Create a SUPER Easy Snack Spread for a KC Chiefs Watch Party
When you're a football fan there is nothing more exciting than having your team compete in the Super Bowl. This year my Kansas City Chiefs were contenders in Super Bowl LVII and I wanted to create a fun, colorful, and SUPER EASY snack spread for the big game.
Hosting a football watch party doesn't have to involve endless of cooking, lots of money, or a complicated playbook. There are times to have an elaborate game day feast and there are busy times when you just want snacks perfect for a Chiefs party that you can assemble in minutes or even purchase premade.
I'll share my best watch party tips and the recipes and snacks I served, which all took minimal effort. Since our watch party was rather tiny, I've included lots of other options for hearty game day munchies, and sweet and savory snacks.
Since I love the Chiefs many of the items I served are in KC's colors: red and gold.
If you cheer for another team, you can follow many of the same principles to create a easy and effortless snack feast in your team's colors. (But #ChiefsKingdom is a lot of fun, consider joining the fandom!)
Table of Contents:
Playbook for planning a KC Chiefs-themed game day easy snack spread.
Hearty snacks perfect for a Chiefs watch party.
Super simple savory snacks perfect for a KC Chiefs watch party.
KC Chiefs-themed sweet snacks.
Non-Alcoholic beverages perfect for a Chiefs watch party.
Alcoholic beverages for a football party.
This post may contain affiliate links for your convenience. This means if you make a purchase, I will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. For more information, see my disclosures here.
Playbook for planning a KC Chiefs-themed game day easy snack spread.
A football playbook has all the team's plays and strategies assembled in one place. I suggest you make your own quick-and-easy "playbook" when planning your watch party.
Grab a notebook and pen, or use a Google doc, or your phone's notes app to be strategic about your event.
Write your roster.
Who will you invite? How many total guests do you expect?
The number of guests will help you plan how much food to have on hand.
Brainstorm a variety of hearty, savory, and sweet snacks.
When planning your easy watch party snack menu, consider a mix of hearty snacks (you know, what you'd feed someone like the Chiefs center, Creed Humphrey), savory and sweet snacks.
For the Chiefs watch party, I made a list of foods that are in their colors - red and gold. If you root for another team, brainstorm foods in your team's colors.
Think of a balance of foods served warm, and those that can be served at room temperature (or chilled)
When choosing food, consider your guests. Will you have kids attend? Just adults? Does your group love BBQ (like most Kansas City Chiefs fans) or have certain ritual food you serve like chili, hotdogs, or burgers?
Ideally, choose snacks with minimal preparation or can be made or purchased in advance. My goal with this year's Chiefs party was EASY. I wanted a variety of food with minimal fuss.
Consider asking guests to bring their favorite dish or snack. Asking guests to bring "something" is a nice way to get variety for your watch party menu. You can assign a category like "veggies and a dip," or "dessert," or let guests decide what they want to bring.
Remember you're not actually serving the Chiefs, coaches, and staff! You don’t need to serve a feast. Pick a few snacks and make them in sufficient quantities. I have lots of ideas to get you thinking, but for a stress-free game day experience limit your options.
Our local Hy-Vee is a grocery partner with the Chiefs and had tons of delicious football snacks.
Check out your team's official grocery store.
In 2009 Hy-Vee became the official grocery partner of the Kansas City Chiefs which means during football season you WILL see KC Chiefs cookies, red & gold tortilla chips, festive football cookie cakes, and even OPI nail polish in Chiefs colors!
During the playoffs you will find tons of snacks in Chiefs colors, traditional game day eats and snacks like layered dips, seasoned meats for the grill, and well, almost any type of football snack you can think of! Check out the photos in this post.
A good playbook has detailed schedules.
Football players and staff have very specific training and game day routines and duties. Even if you're hosting a tiny informal football watch party, do a little planning in advance.
Write out your menu.
When will you shop? Know that grocery stores will be swamped in the days ahead of a big game. This is one time I like shopping in the store, rather than online. There likely will be many football or Chiefs-specific snacks, gear, or supplies that aren't listed on the store's website.
Can you prep any foods in advance? What and when?
Do you need any special serving containers, utensils, plates, napkins, or cutlery? For NFL-licensed Chiefs plates, napkins, and cups, order or purchase early in the season.
Will you purchase decorations? From where and when?
A football team has equipment needs. What are yours?
