Having 20+ people for Shabbos Dinner - help!

dlj

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 1:22 pm

Whenever I have loads of ppl I make stir fry and rice/noodles. It's so easy to make, is very cheap as you only need a bit of chicken or whatever mixed in with the stir fry, and everyone always comments how nice it is and what a nice change to have something different.

As for a chicken recipe...I'm not really into recipes as much as making things up as I go. One easy thing to do is lay the chicken flat in roasting trays in the oven. Spread sliced onions over the top of the chicken. In a bowl separately, mix together ketchup and brown sugar and a tiny bit of oil, and pour all over the chicken and onions....it turns out as chicken with caramelised onions and has great flavour.

LAmom613

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 1:48 pm

Ooooh I love having large groups for Friday night dinner! The coziness of lel Shabbat mixed in with lots of guests is nice. I have a great 'no fail' chicken recipe which I'll sum up for you. I always get rave reviews it is just so tasty.

- Clean chicken on the bone and put in large pyrexes side by side.

- (Optional: dredge in some flour and brown in a pan. I ALWAYS leave out this step- who needs extra calories?)

- Surround chicken with all sorts of Italian garden style veggies (mushrooms, eggplant, zucchini, fresh tomatoes, whatever you like.

- Definitely halve lots of garlic cloves and throw them on top. Throw on some basil if you have. If not, no prob.

- Cover with a can or two of diced tomatos with the juice

- Bake like usual, covered for however long your oven needs, on 350 (usually I do 325 for 2 hours)

- *** In the last 30 min or so of cooking, add some good dry red wine (maybe half a cup per pyrex)

I find this recipe sooo easy to make in bulk. Not so much prep or chopping or anything. So simple and quick, but so tasty because of the red wine.

Motheroftwins

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 2:53 pm

The easiest chicken I make is Sprinkle chicken with garlic, onion and paprika. Then, mix together duck sauce and a little ketchup. Pour all over chicken and bake....I like to broil the chicken first to get a nice brown on top, but you dont have to.
Another crowd pleaser is mix apricot jam (or duck sauce if u cant get the jam) with onion soup mix and country french salad dressing - the reall red one. Just pour over chicken and bake (broil if u want the brownish top) YUM!!

Breaded chicken is always good, but its more work. Mix dijon mustard with mayo and smear on chicken. Coat with cornflake crumbs and bake.

are you looking to make cutlets instead of chicken on the bone? If so, I have a great recipe, but is a few steps - but it ALWAYS comes out perfect and is delicious....let me know if you want it

As for easy recipes besides chicken.....make rice - its easy to make more as you need.

The basic recipe is:
1 cup rice, 2 cup water. 2 Tbsp onion soup mix, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, a drop of oil. Cover and bake at 400 for 1 hour.

Cranberry Apple crisp is easy to make in large batches - let me know if u need a recipe
Roasted potatos are also good and quick to prepare - just cut into bite size pcs and add spices.

de_goldy

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 3:16 pm

That is our regular shabbos. My 2 best recipes - 1, place chicken skin up on cookie sheets. Pour over duck sauce and sweet red wine. Bake on 350. I prefer to leave it in for longer because I like it very cooked, but up to you.

Other recipe is broiled chicken. Rub chicken with salt, pepper and garlic. Place skin down on cookie sheets. Broil 20 mins. Turn over, broil another 20 mins. Yummm.

mamaleh

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 4:06 pm

quickest chicken for a crowd (I've used it a number of times for sheva brachos & someone always asks for the recipe embarrassed

)
Place chicken in pan (close together but try not to overlap) cover in duck sauce (I use at least 1/2-3/4 bottle for a disposable 9x13) you can sprinkle with garlic powder, but it is totally not necessary.
cover tightly and bake for a long time (I usually do 350F for 3-4 hrs, yes, I'm serious)
This works best with bottoms, if you use tops make sure you use even more duck sauce.
Delicious, flavorful, tender!!

