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise

Preparation

1. In food processor or blender, process 3/4 cup Hellmann's ® or Best Foods ® Real Mayonnaise, chili and lime juice until smooth. In baking dish, arrange steak. Rub both sides with mayonnaise mixture. Cover and marinate in refrigerator 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine cilantro, Garlic Salt and remaining 3/4 cup Mayonnaise; cover and chill.

3. Grill steak, turning once, 8 minutes or until desired doneness. Slice steak and serve with cilantro sauce.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 8 Minutes
Marinate Time: 30 Minutes

Grilled Potato & Avocado Salad

Ingredients

1-1/2 lbs. all-purpose potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 medium red bell peppers, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/4 cup Hellmann's® or Best Foods® Real Mayonnaise
1 medium avocado, diced
2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro
1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1/2 cup Lawry's® Italian Garlic Steak Marinade With Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil
1 tsp. Lawry's® Seasoned Salt
1 tsp. Lawry's® Seasoned Pepper

Preparation

1. In large bowl, toss potatoes, vegetables, Lawry's® Italian Garlic Steak Marinade With Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil, Seasoned Salt and Seasoned Pepper. In center of double layer (18 x 24-inch pieces) heavy-duty aluminum foil, arrange potato mixture. Wrap foil loosely around potatoes and vegetables, sealing airtight with double fold. Grill, turning occasionally, 45 minutes or until potatoes are tender; cool slightly.

2. In large bowl, toss potato mixture with Mayonnaise, then gently stir in avocado and cilantro. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 6
Prep Time: 20 Minutes
Cook Time: 35 Minutes

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