You don't need to worry about pads, helmets, or gloves, but you might need serving pieces or paper goods.
I bought a set of Kansas City Chiefs plates and napkins at my local Party City. They are a great resource for Chiefs and other football-inspired parties, with plates, napkins, cutlery, balloons, and serving platters.
Purchase or order these in plenty of time. If your party is for a playoff game there will be a run on your team's supplies. Next year I will order plenty of Chiefs and football party goods early in the season!
If you don't want to purchase official NFL team plates or napkins, you can always do supplies in your team’s colors. You can get these on Amazon, at Walmart, Target, Party City, Hobby Lobby, and Michaels.
Evaluate your game plan (so next time will be even better)!
All NFL players and coaches watch films of their games so they can improve and correct mistakes. I love to do a little summary after every party or holiday to see what foods were popular and what were duds. I keep my lists in Evernote, but you can write up a little evaluation in a Google doc, in your phone's notes app, or even in a notebook.
What snack went lightning fast (kind of like Travis Kelce sprinting for the end zone)?
What treats were duds?
Did you have enough food? Too much?
What would you change, add, or eliminate next time?
What went right?
BBQ is practically a Kansas City religion. And always welcomed at a Chiefs watch party.
"Super" easy KC Chiefs game day snack menu.
Hearty snacks are perfect for a Chiefs watch party.
Sadly you won't see hearty game-day food in my photos because of a playoff superstition. We ate at Waffle House before the Super Bowl which was the same meal we had when the Chiefs won the Championship game against the Bengals two weeks prior. So we were comfortably full BEFORE the big game.
I DO recommend having hearty snacks for your group though. If I had a larger group it would be a fumble not serving substantial eats.
Wings are traditional tailgate and football food.
You can make your own, or purchase from your favorite restaurant. These Crispy Baked Chicken Wings are easy to prepare and bake right in the oven. Serve your favorite sauces. In Kansas City a BBQ sauce is traditional! I love Meat Mitch Sauces and rubs and recommend Meat Mitch WHOMP sauce for traditional wings or Stay HOT! BBQ sauce for spicy wings. Meat Mitch (and other local KC BBQ sauces) can be found on Amazon or in almost any Kansas City area grocery store.
Who doesn’t love pizza? It’s a perfect hearty football snack for adults and kids alike.
Pizza is always a favorite game day treat.
Order one or more pizzas from your favorite local pizzeria. (I know it's not fancy but I love Casey's pepperoni pizza, and it's cheap!)
If you have a small group and you want to spend a bit more time, cut out pizza dough in football shapes and make mini cheese or pepperoni pizzas. I linked to heart shaped-mini pizzas in this post.
Make (or purchase) mini sandwiches.
Secure your sandwiches with a goalpost or football decorative pick as seen in some of my photos. I purchased them at Party City.
Chili with toppings.
Chili is tasty, filling mini meal and it's perfect for game day. You can purchase chili, but it's extremely easy to make. I like this slow cooker recipe that will stay piping hot throughout the game.
Don't forget toppings like shredded cheese, green onions, chopped avocado, and/or cilantro.
Just DON'T serve Cincinnati chili to Chiefs fans! It's bad luck. Sorry Bengals fans.
Grilled hot dogs and/or hamburgers.
If someone likes to grill and the weather is suitable, you can make hot dogs and/or hamburgers.Don't forget buns, mustard, ketchup (Patrick Mahome's favorite condiment), cheese slices, or your favorite toppings.
Crockpot BBQ Meatballs.
This recipe uses frozen meatballs, grape jelly, and BBQ sauce to make a classic game day party food. The slow cooker keeps them nice and hot during the game - hopefully like the Chiefs are playing!
Deviled eggs topped with bacon. Yum!
Super simple savory snacks perfect for a KC Chiefs watch party.
"Football" deviled eggs.
I made the bacon-topped deviled eggs in the Spectacular Spreads: 50 Amazing Spreads for Any Occasion book by Megan Brown, but you can view this similar recipe online.
Deviled eggs are always a hit, and they can be made a day in advance. Or you can totally cheat by purchasing deviled eggs and decorating them with crispy bacon.
A vegetarian option is to use the traditional paprika sprinkle (which works well with Chiefs colors) or garnish with very finely chopped red bell pepper.
Chips and salsa in KC Chiefs colors.
I purchased Fiesta-brand fresh pico de gallo, but use your favorite fresh or jarred salsa.
