# Need a little chicken help please!



## shelly anne (Jun 6, 2007)

Help please!
I am catering an evening wedding in October for 250 people. I have not fed that many before. I have a breakfast that morning, so will want to prep as much as possible the day before. The clients want chicken and ham for meat. They do not want a casserole or fried chicken, but perhaps a baked chicken (maybe breaded). The venue is a church, with a standard kitchen. Any ideas for moist and easy to prep for a crowd chicken? This is a southern style menu -green beans, mashed potatoes and sweet tea, so we want to stay in line with the southern food thought. Also, does anyone have a good rule of thumb for lbs per person when serving 2 meats instead of one. I don't want to seriously overbuy, or even worse, underestimate. Thanks!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Shelly


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## cacook (Jan 18, 2006)

You could just mark off the chicken and hold them in the walkin on sheet pans. maybe 20 breasts to a pan. Just fire them an hour before the event. Do the single breasts though since you're serving with ham, and maybe 4oz ham per person. My .02


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

I am from the north NYC to be exact, but if you want fried chicken, a fried chicken smothered with gravy, that way you don't have to worry about the crispness and can (undercook) cook ahead and reheat like suggested above.

Can you do chicken on the bone? That will hold up better and remain moister over a long period of time and holding in ovens or cambros. You are going to use cambros or proofer cabinets I assume to hold the food hot.

A baked chicken with some sort of concasse tomato, basil onion garlic topping would go over well.

Normally we don't suggest cooking any proteins like meat, chicken or fish ahead of time and refrigerating - it changes the taste and texture and will never be as good as a product that was either cooked a la minute or ahead of time and sitting at room temp then reheated. Do be careful though about temperatures and safe food handling - a somewhat airconditioned room would be suggested if you are in the south but not too cold otherwise it's basically a walkin refrigerator.

Another thought is to offer sliced turkey - do some whole turkeys for display but buy in the turkey breasts and slice - easy and economical.

Hire some help to do your breakfast, so you can concentrate on the big event - it will be worth the extra expense - trust me.

as for portions, depends on your demographics - here in NY ham is not that popular so we would go heavier on the chicken. I would say about 8-12 oz total cooked weight of the combo of both proteins, and about 12-14 oz of side dishes (usually about 4 selections for a crowd that size at least) plus bread and dessert. - that's about 1.5 plus pounds of food per guest - but if you know the wrestling team will be in attendance, you had better up those numbers. Don't forget too that at a buffet people don't eat all the food that they take. You don't have to give equal portions of each item, think about what is more popular and remember that some food is heavier (eg potato salad for equal volume weighs more than coleslaw). Have backup bowls ready to replenish your buffet and call up tables 2 at a time so that there is a nice even flow of guests and the line does not get overwhelmed and people aren't pushing and shoving.

I would probably figure on 1 - 1.5 pieces of chicken per guest if it's on the bone and cut into 1/4's. If you do boneless breast cut it into long strips - it will go further 

Make sure you have enough people serving and they have the proper sized serving utensils 

and we always think of extra food as insurance. If you spend another $50-100 on extra food cost that you don't use, that's cheap insurance.


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## kyheirloomer (Feb 1, 2007)

I'd give some thought to individual hot browns, using the modern version that combines chicken/turkey with ham. But I would stick to the original mornay sauce, rather than the more common cheddar used nowadays.

This would satisfy their desire for chicken & ham as the meat proteins. And it doesn't come too much more southern. 

They're easy to hold, and can be popped under the broiler just before serving to brown the tops and heat everything through.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Ham with Jezebel sauce on side, pineapple jam, apple jelly, dried mustard and horseradish.

Chicken.....chicken and dumplings can make a few days ahead and just be ready with the dumplings that day.

Alabama, bet they'll eat as much ham as chicken.....

