If you are looking for NASCAR® party food ideas, this selection of delicious wings, ribs, and slow cooker appetizer recipes will be a huge hit among your guests. If you are entertaining a large group, simply double the recipe to make sure you have enough for everyone. From sweet and savory wings to easy appetizers you can slow cook ahead of the event, opt for recipes that will please even the pickiest eaters.
NASCAR Party Wings...and Lots of Them
Chicken wings are the perfect NASCAR party food. Wings can be made in an endless variation of flavors. The most popular are the hot wings, known as Buffalo wings, and barbecue. The real secret to these recipes is in the simplicity of cooking them. The actual cooking part of the wings is so easy that you may just be tempted to make several variations. You can bake, deep fry, or air fry them without compromising the taste.
Baked Hot Buffalo Wings
You don't need to deep fry wings to make the crispiest buffalo wings. The secret lies in the baking powder, as discovered by Cooks' Illustrated / America's Test Kitchen. Serves 8.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken wings
- ½ tablespoon baking powder
- ¾ teaspoons kosher salt
- ½ cup hot sauce
Instructions
- Pat chicken wings dry using paper towel.
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- In a large zipper bag, add wings, baking powder, and salt. Seal the bag and shake to coat wings evenly.
- Place wings on a wire rack on top of a lined baking sheet with foil. Bake for 45 minutes or until crispy.
- Toss baked chicken wings in hot sauce until well coated. Serve immediately.
Baked BBQ Chicken Wings
Smothered in barbecue sauce, these baked barbecue chicken wings will be a hit at your NASCAR party. Serves 8.
Ingredients
- 3 pounds of chicken wings
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ cups barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Place chicken wings with oil, salt and pepper in a storage bag. Shake bag well until wings are coated.
- Bake wings for 45-50 minutes.
- Remove wings from the oven and toss them with barbecue sauce.
Honey Garlic Lollipop Chicken Wings
Calling all drumstick lovers! For extra fun and pretty presentation, trim drumsticks to look like lollipops. Serves 8.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds chicken drumsticks
- ¼ cup oil
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1½ cups honey garlic sauce
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400° F.
- Using a knife or kitchen scissors. cut drumsticks to resemble lollipops as seen in the picture.
- Line a baking sheet with foil.
- Place drumsticks with oil, salt and pepper in a bag. Shake bag well until well coated.
- Bake drumsticks for 45-50 minutes.
- Remove drumsticks from the oven and toss them with barbecue sauce. Place drumsticks back in the oven and bake for another 5 minutes.
- Allow drumsticks to sit for a few minutes before serving.
Garlic Parmesan Wings
These golden delicious garlic parmesan wings can be made in the oven or air fryer. Serve warm with your favorite ranch dressing. Serves 16.
Ingredients
- 5 pounds chicken wings
- 2 tablespoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 4 tablespoons parsley, chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, grated
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 450ºF.
- Pat chicken wings with paper towel. Set aside.
- Line a baking sheet with foil. Spray the wire rack with cooking spray. Place wire rack onto the baking sheet.
- Mix together baking powder, garlic powder, salt, black pepper, and paprika. Coat wings evenly.
- Arrange wings on wire rack. Bake for about 35-40 minutes. Flip them half way through.
- Remove wings from the oven, then transfer to a large bowl.
- In a small bowl, melt butter in the microwave, then mix well with garlic, salt and parsley. Pour butter mixture over wings and toss until evenly coated.
- Sprinkle wings with parmesan and gently toss until well coated. Serve immediately.
Pork or Beef Ribs--Pick Your Favorite
Pork or beef ribs. It does not matter. Ribs are everybody's all-time favorite.
Oven Barbecue Ribs
These barbecue ribs are insanely juicy and tender. Make them in the oven and slather them in the most delicious sticky barbecue sauce with a kick of garlic. Serves 8.
Ingredients
For the ribs:
- 8 pounds baby back pork ribs
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For the ribs:
- 8 pounds baby back pork ribs
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ¼ cup olive oil
For the sauce:
- 4 cups barbecue sauce
- 6 tablespoons minced garlic
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 2 teaspoons salt
Instructions
For the ribs:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Peel off tough membrane that covers the ribs. Place ribs on a baking sheet lined with foil.
- Combine garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, salt, pepper, and cumin together.
- Rub seasoning on both sides sides of the ribs, then drizzle with oil.
- Cover baking sheet with foil. Bake for 2 hours.
For the sauce:
- Remove ribs from the oven. Set aside.
- Mix sauce ingredients together.
- Coat ribs with barbecue sauce.
- Increase oven temperature to 450°F. Place ribs back in the oven uncovered. Bake ribs for another 10 minutes.
- To caramelize the ribs, broil them on medium high.
Braised Beef Short Rib Sandwich With Coleslaw
Saucy, mouth-watering, smoky-flavored braised BBQ Short Rib Sandwich with Slaw that's simply perfection for the savory lovers out there. For your NASCAR party, set up a sandwich station in which the guests can build their own sandwiches. If you are entertaining a large group, you can invest in a chafing dish buffet kit that comes with aluminum pans, rack and fuel to keep food warm and fresh.
