Ask Lemmy

Glögg

My go-to easy party thing is buffalo chicken dip, I basically never measure anything so if you're not comfortable eyeballing stuff there's a million recipes out there to get you in the right ballpark.

The way I do it is requires maybe about 5 minutes total of actual work

Cook some chicken. I just throw some chicken breasts in the pressure cooker. Crock pot should work fine if you have the time, or bake them in the oven, poach them on the stove, hell just buy pre cooked chicken if you want, a lot of grocery stores near me even sell pre-shredded chicken which would be ideal. Whatever's most convenient for you. Pressure cooker or crock pot lets this be a one-pot kind of deal, and you can serve in it to keep it warm.

I just throw the chicken in there, little bit of salt & pepper, maybe some cayenne if I know people can handle the spice, some garlic and onion powder if I actually like the people I'm going to party with and it's not just a work function I'm half-assing things for.

Shred the chicken. I just go to town with a hand mixer. Use whatever method you like.

There's usually maybe a cup or so of liquid that cooked out of the chicken in the pressure cooker, I just leave it. If you're using other methods you may need to add or drain off some liquid - water, chicken stock, whatever. I think some added liquid is good and help it stay "dippy" even if you can't keep it warm for serving.

Add some cream cheese, Frank's red hot (or your preferred buffalo wing sauce,) and crumbled Bleu cheese

I like to shred some carrots and celery into it with a grater. Totally optional, but I think it kind of helps get the full experience of a basket of wings with a cup of blue cheese dressing and a couple celery sticks.

Mix it all together, easiest to do if it's still warm of course so the cream cheese can melt.

A lot of recipes call for shredded cheese, I don't think that adds to the flavor profile here, and just kind of makes the dip stiffer and less dip-able.

Serve with your preferred dipping chips, pita/naan, etc.

I've also used basically the same exact recipe as a filling for things like pierogi or rangoons. In those cases I do usually drain off the liquid from the chicken so that it's a bit thicker.

White Trash is usually a good choice for Christmas parties.

https://mytxkitchen.com/white-trash-recipe/

Chex mix makes a similar pre made holidays muddy buddies if you don't want to bother cooking.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Chex-Mix-Muddy-Buddies-Peanut-Butter-Chocolate-Snack-Mix-Holiday-Edition-2-5-oz/910306057

You could throw this in with it and basically have your own pre-made version

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Freshness-Guaranteed-Santa-Snack-Bowl-Chocolate-Pretzels-Candy-13-oz-340g/1877605029

Drugs

Bowl of assorted of broken Candy Canes. (Cane being the operative word.) Meheheheheh I'm a funny man... Okay okay.

Assuming you have access to a microwave where you're going or you can microwave it at home if you're not going far:

Pick up a premade spinach, artichoke, or mexican-ish dip, and some parmesan or shredded cheese that'll go with the dip.
Bring a big microwave safe bowl.
Get some greek pita/plain chips.
Sprinkle the cheese on top, nuke it 'til it's warm and gooey.
If you can broil it in the oven for a bit beforehand that'd be ideal but then you might as well do the brie.

Those little bottles of juice that are shaped like barrels. Little HUG fruit barrels. And amphetamines.

Are potlucks normal for work parties? Can't say I've ever seen it.

Mac and cheese is almost always a fan favorite if you are looking for low effort. If you want something a little more unusual and requiring a tad of effort I strongly recommend muhammara. It's a dip that is usually served with fresh bread but chips will do fs. Everyone I have introduced it to has loved it.