Our local Hy-Vee makes red and gold tortilla chips during football season and they fit perfectly with the Kansas City Chiefs theme. Traditional tortilla chips obviously are perfectly fine.
Jarred queso is totally cool. Even better is warm, cheesy Rotel dip!
Queso dip or Rotel dip.
What football fan doesn't love cheesy nacho dip? The rich golden color also coordinates beautifully with a Chiefs snack spread.
I used jarred queso this time. Don't judge!!! I actually love jarred queso and pouring dip into a football-shaped serving bowl was a breeze. I used Target's Good & Gather Salsa Con Queso, but Tostitos brand is tasty as well.
The upgraded version of jarred queso is the classic Rotel dip. It's a mildly spicy and addictive blend of Velveeta and seasoned Rotel tomatoes. You can find the original recipe here. Keep warm in a crockpot.
This Super Bowl LVII football field of dips by Rebecca Stolfus is adorable! And apparently good luck for our KC Chiefs!
Guacamole is a staple for football watch parties.
Purchase it premade or make your own. Homemade always tastes better. This is my guacamole recipe.
Kansas City local Rebecca Stolfus assembled this clever guacamole, salsa, and queso dip and decorated it for the Super Bowl. The display is "super creative"!
Layered Mexican Dip.
I used to make a 7-layer Mexican dip but as delicious as it is, takes a bit of slicing, chopping, and measuring. Hy-Vee (or most grocery stores) sell perfectly acceptable layered Mexican dips. I saw tons of these being prepped when I visited Hy-Vee just days before the Super Bowl.
KC Chiefs colored popcorn ftw!
Popcorn.
Buttery popcorn is always a hit and it's cute to serve in the little football snack cups I have featured in some of my photos. Pop your own, or purchase pre-popped for a zero-effort snack.
I used Topsy's cheese and cinnamon popcorn, sold in football-themed packaging at Hy-Vee. The bright red and gold popcorn are the perfect colors for a Chiefs party.
Hummus and pita chips.
I love traditional hummus but recently discovered Target's Good & Gather Jalapeno Hummus which is OUT OF THIS WORLD. Serve your favorite variety of hummus with pita chips, raw veggies, tortilla chips, or crackers.
Vegetable tray and dip.
Raw veggies are healthy, vibrant, and fun to stress-crunch if the Chiefs are down by 10 at half-time, like this year's Super Bowl. For a KC Chiefs party definitely include yellow and red veggies. If you're having a large gathering you might want to opt to also include popular dippers like broccoli, cauliflower, snap peas, and/or celery.
Grocery stores always sell veggie platters with dip if you want a simple and easy option. Or, you can easily create your own platter.
Red and yellow veggies for munching or dipping:
red bell pepper
red cherry tomatoes
red carrots
yellow bell pepper
yellow cherry tomatoes
yellow carrots
yellow summer squash
yellow cauliflower (yes, it is a thing!)
Choose one or more dips like queso, Mexican layered dip, guacamole, or hummus already mentioned. For more ideas, I have a list of other popular dips in the next section.
ANY kind of chips and dip are perfect for a football watch party.
From classic French Onion Dip and potato chips, to trendy barbecue chip with blue cheese dressing, crunchy chips pair well with creamy dips. Here are some ideas to get you thinking for your next Chiefs watch party, or for any occasion.
Football party chip ideas:
Tortilla chips
Blue corn tortilla chips
Pita chips
Bagel crisps
Pretzel thins
Corn chips (like Bugles)
Potato chips
Crackers (there are endless varieties)
Football party dip ideas:
Most of these can be purchased fresh, frozen, or jarred in keeping with my "super simple snacks" theme. If you want to make your own, dips are notoriously easy to make and a simple google search will give you lots of recipe options.
For a large party, you might "entertain" the idea of a mixture of warm and cold dips. (Pun absolutely intended.)
French onion dip
Crab Rangoon Dip- this was red and gold and perfect for the Chiefs theme. (I purchased this dip from a local KC vendor on Market Wagon, an online farmer’s market.)
Spinach dip
Dill dip
Buffalo chicken dip (not to be served EVER on a game day in Kansas City, haha)
Cheese spreads
Hummus
Jalapeno Popper dip (I love this recipe)
Artichoke dip
Bean dip
Pimento cheese dip
Guacamole
Crab dip
Salsa or pico de gallo
Tzatziki dip (cucumber-yogurt)
KC Chiefs-themed sweet snacks.
