Celebrate The Kentucky Derby With This At-Home Menu By Joshua Weissman
The Kentucky Derby finally gets underway this Saturday, May 3, at the legendary Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The event billed as 'the most exciting two minutes in sports' draws upwards of 150,000 trackside, making it the most-watched and attended horse race in the United States. And while it's known for elaborate fascinators, bold bets, and mint juleps, the spread is also a crowd pleaser. This year, Churchill Downs tapped chef and digital creator Joshua Weissman to take the party from the track to your kitchen with a new Kentucky Derby At-Home menu.
Weissman, a New York Times bestselling author with a knack for internet-breaking recipes, was given full creative license to craft a menu that reflects the Derby's tradition-driven but never boring energy. 'Food is such an important part of Derby Day festivities,' he said, 'so I was excited to curate a selection of approachable dishes that honor both the tradition and unexpected nature of the race, all with some fun twists.'
The result is a mix of Southern comfort and cocktail pairings with clever updates like baked mac and cheese, honey butter chicken biscuits, salted potato chip chocolate chunk cookies, and Boulevardier Negroni. Whether you're tuning in for the horses or just here for the caramel corn, Weissman's menu makes it easy to keep the vibes high and the kitchen stress low. He spoke to Forbes about the tasty collaboration.
Joshua Weissman's honey butter chicken biscuit brings Southern comfort to your Derby Day spread.
I think all of the dishes capture that balance. For example, classic southern foods like fried chicken and biscuits are elevated with unique flavors and techniques in my Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit recipe. The honey butter, which is emulsified then drizzled generously all over the top, gives the dish a mouthwatering finish. Generally, I love taking classics that people know and love and making them wildly better than people remember.
There's nothing worse than hosting a party and feeling like you're not even able to enjoy it. Where's the fun in that? The Kentucky Derby is such an iconic event and while the race itself only lasts two minutes, people at home will be hosting parties that last far longer. When developing the Kentucky Derby At-Home menu for this year, my priority was making everything elevated yet easy: dishes that are fun and exciting yet easy to make at scale, and easy to set up on a platter, plate, or hot tray. This way, hosts can actually enjoy the festivities too and hangout while people grab bites through the day.
For the Perfectly Baked Mac and Cheese and Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit, I focused on doubling down on what makes them great while emphasizing technique to make them far above the average mac and cheese or chicken and biscuit. For example, the honey butter in the Honey Butter Chicken Biscuit being properly emulsified makes a huge difference in both the flavor and texture of that sauce which alone changes the whole experience. I'm excited for fans watching the Kentucky Derby at home this year to try out these recipes and impress their guests.
Cookies and popcorn are classic, timeless snacks but my unique twists on them are unexpected and exciting, just like the Kentucky Derby! While the race is a quintessential American sporting event, it's filled with surprises, and I wanted my dishes to mirror that energy. Easy-to-eat snackable items are also the perfect Kentucky Derby party food, allowing guests to eat while enjoying the races and company of others.
Joshua Weissman's Boulevardier Negroni is a bourbon-forward twist on a classic.
A Boulevardier Negroni goes good with everything in my opinion, and pairs very well with anything on my Kentucky Derby At-Home menu. Even though it's so simple to make, it feels like an elevated drink that can enhance your Derby celebration. It makes you wanna stick that pinky up when you sip.
There's a way to prep everything on my Kentucky Derby At-Home menu in advance. Make the cookie dough and chill it. Make your biscuit dough ahead. Marinate your chicken, make your breading for the chicken and keep it in a clear plastic bag waiting. Set yourself up so all you're doing is a quick cook or assembly on the day of so you can enjoy Derby Day experience with family and friends.
Have fun with presentation and be creative. The final step in each of the recipes for my Kentucky Derby At-Home menu includes a recommendation for plating. For example, with the Cobb salad, I suggest arranging single rows of each ingredient to make the different colors pop out: the green of the lettuce and avocado, the yellow of the egg, and the red of the tomato. Similarly, with the crudité, I recommend using a shallow bowl and standing the vegetables up to give the dish an elevated look.
The worst thing you can do when hosting or cooking is to not find ways to have fun. Mistakes can happen. Just try your best but always remember to have fun. From the food to the fashion and of course, the race, the Derby is such a cultural event with so many different elements for fans to have fun with.
My favorite thing to do is to make the full recipes anyway and have leftovers! While your party may come to an end, you can still transport your tastebuds to the racetrack after guests are gone. Alternatively, you can pick 1-2 recipes and cut them in half. For any Kentucky Derby celebration, I would highly recommend you toss the salted potato chip chocolate chunk cookies in though.
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