Roast Chicken if there is enough space in the oven

Fried Chicken is just a bear, especially for that many people. This is going to sound strange but I went through this a year ago with a big wedding that wanted chicken fingers with the leg of lamb and salmon. Boy I was sweating it because it's next to impossible to keep "home" breaded chicken crisp + it was offsite, + my kitchen doesn't have a frier.....so I had a friend that's exec at a hotel near the site fry off commercial breaded chicken strips. They stayed crisp (actually freakily for 3 days). So, think about farming out that portion of the meal to a business that does it on a regular basis, have one of your staff pick it up right before service. Or look at commercially breaded chicken. Really goes against my grain, but was a solution much thought about and it worked.

You can always have your staff serve the proteins, works for me on budget events.


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

wonder if you can get away with serving the fried chicken picnic style - make a nice display with checkered clothes and baskets, have potato salad and a unique coleslaw (eg dill & roasted garlic ranch, blue cheese, etc)

One time we had to do fried chicken for a hip hop artist - Missy Elliot I think it was, they wanted tilapia and fried chix. -we actually bought it from Popeyes (and repackaged of course) - they make a great fried chicken especially since the choices are more limited in NY for southern food. - there is a running debate on sites like chowhound (consumer based site) about Popeyes being the best fried commercially available chicken in NYC. It consistantly beats out Sylvias and other places that have good reps. Actually a side note, my favorite fried chicken in NYC rest. scene is from Charles Country Kitchen up in Harlem.


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## shelly anne (Jun 6, 2007)

Thanks so much! I love everyone's ideas. I think I might go with the farming out or hiring a griller to grill out back of the church. I simply don't have the space or equipment myself on such a large portion. Love the idea of servers plating the food for portion control! Shelly


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

well there's plated but also buffet with service staff serving the proteins...portion control if you will.

Oct should be cool enough for grilling, unless you've done it for a big crowd grilling can be a pain too....grills, cambros, getting the amount out timely....
I catered a 200 wedding with chicken the beginning of July a few years ago and it was HOT, really HOT. Rented a large grill and quartered the local chickens....mustard honey sauce....actually just honey and spicy brown mustard. Just getting the volume of meat cooked on a grill for a buffet takes some finesse....


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

that's where par cooking comes in. 

a. par cook in oven, (cool or not)and reheat/finish on grill

if you have time and man power, if not skip this method and do plan 

b. 

and procede Mark on grill, bake in oven 
put back on grill only for presentation and a bit of smokeness at the end- so it looks like you are grilling but already fully cooked


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

It all depends on your equipment.....if the site has a large enough oven, if there is enough ref. space.....

She's stationary at a church, many times events are at places that have short set up times/limited kitchens. awwww the joys of offsite catering!!


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## shelly anne (Jun 6, 2007)

I have longer set up time, but a breakfast that morning and will need to be there for presentation (it is the first of a monthly breakfast for a fru-fru sorority in town) So I must make a good first impression. What about par cooking in oven day before, then grill to heat and mark at site? Shelly


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

MTC.....make sure to pull in some extra help......timing is everything and doubling up on a big day can be rough......being able to leave the breakfast to deal with the wedding....all the things that may need "special" attention.

So, guess you're cooking your own chicken. Good luck with it. 
I like big numbers.


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## scarecrobot (Jun 15, 2007)

Sounds like you might have settled on the grilling idea. Everyones a sucker for grilled food. 
Might suggest smothered chicken over rice or a dish we've kind of adopted here that's a bit more fancy, chicken marengo. Pretty easy to make and it don't get much more southern than that. Can be done a few days ahead of time. Allow you to handle your breakfast, Can be served or put on buffet line. 
The suggestion that someone made for 4 oz. of protein per person while technically correct, doesn't fit so well in our indulgent society. I'd say get you 150 chickens & quarter them & you should be straight. If you do marengo 1 breast apiece should satisfy. Doesn't sound like you're sweating the ham so I'll leave that alone

"we actually bought it from Popeyes (and repackaged of course) - they make a great fried chicken especially since the choices are more limited in NY for southern food. - there is a running debate on sites like chowhound (consumer based site) about Popeyes being the best fried commercially available chicken in NYC." 
By the way Al Copeland had hired a well known chef from,I believe, the westbank to create all the recipes for Popeye's back in the 80's?. Can't recall his name right now. But they actually have roots in a genuine kitchen not some commercial R&D caca. Some of my favorite junk food


