Here are some expert tips on how to host a Thanksgiving dinner party. Whether this is your very first time hosting or you would like to try it again, here is how to host Thanksgiving like a Chef.
The best thing about being the host is that you get to decide the menu! Let's channel some Executive Chef energy here and remind ourselves that we are cooking, we get to decide.
Keep it as simple as possible.
Remind yourself: Keep it simple. Prepare in advance. Thanksgiving can actually be fun if you prepare in advance and allow yourself to truly keep it simple.
My favorite part about growing up in an American/Canadian household (my Father is American and my Mother is French Canadian) is that I got to celebrate Thanksgiving twice every year! Canadian Thanksgiving (in early October) was celebrated at home in British Columbia, while American Thanksgiving was celebrated at Grandma's in Montana. I truly got the best of both worlds! When I married my French Chef husband, I was able to introduce him to Thanksgiving and pick up many new traditions too.
Most importantly what I learned is that Thanksgiving is about sharing a delicious meal with people that you love. So let's dive in.
Thanksgiving Dinner Party Guest List:
Invite family, your closest friends and loved ones, but keep in mind that a larger guest list makes things exponentially harder (and more expensive!)
As a home cook, in a small home kitchen, I feel like I can manage 6-8 guests. More than that and everything becomes more complicated. Are there enough chairs? Space at the table? Plates? Glasses? Think of how you want to enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner. If it means everyone seated at the table together, let your dining room table be your guide. If needed, a kids table can be set up in the living room (I use my low coffee table) but I prefer to fit everyone around the dining room table whenever possible.
Keep it simple. Prepare in advance. You are on your way to having your best Thanksgiving dinner ever!
Thanksgiving Table Settings
Thanksgiving is definitely the time to bring out those white cloth napkins. Use your best china, glassware, tableware for this day. Even if you ordered in a rotisserie chicken as the main course, it will feel elevated on a beautiful table.
If you have Thanksgiving or Fall themed plates - by all means, this is your time to use them. If, like me, you don't have storage space for festive plates, however, use large white dinner plates that are a blank canvas, both for the meal and the decorations!
I also like to complement my white plates and neutral tablecloth with some fun pieces that bring festive decor. I have a Thanksgiving table runner with fall leaves on it that I pull out every year that immediately sets the tone. It is amazing what you can find at a thrift store if you are looking for vintage Thanksgiving decor. Dollar Store also has cute, fun items that the kids will love too.
I love getting my young children involved in the table decorations. Get them to write place cards or draw a personalized drawing for each place setting. Your thanksgiving dinner table will look festive and fun and it will keep the kids busy as you are cooking.
If you don't have napkin rings you can simply tie a satin ribbon in a Fall themed color * around each napkin. Simple and elegant.
Right now you can find mini pumpkins everywhere - I like to add mini white pumpkins and candles to my table for decoration. I do recommend to keep your table top decorations minimal. Remember that you will be setting big plates of food on the table - you need room for that!
*This post contains affiliate links meaning I receive a small commission if you purchase, at no cost to you. Thank you for supporting my small business.
Thanksgiving dinner party menu
It's up to you - create a traditional Thanksgiving Feast or else put your own spin on it. You may love your great aunt's green bean casserole or sweet potato casserole recipe with marshmallow fluff and want to serve them or perhaps you want to try something new. You are the host - you get to decide.
Pro tip- if one of your guests insists on a certain dish that they must have at Thanksgiving, invite them to bring it along. Please do yourself a favor and do not commit to making 7 side dishes to please your guests. It will be no fun for you and a host that is stressed and frazzled is no fun for the party either.
Thanksgiving Menu Plan:
Aperitif:
As guests arrive, I always make sure to have a fun cocktail and a few nibbles out for them to snack on before we get seated. This is a warm and welcoming way to greet guests into your home and also buys you some more time if everything is not ready at exactly the arrival time.
I love to start with a Kir Royale and a Charcuterie board. Serve this in the living room to keep guests out of the kitchen if you need the space.
Starter:
Thanksgiving doesn't traditionally have to have a starter course, but I do love to serve a small cup of soup to start the meal and get everyone settled in to conversation. A pot of Soup (like my Pumpkin and Honeynut squash soup) can be made a couple days beforehand and simply reheated to serve. I also love that this helps prolong the meal. There is nothing more frustrating than cooking all day only to have the meal over in 20 minutes! Of course, a crusty fresh baked baguette is a welcome addition to the Soup Course.
