Spicy Chicken Cups Recipe and 10 Party Food Tips for the Holidays

Are you ready to party for the holidays? If you’re the party hostess, this might be harder to question to answer. Personally I love hosting an appetizer party. Appetizers are generally easy to make, and you can time them so that you don’t have to do all your prep work right before the party, which takes a lot of stress off you, the hostess. Today I’m sharing a delicious party food recipe that I love, and I have some party food tips to get you through the holiday season.

The key ingredient in today’s recipe is Tabasco.  We use Tabasco sauce nearly every day at my house.   My husband and son both enjoy adding it to sandwich meat, along with cheese and crackers.   But it’s not just a condiment! A little Tabasco also adds flavor to your party dishes.  I purchased all three varieties, Original Red, Jalepeno, and Chipotle, at Walmart.  They are located in the condiment aisle.

These Spicy Chicken Cups are perfect for parties.  Made with only 5 ingredients, they are an inexpensive recipe to make, as well as an easy and quick fix, at 10 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to bake.  It’s also a finger food that can be enjoyed by your guests without the mess.

 

We actually had a last minute, “mini party” last  weekend, and I decided to throw these together for that, and I’m happy to report that everyone enjoyed them.

Here’s a picture of the cooking process:

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What else can you do to throw a successful appetizer party?  Here are just a few of my tips:

1.   Make a menu plan.  This will help you to be organized and come up with strategies to make sure everything gets done on time.

2.  Have as many “make ahead” recipes and “ready to eat” foods on your menu as possible.

3.  Have at least one slow cooker food to serve.  Slow cooker recipes require very little prep work.  You just throw your ingredients in and let it do the work.  Some of my favorite things to make in the slow cooker include meatballs, cocktail weenies, dips, chili, and soups.  I have a large slow cooker and a small quart size cooker, and for parties, I always like to use both of these.

4.  Always have breads and crackers for your appetizer buffet.  Although I love servings things like the Spicy Chicken Cups or finger sandwiches, I find that people always want bread or crackers to go with other foods (like the meatballs and cold cuts I’m serving).

5.  Be sure that you have a good variety of items so that there is something for everyone, as well as a good mix of hot and cold items.

6. Always have at least one dessert choice and kid-friendly foods, if kids will be attending your party.

7. While we love homemade, don’t be afraid to serve “store-bought” food.  The bakery in our grocery store has a whole host of cookies and cakes that are just delicious!  And we often do take out for our chicken fingers and hot wings.

8. Think simplicity.  A meat & cheese tray requires very little time and effort to make. It requires no cooking, and it can be made ahead of time (even the the night before the party).  Other items you can serve, which require little to no prep work include: fruit and veggie trays, chips & dip, nuts, and mints.

9. Condiments, dips, and dressings are a MUST.  You should always have a few condiments on your buffet to compliment the foods that you are serving but also have other choices in your fridge.

 10. Last but certainly not least, as the party hostess, don’t forget to slow down, take a seat and actually enjoy some of the party food you made for yourself!

 Do you like playing party hostess?  Do you have a tip to add to the list? Tell us in the comments!