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

what is chicken marengo exactly and would appreciate a recipe
chicken breast is about 4 oz per breast maybe 6. cooked weight.

make sure you add extra for waste, shrinkage, etc.  Wow you would really be giving 2.5 pieces of chicken plus the ham - that seems a bit much to me and we are used to big eaters too especially on film shoots - at weddings you also have h-d to fill up on before hand, so a bit less food at the buffet 


that makes sense - I would say it's some of my favorite fast food - funny enough we stopped yesterday on our way to our event to get some chicken from a local popeyes to eat for lunch because we didn't have time to prep anything for ourselves and were starving and about to launch into the marathon catering for 8-10 hours. I had a few pieces left over andshowed them to my waitress who was laughing her *** off - "you guys do all this kick *** gourmet food and you are eating what...."

I am glad to hear that someone from the south is not laughing at me...My cousin who is Israeli lived in Charlotte for years and he was the one who first turned me on to Popeyes. Here in NYC you find them more often in african american neighborhoods, but they are around Manhattan as well. My hood is too white bread for a fried chicken place, so I have to travel to get my fix.

On the other hand we have about a dozen russian delis and they have awesome food too - like these cheese blintz bytes and russian candies and smoked meats and pork 72 different ways. It's said that Queens is the most ethnically diverse borough of NYC - and that is saying alot.

back to the chicken, I would say that 125 chickens quartered or 1.2 breasts per guest would be plenty but you do need to get some demographics - how much ham are you doing?


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## aprilb (Feb 4, 2006)

... a shake n' bake idea <don't cringe> only she'd use toasted wheat germ. Dip the suckers in melted butter, roll in seasoned wheat germ and bake. They were great!

April


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## shelly anne (Jun 6, 2007)

How do you prepare chicken morengo? I agree- I think 2.5 pieces of chicken is too much, especially with ham. And we're big eaters in Alabama


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## scarecrobot (Jun 15, 2007)

tigerwoman;178477 said:


> what is chicken marengo exactly and would appreciate a recipe
> 
> Chicken Marengo is a historic dish involving Napoleon. An improvised meal of chicken tomatoes brandy or cognac. egg & crawfish. Napoleon's chef had to work with found ingredients after a battle in Marengo, Anyway Nap. dug it so much that he ordered it served after every battle.
> 
> ...


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## shelly anne (Jun 6, 2007)

Thanks! Sounds delicious. I'll definitely try it. Shelly


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

Shelly we make Chicken Mirabelle which sounds sorta similar to morenga
Silver Palate had the recipe at one time....
Chicken
calamata olives
prunes
rosemary
chicken stock
white wine
red wine
tomatoes
brown sugar
so this whole sweet sour salty thing going on....really good and better a day or two after it's made.


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## lentil (Sep 8, 2003)

Lately, we've done a recipe from one of the Williams Sonoma entertaining books. I's a spicy paste made from chipotle, spices, and tomato paste that you rub on chicken and par bake. I've thinned the paste somewhat to make it easier to rub . We then brush it with bbq sauce the day of service and finish it off. Cut the breasts into 3 or 4 pieces and lightly pound to flatten a bit. Really simple and people love it.


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## tigerwoman (Jul 18, 2002)

Scarecrobot;178521 said:


> sounds yummy but how does the crawfish hold up for hours ditto the fried egg..
> 
> actually I would omit the fried egg or use a quails egg just to be cute.
> 
> by the way, the way to get the quotes around different pieces, is to take the html code from the top and bottom and paste it around what you want to quote. At least that's how I did it in response to your post.


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

I'm no pro, but I had roast chicken that my sis made (a French preparation--my brother-in-law is French). It was so good and I was surprised how easy it was to make. You can stuff herbs and garlic or whatever under the skin of it beforehand, plus cut some veges and brush with oil, to go in the oven at the same time. This can all be done the day before. 