Main Course:
Turkey or Capon, a potato dish, gravy, stuffing and two to three vegetable sides is my goal. Any more than that and you are adding a lot more stress to your preparations. My personal favorite Thanksgiving meal combination is Turkey or Capon, mashed potatoes, Gravy, dressing (or stuffing), green beans, roast squash and maybe Brussels sprouts. Perfection!
Dessert:
Pies! I love to have a couple pies to chose from. My favorite is pumpkin pie (my friend, Britney has a great Pumpkin Pie recipe on her blog), but I also love Pecan pie and apple pie. You can bake them in advance or else pick one up from your local bakery (please order ahead!). There is absolutely no shame in buying a pie instead of baking it. Most French people never bother with baking their own desserts - they buy them at the Boulangerie or Patisserie!
Common Turkey Fails and how to avoid them
A word about Turkey, the star of the show. Turkey takes planning, but it can be done by even novice cooks, if you think ahead.
- Order your Turkey in advance - either from your local butcher, at your grocery or online. Don't expect to be able to find a turkey at the grocery store the day before Thanksgiving.
- Put the turkey in the fridge 3 days in advance to defrost if it is frozen.
- You will need a bigger pan than you already have. Buy in advance. I like a pan that has a rack underneath to keep the heat circulating around the turkey like this one.
- The turkey needs to go in the oven about 4-5 hours before your dinner (depending on the size and the recipe).
Alternatives to Roast Turkey
There is no rule that you HAVE to serve turkey. Turkey is a lot of work and, quite honestly, there are more flavorful birds out there. Turkey has its purpose when you are serving 15 people. But if you are only 6 or 8, why not try something different?
Have you ever tried a Capon? The most delicious, tender white meat you have ever tasted.
Roast Chicken, when served with all the Thanksgiving sides, feels just as festive.
I love this turkey au vin recipe because it uses Turkey pieces which are easier to come by than a whole turkey in the days before Thanksgiving.
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Wine to Pair with Thanksgiving Dinner
There are so many dishes at Thanksgiving that it is hard to pick just one wine. However, I have learned that a crisp, dry Rosé or a Pinot Noir (famously known from Burgundy) goes beautifully!
I always like to start the meal with a glass of champagne as well.
Cranberry Sauce - canned or fresh?
It is up to you! I admit I have a childhood fondness for the canned cranberry jelly and always requested it even though my mom always made the fresh kind with a delicious orange zest (that must have driven her mad!)
Stuffing vs Dressing?
I LOVE dressing, or stuffing, however you prefer to call it, put please, don't put it in the bird to cook. It will burn. Stuffing is so much better when it is cooked in a roasting pan on the side, as long as you add some of the delicious turkey juice to it as you are basting.
My understanding is that stuffing is called dressing when it is cooked outside of the bird. If you are from the South of the United States you may have very strong feelings about this (as I have recently encountered!). Call it what you will but do yourself a favor and cook it in a roasting pan outside of the bird.
Dinner Party clean up tips
Do yourself a favor and run that dishwasher! You will thank yourself the next day. My rule is to start a dinner party with the dishwasher running (full of pots, pans and mixing bowls) and then make sure to take 3 minutes and empty that dishwasher out and refill it with the dirty dinner plates before I serve dessert. This is key! That way, even if you have no more energy after your guests leave, you don't have dirty dinner plates stacked up high in the kitchen to clean up. If you are up to it, empty the dishwasher one last time after guests leave and refill with the dessert plates and glasses. You will wake up the next morning to a clean kitchen! The best feeling ever.
Preserve the memory of the evening.
I have a book by Chef Jacques Pepin (Menus: a Book for your meals and memories )that I absolutely love. I write the menu in it and invite the guests to write a little note besides the menu. It is fully of fond memories and has become a treasure in our family. You can also invite your guests to leave a note on a message board or note cards. It is wonderful to relive the small details that touched your guests.
I hope you have enjoyed this blog post about how to host a Thanksgiving Dinner party. Please let me know which tip you liked best! I love to hear from you.
Wishing you and your loved ones a delicious, and enjoyable, holiday season,
Bon appétit,
Le Chef's Wife
ABOUT LE CHEF'S WIFE
Bonjour! I am Anina Belle. I translate the fancy cooking of my Michelin-star trained French Chef Husband, Le Chef, into easy to make dishes that busy people with no culinary training (like me!) can make at home. We have two young kids (5 and 2) and I have a full time job in hospitality in addition to this blog. I strongly believe that even busy people deserve to eat well at home.
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