Chili Honey Glazed Ribs
Add an Asian spin to your honey glazed ribs with these Spicy Honey-Glazed Baby Pork Ribs by Wolfgang Puck. Enjoy your ribs warm with your favorite side dishes and make sure you have plenty of napkins available for your guests.
Slow Cooker Honey Garlic Meatballs
These delicious meatballs can be served as appetizers or kept in the slow cooker on warm setting so guests can create their own meatball sub sandwiches. Serves 16.
Ingredients
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ⅔ cup honey
- 1 cup ketchup
- ⅓ cup soy sauce or tamari
- 5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 (16-ounce) bag of frozen meatballs
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, mix together brown sugar, honey, ketchup, soy sauce, and garlic.
- Place frozen meatballs in slow cooker. Pour mixture over meatballs. Coat meatballs evenly.
- Cook meatballs on low for 4 hours.
Slow Cooker Pulled Pork
Break out your slow cooker and make a delicious pork. For your convenience, you can make the pulled pork the night before. Serves 16.
Ingredients
- 4 pounds pork shoulder
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 2 white onions, chopped
- 1½ cups ketchup
- ⅓ cup tomato paste
- ½ cup apple cider vinegar
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons mustard powder
- 2 teaspoon cumin
Instructions
- Season pork shoulder with salt and pepper, then add to slow cooker.
- Combine onion, ketchup, tomato paste, apple cider vinegar and spices. Mix until well combined.
- In a slow cooker, cover pork shoulder with mixture. Cook on high for 5 hours.
- Remove pork from slow cooker and transfer to a platter. Shred pork using a fork, then return it to slow cooker to absorb all the juices.
Cocktail Smokies
These mini delicious appetizers are quick and easy to make. Double the recipe and you will be able to feed a crowd. Serves 20.
Ingredients
- 4 packages miniature smoked sausage links
- 2 (8-ounce) jars grape jelly
- 2 (18-ounce) bottles of barbecue sauce
Instructions
- Mix grape jelly and barbecue sauce together, then add to slow cooker.
- Add sausage links and stir gently until sausages are covered. Cook on high for 2-3 hours.
Buffalo Chicken Dip
This cheesy and spicy slow cooker buffalo chicken dip can be easily made in the slow cooker. To make things even easier, use a rotisserie chicken you can buy at one of your local supermarkets. Serves 20.
Ingredients
- 4 cups chicken shredded
- 2 cups buffalo sauce
- 2 cups ranch dressing
- 24 ounces cream cheese
- 3 cups cheddar cheese
- Green onions (optional)
- Bag of your favorite tortilla chips
Instructions
- In a pot, over medium heat, mix chicken and buffalo sauce.
- Add cream cheese, stir well. Add ranch dressing. Mix until well combined.
- Add 1½ cup cheddar cheese. Cook until cheese is melted.
- Transfer to slow cooker and top with another 1½ cup. Turn on to keep warm. Garnish with green onions if desired.
- Serve dip with your favorite tortilla chips.
Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
Make this delicious Slow Cooker Beef Brisket with Barbecue Sauce in your slow cooker and watch your guests express their delight as the brisket melts in their mouths. Brisket is so versatile. You can slice them to create delicious sandwiches or enjoy them with popular side dishes, such as cole slaw, potato salad, baked beans or cream corn.
Spinach Artichoke Dip
The list of ingredients to make this spinach artichoke dip might be long, but it's definitely worth it considering all you have to do is throw all the ingredients in a crock pot and let it cook for 2 hours for an effortless party dip. Serve your artichoke dip with a side of tortilla tips or crackers. It's also a great addition to a cheese or charcuterie board.
Jalapeño Poppers
No party is complete without the popular jalapeño poppers because bacon makes everything better. And the fact you can whip them up in the slow cooker is a huge bonus. Serves 5.
Ingredients
- 10 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- ½ cup sour cream
- 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
- 20 bacon slices, cooked until crispy
- 10 jalapeño peppers, cut in a half lengthwise, seeds and ribs removed
Instructions
- Remove seeds from japaleno peppers. Rinse thoroughly.
- Crumble bacon into small pieces.
- Mix together cream cheese, sour cream, cheddar cheese, and bacon pieces until well combined.
- Stuff jalapeño peppers with mixture.
- Cover the bottom of the slow cooker with a little water. Arrange stuffed peppers in the pot.
- Cook on high for 2 hours. Serve immediately.
Creamy Macaroni and Cheese
For the creamiest and delicious macaroni and cheese, simply throw uncooked pasta and all of the other ingredients in a slow cooker. Serves 8.
Ingredients
- 1 pound elbow pasta, uncooked
- 2½ cups milk
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1 cup cream cheese
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
Instructions
- Add uncooked pasta and all the other ingredients except for the butter to the slow cooker. Stir until well combined.
- Cut butter in small cubes, then add to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low heat for 2-3 hours or until pasta is tender and dish is nice and creamy. Stir once or twice during cooking.
Set the Theme by Adding Character to Your Party
In addition to all the wonderful food you are planning to serve on your NASCAR party, consider investing in a few party decorations. You can easily spruce up your space with party pennants, black and white balloons, and incorporate props such as, trophies, NASCAR collectibles, red, green and checkered flags. Impress your guests with a Pit Stop drink station featuring Nascar fans' favorites, traditionally beer. Skip the tradition and keep the party going by serving a few popular cocktails.
