This Easy Party Menu Lets the Host Enjoy, Too

Hosting a gathering is about connecting with your guests, not stressing in the kitchen all night.

Getting there begins with a smart game plan and embracing dishes that are just as great served warm or at room temperature. Braises are ideal for entertaining, since they’re cooked ahead of time and hold well until serving, but what about pork rolls? Or chicken wings? Both are featured here, in this relaxed, celebratory menu.

Roasted pork belly is a party dream because it can be cooked ahead, requires little hands-on time and is best once rested. The same goes for chicken wings: The recipe here allows you to prep them a couple of hours in advance and then heat just before serving. And about serving: Placing everything family-style on large platters not only looks beautiful and feels generous, but it’s also a much easier way to feed a crowd.

Then, simply fill the table with vibrant sides, or create a festive toppings bar with sauerkraut, spicy mustards and assorted tangy pickles (chopped kimchi is great, too) to go alongside the pork for some interactive fun. Pair this casual spread with some spicy kimcheladas, to cut through the heat, for a meal your friends — and you — will be sure to remember.

The best thing about kimchi is the tangy, fiery brine that pools at the bottom of the jar. That red juice stars in these refreshing drinks inspired by micheladas. They’re bubbly and crisp and fantastic for washing down rich party snacks. Make the garnish skewers ahead of time and prechill tall glasses for full effect. Lighter beers like pilsners work the best here, since they encourage the spicy Korean red pepper (gochugaru) and garlic-ginger aromatics in the kimchi brine to shine.

Work ahead: Mix the base (kimchi brine and lime juice) ahead of time and keep it chilled — or if space allows, prebuild in the glasses and refrigerate. To serve, fill glasses with ice and add the beer at the last minute for maximum effervescence.

Avoid excessive foam by pouring the beer down the side of the glass and not directly over the ice.

Don’t use warm beer: It’ll melt the ice and create watered-down drinks. If you’ve forgotten to chill the beer, throw it in the freezer (or in a bucket of ice water) for 10 minutes to quickly cool it down.

Recipe: Kimchiladas

My grandmother taught me that slowly pan-frying chicken wings is a gentler way to cook them, a technique that results in juicy tender meat. Here, a covered skillet allows the chicken to steam through while the fat slowly renders and bastes the wings. The seemingly simple combination of soy sauce and butter yields a complex rich glaze that’s savory, salty, sweet and creamy all at once. Resist the urge to cook them over higher heat, since this can burn the glaze. Serve the wings warm or at room temperature, no dipping sauce required.

Make it spicy: Add a few dashes of hot sauce once the wings are nicely glazed and give them a quick toss.

Work ahead: A couple of hours ahead of time, arrange the cooked wings on a lightly greased large sheet tray to cool (keep at room temperature). When ready to serve, pop them into a 350-degree oven until warmed through, turning halfway, 8 to 10 minutes.

Skip the alcohol: The sake lends subtle sweetness and fruity flavor, but it can be simply replaced with water.

Recipe: Grandma’s Butter Chicken Wings

This vibrant centerpiece, featuring succulent meat infused with anise-scented caraway, asks little of you: just a quick rub with spices, some time in the oven and clever cutting. Scoring the skin beforehand allows the fat underneath to render, yielding crackling skin, and makes slicing the roast a breeze.

Look for meaty pork belly that has the skin intact with equal layers of meat and fat throughout (avoid overly fatty cuts).

Let the pork rest for at least an hour so that juices have time to redistribute, yield a tender, juicy roast and giving the tanned skin a chance to crisp up.

Use a long serrated bread knife to carve the roast. It’ll make easy work of slicing through the crispy skin.

Recipe: Sauerkraut and Caraway Pork Belly Rolls

These recipes have been adapted from “Gather Around My Table,” by Kay Chun (Knopf, 2026).