Football comes down to strategy, planning and execution. The same goes for throwing a successful watch party — especially when you want to actually watch the game instead of being stuck in the kitchen.

Planning to host this Sunday? We say work smarter, not harder. The secret is strategic shortcuts that don’t sacrifice quality. Great food doesn’t have to mean hours of prep work.

We’ve tested countless recipes and kitchen tools to bring you the ultimate game-day playbook: foolproof wings, perfectly crispy fries, hassle-free pulled pork, and set-it-and-forget-it chili that practically makes itself.

Here, we’ve rounded up the best game-day hosting hacks and shortcuts, which’ll let you enjoy the game, the commercials, the halftime show and your guests, all while keeping your flock of football fans well fed.

1. Utilize store-bought rotisserie chicken

Let someone else cook the chicken — and we don’t mean a friend. The easiest tactic if you’re doing things yourself is to pick up a rotisserie chicken and shred the meat however you please. 

That tender meat is the perfect ingredient for other snacks, letting you put together easy chicken nachos and tacos. Alternatively, you can throw it all in the slow cooker with hot sauce and blue cheese for the easiest buffalo chicken dip ever. 

If you insist on making it from scratch, this is the fastest, easiest way to roast chicken at home.

2. Frozen pizza (the good stuff)

Getting a good-quality frozen cheese pizza from your nearest Target, Trader Joe’s or Costco and topping it with fresh vegetables or meats is a no-brainer. Try pancetta and peppers or marinated mushrooms and blue cheese to jazz it up.

Then again, if you spring for a truly gourmet frozen pizza from the likes of Lou Malnati’s or Roberta’s, you can have it delivered straight to your door. You won’t need to do anything but heat it and watch it disappear. 

3. Microwave popcorn

Popcorn is an underrated game-day snack, since you can jazz it up easily with spice mixes, and it takes seconds to make. Pick up a no-salt, no-butter microwave popcorn like this one, then make a seasoning mixture like parmesan and black pepper, Tajin and lime juice or cinnamon-sugar if you’ve got a sweet tooth. 

Bonus: This fulfills the rule in the game-day party playbook that says you should serve something people can eat without needing to look at it, in case they can’t tear their eyes away from the TV.

4. Hummus

For an incredibly easy yet impressive appetizer or snack, buy a good-quality plain hummus and doctor it up with mix-ins, like chipotle peppers. Alternatively, stir in jarred pesto for some Mediterranean flair or some buffalo sauce for a Super Bowl spin on the crowd-pleasing dip. 

5. Marinated steak strips

Marinated steak strips picked up from the meat counter can be seared and wrapped in corn tortillas for steak tacos or steak fajitas or used to top a steak salad. If you aren’t convinced of the quality of your local options, you can always order steak online and toss it in a good store-bought rub or barbecue sauce the night before.

6. Precut veggies and dip

Hack your dip tray by simply swapping out the foil-lidded goop that comes along with a store-bought veggie platter for a flavorful homemade option like cheesy queso dip, slow-cooker French onion or blue cheese dressing. Just choose carefully when you buy precut vegetables — depending on how long they’ve been on the shelf, they can get dried out. If you’ve precut carrots and celery, store them submerged in cold water in the fridge so they don’t lose their snap. 

7. Frozen limeade concentrate

You need to have something to drink besides beer. (And maybe you don’t want to mess around with game-day wine pairings.) Instead, make a round of slushy margaritas by using frozen limeade concentrate instead of freshly squeezed limes. 

Here are the best blenders for making margaritas.

8. Ice cream for dessert

Sure, you could serve it straight from the tub, and most folks will be happy with just that. But a little more work nets way more impressive results. If you aren’t making ice cream at home, these are the best places to order it online.

9. Use booze and grocery delivery

Delivery is the ultimate cheat code for hosts and hostesses. With a few clicks, you’ll have everything moving toward your kitchen, save yourself hours of shopping, and also dodge having to lug heavy beer, wine and groceries from the market or package store. 

Here are our top picks for the best grocery delivery services of 2026 and the best places to get alcohol delivered.

10. Give the Air fryer some action

Fried foods make the perfect game-day companion, but frying foods is a famously messy endeavor. Trust me, you’re not gonna want to deal with that mess the next day, especially if your team lost. For crispy wings, tater tots (one of my personal favorites) and frozen appetizers, an air fryer replicates oil-frying and couldn’t be easier to operate. You can get a good air fryer with enough capacity to cook for a group for less than $60. 

Read more: These 9 Air Fryer Meals Just Made My Stovetop Irrelevant

11. If you’re snobby about frozen, let it go

Speaking of air-frying, frozen food can be your best friend when time is of the essence, and there’s no better way to cook it than in the air fryer. Now, I’m not suggesting you craft your entire menu from the frozen section, but a few well-placed snacks and sides will save you a ton of headache. 

Mozarella sticks, jalapeno poppers, and tenders are all ace air fryer candidates. We recently ranked the best frozen french fries to make in the air fryer — the perfect pairing for crispy wings. 

12. Bust out the Instant Pot

You knew this was going to be in here, and for good reason: An Instant Pot (or whatever pressure cooker you might have) is a perfect tool for making big batches of party food in a fraction of the usual time, from carnitas and queso to chili and cheesecake. With an air fryer attachment, it can even crisp up wings and fries on game day, so put it to good use.