When it's to be cooked, just put it in the oven, and I would imagine serving wouldn't be that much work compared to some other dishes (?).

Roast fennel, potatoes, carrots and parsnips for the veges maybe. I LOVED it and I'm sure others would too.


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

Are they expecting hot chicken? Could do stuffed boneless chicken served cold and sliced buffet style and your ham hot. (hey I'm no chef/caterer but it seems like all the above are for hot chooks)  Prep ahead of time and relax - haha. Good luck!


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

ladies you've wandered into the professional catering forum.....125 chickens is not really the same as a couple for home use....prep time, service timing, equipment varies for alot of us......how something holds up on a buffet.....


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## shelly anne (Jun 6, 2007)

The ham is going to be cold along with cold pasta salad. Hot foods are garlic potatoes, green beans and chicken. I don't want two cold meats. Thanks! Shelly


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## lentil (Sep 8, 2003)

Then I would suggest the WS chicken I mentioned above. Two of us cleaned, cut, flattened, seasoned, and par baked 40 pounds of chicken in less than 90 minutes. Make the rub/sauce anytime before your function, brush it on and bake. About 30 minutes before service, pop it back in the oven until heated through, and Ta Da! you're, done.

shroomgirl is right; recipes that work at home may not translate well into a situation where time and speed is of the essence because you're cooking for a crowd....a big crowd. You'll want something simple and relatively easy to prepare especially if you don't have a large staff working for you. The easier the menu= the smaller the staff you'll need=more $$ for you!!!

Let us know how your function turns out.


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## shelly anne (Jun 6, 2007)

I really like that idea. I'm thinking about par cooking the day before and popping on grill that day because my oven space is extremely limited. I could brush with sauce on grill and keep hot until eating time. One person to manage grill out back of church. I think that will save on staff as well. Do you think that recipe would work cooking day before. How juicy is it? Nothing is worse than dry chicken and chicken for a crowd is tough-much different than cooking for a family of four. Thanks to everyone for all the wonderful ideas! Shelly Anne


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## lentil (Sep 8, 2003)

Shelly Anne,

Since the chicken is pounded a little flat., but not thin, you do have to be careful not to overcook it the first time in the oven. I'm not much of a griller, but I'm sure someone here could tell you how long it would take to cook it all the way from scratch on the bbq. Again, since it's not a thick breast, it should only take a few minutes. I'd give it a run through if I were you just to ease your mind.

Here's the rub recipe, but I add another glug or balsamic and tomato sauce to make it easier to brush on.

Chipotle Spice Paste
2T olive oil
4 chiles in adobo chopped
4 cloves garlic
2T tom paste
2T balsamic
2T brn sugar
1.5T spanish paprika
1.5T cumin
1.5T oregano
1.5T thyme
1 t cloves
salt

Process all.
Brush on meat. Allow to marinade. Bake until slightly underdone. Brush with your fav bbq sauce just prior to the final bake.


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

<stumbling out of here again> Was only trying to help...isn't that what this site is supposed to be about?

Shelley Anne - my apologies for posting this - I like this forum and know very little about professional catering but am fascinated by that world and hope to learn something about it- no offense to you and I wish you the best with this event.

Maybe I was asking a dumb question....but the intent was good and the suggestion was intended to be helpful.


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## lentil (Sep 8, 2003)

DC Sunshine, all questions and suggestions are welcomed! We all learn from eachother.


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

DC sunshine, you are sunshine and nice to see ya on here. I'm not a pro caterer, and not even a restaurant worker.


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## oregonyeti (Jun 16, 2007)

I responded to this thread because I thought at first Shelly Anne was asking for a "little chicken's" help :crazy:


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## dc sunshine (Feb 26, 2007)

Thanks guys 

This forum opens up a new world to many I'm sure - generally I just sit back and try to learn from the threads. My children are very interested in cooking and catering, and if I can learn anything on here to help with this, then that's great


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