5 Best Crockpot Main Dishes for Game Day
I love hosting game day, but sometimes I really don’t love the pressure of cooking for a crowd. That’s where my crockpot comes in to save the day! A few years back I realized that I absolutely needed to make things easier for myself if I wanted hosting to be a joy and not a chore, so I committed to finding a rotation of easy, crowd pleasing slow cooker dishes that I could rely on for football watch parties.
This collection here features the recipes I always make when I need a game day main course. You don’t need dozens of ideas – just a handful you can keep coming back to.
We’ve got big, dinner-style sandwiches, a fun twist on your usual chili, a centrepiece worthy meal that’ll get everyone talking, and a couple more ideas that tick all the boxes. Choose one and two and your hosting plan is sorted this football season!
Sweet Chili Sloppy Joes
If you’ve made the same Sloppy Joe recipe for years, this is a fun one to switch things up. The sweet chili sauce gives the beef a glossy, sweet-savory flavor that both kids and adults love. It’s perfect for feeding a crowd because the slow cooker keeps everything hot until the last sandwich is made.
Slider buns work if you want smaller hand-held bites, but if you’re looking for a main meal dish, regular buns are my favorite choice alongside just a few extras like chips and dips.
Crockpot Red Chicken Chili
Chili has earned its place on every game day menu, but if you usually make beef, this red chicken chili is a nice way to change things up. It’s just as hearty and comforting, with plenty of flavor, and it’s the kind of meal people keep going back for throughout the afternoon.
One batch serves around eight people, and it’s easy to stretch even further if you put out a pan of cornbread, tortilla chips, shredded cheese, sour cream, and a few other toppings for everyone to help themselves. Best of all, it happily sits on the warm setting for hours, so you can forget about it and enjoy the game.
Serves: 8
Ingredients:
- 1½ pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 (10-ounce) cans Rotel diced tomatoes with green chilies
- 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added tomato sauce
- 1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (15-ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
- 1 (12-ounce) bag frozen corn
- 1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
Optional Toppings
- Shredded cheddar cheese
- Sour cream
- Sliced jalapeños
- Chopped cilantro
- Crushed tortilla chips
- Diced avocado
- Cornbread, for serving
Instructions:
- Place the chicken breasts in an even layer in the bottom of the slow cooker.
- Add the bell pepper, onion, garlic, Rotel, tomato sauce, black beans, kidney beans, corn, and chicken broth.
- Sprinkle over the cumin, chili powder, parsley, oregano, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper. Give everything a gentle stir, leaving the chicken underneath.
- Cover and cook on Low for 6–8 hours or High for 4–5 hours.
- Remove the chicken and shred it with two forks. Return the shredded chicken to the slow cooker and stir it into the chili.
- Let the chili cook for another 10–15 minutes so everything comes together.
- Ladle into bowls and load up with your favorite toppings. I love serving it with plenty of shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, crushed tortilla chips, and a piece of warm cornbread on the side.
Crockpot Shrimp Boil
If you’re hosting a bigger crowd and want something a little different, a crockpot shrimp boil is guaranteed to get people talking. What I love about this one is that it’s a bit extra – though it’s pretty easy to prep, it’s memorable and could easily become your signature thing!
Pile everything onto a serving platter or straight onto the table and let everyone dig in. It’s casual, fun, and turns dinner into part of the game day experience.
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 1½ pounds red potatoes, halved
- 2 ropes andouille sausage, sliced into 1-inch pieces
- 3–4 ears sweet corn, shucked and cut into thirds
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, minced
- 4 cups chicken broth
- 1–2 cups water, as needed
- 2 tablespoons Old Bay seasoning
- 2 tablespoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
- 2 pounds raw jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined, tails on
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Chopped fresh parsley, for serving
Instructions:
- Add the potatoes, sausage, corn, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker.
- Pour in the chicken broth and 1 cup of the water. Sprinkle over the Old Bay and Cajun seasoning, then give everything a gentle stir. If needed, add the remaining water until the potatoes are mostly covered.
- Cover and cook on Low for 5–6 hours or High for 3–4 hours, until the potatoes are fork tender.
- During the last 30–60 minutes of cooking, stir in the shrimp. Cover again and cook until the shrimp are pink, opaque, and cooked through.
- Stir in the fresh lemon juice just before serving.
- Sprinkle with chopped parsley and serve straight from the slow cooker, making sure everyone gets a little of everything in their bowl. Don’t forget plenty of crusty bread for soaking up the flavorful broth.
Crockpot Jambalaya
If your game day menu usually revolves around chili, jambalaya is a great way to mix things up. With chicken, smoky sausage, shrimp, and plenty of bold Cajun flavor, it’s hearty enough to keep everyone full without needing lots of extra side dishes. Just have a pot of rice ready and dinner’s sorted.
It’s also a brilliant recipe for hosting because it makes a generous batch and spends most of the day quietly cooking away in the slow cooker. Put out some hot sauce, sliced scallions, and crusty bread, then let everyone help themselves whenever they’re ready for another bowl.
Serves: 6
Ingredients:
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut into bite-sized pieces
- 1 pound andouille sausage, sliced
- 3 celery stalks, chopped
- 1 large green bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2–3 tablespoons Creole or Cajun seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
- 1 cup chicken broth
Stir In Before Serving
- 12 ounces frozen cooked shrimp, thawed
- 3 cups cooked long-grain rice
Optional Garnish
- Chopped fresh parsley
Instructions:
- Add the chicken, andouille sausage, celery, bell peppers, onion, and garlic to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle over the Creole seasoning, oregano, thyme, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper.
- Pour in the crushed tomatoes and chicken broth, then give everything a gentle stir to combine.
- Cover and cook on Low for 6–8 hours or High for 4–6 hours, until the chicken is tender and the vegetables have softened.
- During the last 30 minutes of cooking, stir in the thawed shrimp. Cover again and let them heat through gently.
- Just before serving, either stir the cooked rice into the jambalaya or spoon the jambalaya over bowls of rice. Both work well, so it’s really down to personal preference.
- Finish with a sprinkle of fresh parsley if you like, and serve while it’s nice and hot.
Crockpot Swamp Potatoes
Don’t let the name put you off – this is proper comfort food. Loaded with potatoes, smoky sausage, green beans, and plenty of flavor, it’s the sort of recipe people keep wandering back to for another bowl.
It’s filling enough to stand on its own, but also works alongside burgers, sandwiches, or anything else you’ve got on the game day table.
Serves: 4
Ingredients:
- 26 ounces andouille sausage, sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 pound baby potatoes, halved
- 1 pound green beans, trimmed
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 (1-ounce) packet dry onion soup mix
- ½ cup butter, sliced
- Chopped fresh parsley, for serving (optional)
Instructions:
- Add the sausage, onion, potatoes, green beans, and garlic to the slow cooker.
- Sprinkle the onion soup mix evenly over the top, then give everything a good stir so the vegetables and sausage are coated in the seasoning.
- Arrange the slices of butter over the top.
- Cover and cook on Low for 6 hours or High for 4 hours, until the potatoes are tender and everything is cooked through.
- Give everything one final stir so the melted butter coats the potatoes, sausage, and green beans.
- Sprinkle with a little chopped parsley if you like, then serve while it’s hot. It’s a meal that’s just as good on its own as it is with a chunk of crusty bread to soak up all those buttery juices.