Ideas for Do-Ahead Chicken for 200?
I'm organizing a lunch for about 200. Volunteers will make/prep dishes in advance and we'll be able to do some minimal reheating just beforehand. I need to do at least one chicken dish and think boneless breasts or tenders will be easier to eat than bone-in chicken. Also, there is a Tuscan theme to the event.
Looking for something a little different — no chicken parm, etc. So: anyone ever tried Chicken Marbella with boneless breasts (we could leave out the prunes and brown sugar to keep it closer to an Italian meal?) Also thought about having folks prep chicken wrapped in foil with capers, olives, garlic, and lemon slices, but would the foil and lemon react negatively to one another if assembled the night before? Other thoughts/suggestions greatly appreciated.
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6 Comments:
I've successfully done a mass-feeding of Chicken Saltimbocca. Rolled, browned, cooked, then chilled overnight. Day of, sliced into roulades, heated in sauce. Slicing into roulades created smaller, more uniform sizes, which heated faster. The sauce kept them from drying out. The presentation was nice, too. You could do the same with just about any rolled type of chicken dish, with a sauce or broth.
hungryinhouston at 4:28PM on 01/18/09
I've done work for 150+ but not chicken. I would advise avoiding mixing the lemon juice and aluminum foil - aluminum and acids isn't a good mix - it can provide an off taste and some funky discoloration. I second the slicing into roulades or smaller pieces and reheating in sauce - works very well.
renoles at 10:12PM on 01/18/09
You can wrap the chicken in a combination of parchment paper and foil, just make sure no foil is touching the chicken.
nseverson at 11:07PM on 01/18/09
This past Saturday I did a lunch for 125. I made a grilled chicken "stacked" cordon bleu. Much lighter than rolled and breaded with a slice of good smokey ham, a combination of cheeses including swiss, cheddar and jack. Finished with a very brothy, earthy mushroom sauce. Sided with rice pilaf and a fresh spinach toquitto dorado for some veggie. It was almost zero here in Jersey still everyone showed up and enjoyed a hot comfort lunch. Started them off with a spicy lentil escarole soup and ended with warm apple pie.
jimmysoups at 10:56AM on 01/19/09
that sounds good jimmysoups!
i've done some catering, and i usually either sear up the chicken breast (dredged in flour or not) .... put them in hotel pans (like dominos),
and then i heat them slowly in whatever sauce i'm using.... covered with foil, but leaving the ends open so that the sauce doesn't become too thin with the mixing of the chix juices. (or make your sauce a little thicker, too)
some of the sauces i've used:
mustard dill, orange-cointreau, a light cream sauce with red and green grapes added in at the end (nice for xmas).... whatever floats your boat....
or a simple marsala or hunter-style tomato based sauce with capers and olives & fresh herbs is always good, too.
just don't overcook your chicken! you can always heat your sauce up and then pour it over the chicken for faster results.... and garnish, garnish, garnish.... lots of fresh herbs at the end....
pooch at 9:49PM on 01/19/09
Thanks for all the suggestions. I appreciate the help!
memt77 at 9:55AM on 01/20/09