A Chiefs victory is always sweet, just like these colorful, easy-to-prepare (or purchase!) treats.
Cereal Snack mix with KC Chiefs colors is so easy to make!
KC Chiefs Cereal Snack Mix.
This is an easy-to-make sweet treat you can customize with Chiefs colors. I served two varieties. Get the recipe here.
How adorable are these cookie cakes? Hy-Vee had a ton for sale the week prior to the big game.
A football or Chiefs-themed chocolate chip cookie cake.
Hy-Vee had THE CUTEST KC Chiefs cookie cakes. They were reasonably priced (I think $15.99) and serve multiple people.
I decorated Rice Krispie Treats with melted chocolate in Chiefs colors.
Rice Krispie Treats decorated with red and yellow chocolate melts and sprinkles.
I used the original Rice Krispie Treats recipe. If you're short on time serve them plain, or just add sprinkles while the Krispie treats are still warm.
I cut the Rice Krispie Treats into heart shapes because it was near Valentine’s Day and also because KC Chiefs fans would LOVE a victory.
I used candy melts in red and yellow to add Chiefs colors and used some sprinkles I had on hand. Because the melted chocolate cools so quickly I’d really recommend using red or yellow frosting instead of candy melts.
Fresh pineapple and strawberries.
Talk about simple! Pineapples and strawberries are naturally Chiefs colors, and they are a refreshing, light snack which is a nice change from heavy dips and eats.
My local Hy-Vee sells pineapples and strawberries conveniently packaged together during football season.
Serving homemade or store-bought sugar cookies is a football party victory!
Sugar cookies in football shapes or team colors.
I made these Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City Chiefs cookies earlier in the season but didn't want to spend lots of time for our big game snacks. Hy-Vee sells Chiefs sugar cookies (see photos). Their sugar cookies and shiny icing are actually very tasty.
Baking and decorating sugar cookies is not an easy task. Hy-Vee had lots of options available for purchase.
Bake or purchase cupcakes in your team colors.
Our local area grocery stores (including Super Target) all sell red and yellow cupcakes during the playoffs.
If you don't mind baking you can easily whip up a batch of cupcakes. Tint the frosting red and/or yellow, or use white icing and top with red and gold sprinkles.
If you have kids at your football watch party and don't mind a little mess, have icing bags filled with frosting and shakers of sprinkles and they can decorate all by themselves!
Topsy's cheese and cinnamon popcorn
Cheese and cinnamon popcorn look great on your Chiefs snack table.
I designed and printed some simple labels to use on Hint water bottles.
Non-Alcoholic Beverages perfect for a Chiefs watch party.
When planning drinks for a football party, consider your personal likes and those of your guests. Even if all the guests are adults, it's good to have a few non-alcoholic options.
Bottled water.
Bottled water is a staple for football parties. Just like the players, it's important to hydrate!
Soda (regular and/or diet).
Hot chocolate.
Make sure you have marshmallows! Instant packets work fine or make a pot of homemade hot chocolate. Hershey's recipe is a classic. For adults, consider yummy liqueurs to spike drinks, if desired. Baileys, Kahlua, Marshmallow Vodka, and Peppermint Vodka all work well.
Iced tea.
Lemonade.
Serve with sliced strawberries for Chiefs colors!
Juice boxes for kiddos.
Shatto Red Velvet milk.
This is an expensive option, and not very practical because you likely won't have anyone opting to drink milk at a watch party, but it's adorable and in Chiefs colors.
Alcoholic beverages for a football party.
Alcohol is expensive and people like different brands of beer. Some people prefer wine or hard cider to beer (like me)! Before the party decide if you are serving alcohol, and what you will provide.
If you would prefer to have your guests BYOB (which is the super simple option), just be sure to set expectations with your guests before the party so they know what to expect. With a BYOB party consider providing a cooler for guests to store their drinks in.
Beer.
You know what kind you and your friends like!
Hard cider.
Sangria with fruit slices is a great Chiefs party drink.
My mom used to make sangria for parties way back in the day. This sangria recipe from Allrecipes has perfect KC Chiefs colors!
Create a signature football cocktail or punch.
I found this vodka-based Run It Back Cocktail at the Mom's Dinner blog in Chiefs colors.
I hope these tips and simple snack ideas help inspire you to throw a Chiefs-themed watch party. Go Chiefs!
Jacqui @ PlanAHealthyLife