Gameday Chicken Bar for Football Season

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Tyson Foods, Inc. The opinions and text are all mine.

My favorite season is upon us. No, not autumn. Nope, not winter. I am talking about football season, my friends. I do not actually watch football, but boy oh boy do I love throwing a football-viewing party. Give me a theme, an oven, and some Tyson^® Chicken and we have got ourselves a shindig. So today I am going to walk you through the ultimate gameday entertaining tutorial. A viewing party bar to rival all viewing party bars… this is my Gameday Chicken Bar for football season!

Believe it or not, I don’t watch a lot of football. They make home-runs in football, right?! No, my ultimate contact sport? Entertaining! Entertaining is where the real action happens. I am talking cheese slicing, oven burning, party serving action. And luckily, I have the ultimate tool in my arsenal – Tyson products from H-E-B! Let’s walk through the step-by-step tutorial together, shall we?!

Get the Grub

First things first, you will need to get the goods. So, head on over to your local H-E-B to pick up all the supplies. And by “supplies” I mean chicken! Oh and a few condiments. But mainly, you are just going to concentrate on the chicken. We will be whipping up this snacking bar with three delicious varieties… Tyson Fully Cooked Crispy Chicken Strips, Tyson Any’tizers^® Popcorn Chicken, and Tyson Chicken Nuggets.

Pick a Location

Next you will need to pick the location of the bar. I suggest somewhere near the television. Your guests are going to need easy access to the delicious grub, so placing the bar next to the TV or couch is ideal. For my own entertaining needs, my bar is set up directly to the left of the viewing area. I would also recommend adding a few banners or tassels to the mix… I can’t resist a bit of sparkle!

A Game Plan

There is nothing that elevates your hosting game more than having a menu on display. Trust me, your guests will be unreasonably impressed. So, print out a fun “Game Plan” and put it on a football themed board.

The Condiments

When you have a chicken bar on full display, you absolutely cannot go cheap on the condiments. Make the space a dipping haven with a variety of traditional and unique options. For my own bar, I placed out the classics like ketchup, barbeque sauce, and mustard. But I also added two unique options with Creamy Cilantro Dip and sweet & spicy relish. Get the recipe for my Creamy Cilantro Dip below!

Creamy Cilantro Dip

Time: 5 minutes; Serves: 6-8

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup loosely packed cilantro
• 1 cup Greek yogurt
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• ¼ cup of lime juice
• 1 jalapeno (sliced)
• 2 garlic cloves
• ¼ teaspoon of salt

DIRECTIONS:

1. Place all the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and creamy.
2. Serve as dip for Tyson chicken and enjoy!

Chicken, Chicken, Chicken!

Last, but certainly not least, you need the chicken. For the three varieties of chicken you will be serving, I suggest displaying them each in a unique way. First pop them in the oven and follow the directions on the bags for proper cooking times. Now, let me break down each element here…

The Tyson Any’tizers Popcorn Chicken is literally being presented in popcorn holders. Fun and a bit cheeky, am I right?! I absolutely love serving this chicken at my viewing parties because it has a crave-worthy flavor and is protein-packed to help keep the energy levels high. Best of all, the chicken is raised with no antibiotics ever, so you have peace of mind that your guests are being served the best.

The Tyson Chicken Nuggets serve as the centerpiece of my bar. Heaped to the max in a cute basket, the all-natural chicken is just begging to be eaten. And just like the Tyson Any’tizers Popcorn Chicken, the nuggets have no antibiotics ever and have all-natural* ingredients (*minimally processed and no artificial ingredients). A fun trick is to place the nuggets on cake stand. This adds visual interest to the bar and actually makes for easier access to the munching.

The Tyson Fully Cooked Crispy Chicken Strips are a heartier option for your super hungry guests. The white meat chicken also has no antibiotics ever and has all-natural* ingredients (*minimally processed and no artificial ingredients).

Game Time!

Now that your bar is set, all that is left is to watch the game! The thing I like most about setting up a Gameday Chicken Bar is that by the time the football game starts, and your guests have arrived, your work is done. You can join your friends in all the munching and cheering festivities.

So, make sure to pick up all the delicious varieties of Tyson chicken at your local H-E-B. Let’s play ball! (wait, is that a different game?)