Capitalchick

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 4:16 pm

OVEN RICE!!
(I know, it's not a chicken recipe)

Oven rice is a crowd pleaser and SO SO easy to make in mass quantity.

Mix Rice, soy sauce, onion soup mix, sesame oil with boiling water in a oven proof casserole or aluminum pan. Make sure the water is BOILING and pour it in just slightly to cover the rice. Then tightly cover the rice with aluminium and bake at 350 until ready.

JRKmommy

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 4:26 pm

I do a marinade of equal parts French's deli mustard, Bartenura balsamic vinegar and extra-virgin olive oil, and add a good pinch of dried rosemary.

I find it tastes best when I use chicken legs or thighs on the bone, and roast it using a broil pan or roasting rack, so that the fat drips off below.

Another easy dinner is just to use a good BBQ sauce - I recently tried Jack Daniels and loved it.

If you like Asian flavor, use chicken drums with this easy marinade:
1 part soya sauce
1 part spicy Thai chili sauce (Sable & Rosenfeld, VH or Dragonura are kosher)
1 part hoisin sauce (Lee Kum Kee makes a kosher, vegetarian version)

If you have a big roasting pan and room in the oven, it's not much more effort to make for 20 than it is to make for 4. All these recipes prep in 5 min or less.

In the summer, I also like to do a big fish course first - sometimes, I just need the chicken soup after that, and everyone is full. I use a large, flash-frozen fillet, and one of these marinades:

1. Classic mediterranean: combine olive oil, parev margarine and garlic

2. Maple balsamic rosemary: Combine a tbsp each of maple syrup, balsamic vinegar, olive oil and deli mustard, and add a good pinch of dried rosemary. Looks very impressive on a big oval platter.

lalelo

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 5:17 pm

Motheroftwins wrote:

are you looking to make cutlets instead of chicken on the bone? If so, I have a great recipe, but is a few steps - but it ALWAYS comes out perfect and is delicious....let me know if you want it.

sounds good, whats the reciepe for chicken cutlets?

wow thanks everyone your receipes, they all sound great! now, I think ill let my husband decided Smile

also I knew someone would say they have 20 people every week, but im a newlywed so its a big deal for me (and have a tiny kitchen)

ra_mom

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 6:05 pm

Italian chicken from KBD is delishes (we had it tonight) and probably the quickest way to make it. It comes out of the oven beautifully browned.

Garlicky greenbeans are always a crown pleaser with every type of guest, and so easy.

Oven rice is great and easy. You can make white, brown, or wild. Serve it using an ice cream scoop for a pretty presentation. You can dust a bit of parsley flakes or sesame seeds on top of the scoops too.

If you need any of these recipes or any gefilte or salmon easy oven recipes just let me know.

Last edited by ra_mom on Tue, Aug 10 2010, 6:09 pm; edited 1 time in total

OOTBubby

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 6:07 pm

Super Easy Breaded Chicken

Put chicken in roasting pan(s) in single layer.

Brush chicken with a thin coating of either Honey Mustard or Italian Salad Dressing (I use fat free)

Sprinkle chicken with a thin coating of seasoned bread crumbs

Bake uncovered at 350 for 1½ hours (might be a little longer if you have a lot in the pan) or until desired degree of doneness.

It always gets rave reviews.

Motheroftwins

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 6:09 pm

The chicken cutlet recipe is as follows:

1. Slice onion, red peppers and orange perrpers. Saute in a little oil until soft.
2. Bread the cutlets in egg and then in cornflake crumbs. Place in 9x13 pan. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Pour the sauted veggies over the cutlets.
4. In a saucepan, combine 12 oz apricot jam (or duck sauce), 1 cup ketchup and 6 Tbsp brown sugar. Bring to a boil. Pour over the peppers/chicken.
5. Return the chicken to the oven and cook at 350 covered for around 30-45 minutes, until chicken is done.

