Philly’s Top Chefs Share Their Favorite Super Bowl Party Recipes

What to eat while you watch the Eagles beat the Patriots, straight from some of the city's hottest kitchens.


Serpico’s Korean Fried Chicken Wings | Photo by Danielle Delre

Maybe you’re planning to skip the bar for the Super Bowl and having a party or potluck with friends to watch the game instead. (Hey, we get it — we’re feeling leery about leaving the house on Sunday, too.)

But there’s more to game day food than pizza and wings, although it’s our opinion that any respectable Super Bowl shindig should have both. And you might want to add some personal flair to the menu in addition to some solid takeout assistance.

So we reached out to some of Philly’s top chefs for their favorite recipes to serve with a side of football — plus a hangover-helper Bloody Mary to ease you back into real life on Monday morning.

Nick Elmi

Elmi first had this “amazingly easy and super rich” crab dip at his aunt’s house. The Laurel, ITV and Royal Boucherie owner recommends serving it with sturdy chips, so that you can get a heaping helping of dip without the chip crumbling.

Buffalo Crab Dip

1 pound lump blue crab meat
8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup Frank’s Buffalo Sauce
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup shredded sharp cheddar
2 tablespoons mayonnaisse
2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
Half a sleeve of Ritz crackers, crumbled up

Mix the cream cheese and sour cream together with a whisk until smooth. Fold in the cheddar, Worcestershire, Old Bay, mayo, and hot sauce. Mix well.

Next, use a spatula to gently fold in the crab. Don’t get to aggressive, or you’ll break the crab up too much. Spread the mixture into a ceramic baking dish. Cover with cracker crumbs and bake at 325oF for 25 minutes. Serve hot.


Peter Serpico

Make a big batch of this ultra-crunchy Korean-style fried chicken from Serpico’s kitchen to feed (and impress) a crowd. Start the recipes on Saturday so that everything is ready in time for the big game.

Korean Fried Chicken Wings with Broccoli Stem Kimchi

For the batter:
1 cup Crisp Coat
3 1/4 cup Wondra flour
1/3 cup vodka
3 1/2 cups water

For the sauce:
6 quarts Mirin
1/2 cups B grade soy sauce
2 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons green yuzu kosho
13 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
5 cups kochujang
2 cups simple syrup
3 1/2 cups water
1 tablespoon salt

For the kimchi: 
24 pieces broccoli stem, peeled
1 onion, chopped, puréed
1/4 cup water
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2T ginger, chopped
1T Korean chili flake
1T fish sauce
1 horse carrot, grated
2 scallions cut into 2 inch pieces
2T kosher salt

Make the sauce: Reduce mirin by half and allow to cool. Combine the rest of the ingredients and whisk to combine.

Make the wings: Start with about 40 jumbo chicken wings. Remove tips and divide into wings and paddles. Blanch fry the chicken pieces at 300oF until hot in center (155oF). Season heavily with salt and freeze 4 hours or overnight.

Once the wings are frozen, heat frying oil to 350oF. Combine batter ingredients, then coat the wings in Wondra flour, dredge in batter, and deep fry at 350oF.

Make the kimchi: Peel broccoli stems until you reach the inner core that is tender. Season with a 50-50 mix of kosher salt and sugar. Let stand for 4 hours at room temperature.

Purée the onion with water. Add chopped ginger, garlic, fish sauce, and chili flakes. Add stems and mix to combine. Finish with chopped scallion, grated carrot, and kosher salt. Cover with plastic wrap directly on the kimchi to make sure that all the stems are covered in liquid and cover with a lid. Leave kimchi to ferment for 24 hours at room temperature. Store unused kimchi for up to 4 weeks in the refrigerator.


Chad Williams

The Friday Saturday Sunday chef serves this shredded pork shoulder with Pennsylvania-based Martin’s potato rolls (of course).

Slow-Roasted Pork Shoulder

8 pounds pork shoulder
1/4 cup black pepper
2 tablespoons allspice
2 tablespoons cumin
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tablespoons thyme, chopped
1/2 cup chipotle pepper powder
4 tablespoons salt
1/4 cup lime juice

Preheat oven to 450oF. Combine all the ingredients and rub into the pork shoulder. Marinate for 4 hours in the refrigerator.

Place the shoulder in a tight fitting roasted pan and roast for 20 minutes, then turn the oven down to 250oF. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and roast until tender, about 3 hours.

Cool the pork shoulder for one hour, then shred. Serve with Martin’s potato rolls and roast juices.


Rich Landau

For your vegan friends, whip up a batch of this pho-inspired onion dip from the Vedge chef-owner. (Hey, more mozzarella sticks for you.)

Pho-ladephia Eagles Onion Dip

12 ounces vegan sour cream
1/2 cup vegan mayo
2 teaspoons Chinese mustard
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon shiitake or porcini powder
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon Vietnamese five spice powder
1/2 cup fried shallot, rough chopped or crumbled

Optional garnish: Fresh basil and cilantro leaves (for some game-day green) and 1 tablespoon sambal oeleck if you like heat

To serve: Rice crackers or cucumber sticks

In a medium bowl, whisk together all main ingredients. Transfer to serving dish and keep airtight and refrigerated until game time. Garnish just before serving. Go Birds!


Tod Wentz

Wentz (Townsend, A Mano, and Oloroso) loves a pig. A pig can feed a party easily, and, you know, it’s pork. Everyone loves pork. He says it’s perfect for game day because you can prepare it ahead of time. You put it in the morning and it’s ready to go before the kickoff.

Porchetta

Pork shoulder (broken down into small pieces)
Pork belly (trim extra fat)

Score skin of belly in a diamond pattern, rub with 50/50 blend of brown sugar and salt with chopped rosemary and garlic.

Roll the pork belly with the shoulder. Tie it up, and roast for 6 hours on 275ºF. 30 minutes before it’s finished, gloss with sherry-rosemary gastrique. Slice down and serve as sandwiches with fried long hots.

Sherry-rosemary gastrique

1/2 cup of sugar
2 tablespoons of water
1/2 cup of sherry
fresh rosemary

In a small saucepan, combine sugar and water. Heat over medium-high heat until sugar is caramelized. Deglaze with sherry, turn heat down to medium, stir in rosemary, and reduce until thickened and syrupy.


Steve Eckerd

The Pub & Kitchen chef offers his favorite hangover combo: their green Bloody Mary, which is on the restaurant’s brunch menu this weekend.

Bleeding Green Bloody Mary
1 pound cucumbers
1 pound tomatillos
2 celery stalks
Half of one green apple
2 tablespoons horseradish
1/2 teaspoon celery salt
Half of one jalapeno, juiced
1 ounce vodka

Combine all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth. Serves 2.