OOTBubby

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 6:15 pm

Motheroftwins wrote:

This is an excellent recipe. We make it all the time (we add mushrooms to the other veggies).

shabri

Tue, Aug 10 2010, 11:52 pm

ra_mom wrote:

How do you make oven rice with brown rice? I always find my water:rice ratio off and the rice comes out either too hard or too soft. How long do you bake it for?

bashabelle

Wed, Aug 11 2010, 4:22 am

Easiest chicken recipe ever:
(I use baking paper to ease clean up)
Cut onions into rings, put either under chicken or on top. (optional)
Put chicken in a pan. Could use bone in chicken bottoms or an entire chicken, I do both and its works beautifully.
Open a can of peaches (or apricots would look prettier)
Pour 1/2 of can including syrup on to chicken.
Sprinkle with Paprika, salt and peper.

Bake til done but still moist.

Sometimes, when I have time, I baste the chicken while baking, I think it makes it a little more moist and juicy, but unneccessary.

The gravy is DELICIOUS. Its super simple, but everyone takes 2nds!
PLUS its way cheaper than ducksauce chicken (at least it is here in israel).

sped

Wed, Aug 11 2010, 4:39 am

bashabelle wrote:

This sounds really nice! You pour on the peaches in their full half-peach size (trying to avoid saying the whole-half peach) or cut it up?

ra_mom

Wed, Aug 11 2010, 7:17 am

shabri wrote:

ra_mom wrote:

How do you make oven rice with brown rice? I always find my water:rice ratio off and the rice comes out either too hard or too soft. How long do you bake it for?

I use short grain brown rice, which I find comes out with a really great texture from the oven.

1 cup brown rice
2-1/2 cups water
2 Tbsp oil
chopped vegetables (1 shredded carrot, 1 chopped tomato, 2 tsp parsley flakes)
spices (1-1/4 tsp salt, 4 dashes each of onion powder and garlic powder, 2-3 dashes black pepper)

Bake, tightly covered, at 375 for 1 hour and 30 minutes. (7x10 deep pan is good, since it has high sides and keeps the rice moist.)

With oven rice, it's nice to serve it in formed scoops since sometimes the rice comes out kind of like a risotto.

Mrs Bissli

Wed, Aug 11 2010, 7:34 am

Can you get skinless, de-boned thighs? If so you can roll out each pieces, put a small amount of stuffing in the middle and roll it up. Sprinkle paprika on top, pour mix of white wine, orange juice, apricot jam, and bake covered. For stuffing the easiest one is challa stuffing--stale bread or challah shredded into small pieces, add onions/carrots/celery whizzed in the food processor and an egg moistened with chicken broth (or chicken soup powder dissolved in hot water).

Of if you want something simple, just plain roasted chicken pieces. You can make it sweeter with apricot jam/grainy mustard, or just use a rub made of pureed garlic, salt, paprika and olive oil. Or bake covered with lots of different types of olives (green, purple, black) with lemon juice and herbs.

BTW, unless you have someone helping in the kitchen, you may want to consider buffet style, at least for the main course and side dishes.

tsiggelle

Wed, Aug 11 2010, 8:33 am

sliced onions
chicken pieces on top

mix salt, black ground pepper and paprika(sweet NOT the sharp one) in a cup. pour half cup water and mix in cup, add half cup oil and pour over chicken. multiply by required quantity

bake as you would usually covered/uncovered and your usual time length( one hour/four hours)

gains; no sugar, no preservatives ( though onion has natural sugar)

in oven bag mix potatoe cubes, salt, sweet paprika, and oil, mix and bake hour/hour and half

vegetable sticks/slices sprayed with oil, baked covered for hour

onion slices with salmon on top. do NOT overbake. bake covered

dont go over the top with preparations, you dont have to dazzle them with too many courses, fanciness

and dont overpay with money or your strength/time.

ppl dont have endless pits in their stomach(usually) and want a relaxed calm hostess

hatslacha to you