What are the previous courses? Is there a theme? How many people? What sort of flavors are you looking to include? By "make ahead" do you mean something that can sit in the oven for several hours until you and the others arrive at your house?

A little more info will help us provide fitting recipes.....

Alexa

Appetizer, salad. No theme. 10 people. This is a progressive dinner which people will be driving to each others houses. I was hoping for something in the oven or crockpot. When I arrive home I won't have much time to prepare anything. Thanks.

I need the same thing. Right now I am thinking Italian and want to make arancini- rice balls- for an appetizer if I can do them ahead and keep hot in the oven.

We are thinking maybe chicken Parmesan over pasta for the main course. Or chicken Parmesan on the side of some ravioli or manicotti. I will put my foot down if they want lasagna!! We are also having salad, most likely Caesar and desert as a course.

Do you have a really big pot or two big pots for the stovetop? A simple chicken dish I make for times when I need a very low-maintenance, easily made ahead, yet tasty dish is this...not a recipe, I just wing it with what I have...

Bone-in chicken breasts (in your case 10)
olive oil
onion, 1, sliced
lemon, 1, sliced
garlic, 2-3 cloves
fresh herbs, such as rosemary, thyme, oregano
salt
pepper, fresh ground if possible
chicken broth

Pour a couple of tablespoons of oil in pot, enough to barely cover bottom of pot. Heat on medium-to-medium high.

Add salt, pepper, part of the fresh herbs and garlic.

Place bone-in chicken breast in pot. Lightly brown chicken breasts.

Add broth to cover bottom of pot. (Sometimes, I'll add white wine, sherry or vermouth at this point.) Lay one onion slice and one lemon slice on each breast. Add remaining herbs and garlic, more ground pepper.

Let simmer until chicken is 160 degrees. I just let it go until it falls off the bone.

The broth is good to ladle over rice or pasta. You can substitute dried herbs for fresh...just use a little more. Of course you can play around with what you add, sage, marjoram, just about anything, really!

Good luck! I love progressive dinners!

LOL! I think I could have guessed "appetizer and salad" but I was thinking more - what is the appetizer to try to find a main course that would be complimentary flavors as a follower to the appetizer.

Alexa

Thanks for the chicken recipe. It sounds delicious. I was thinking along those lines but in the crockpot. Also was thinking about twice baked potatoes since they can be reheated rather quickly.

I don't know what the others are making for apps and salad.

I would be afraid that chicken breasts cooked that long would get over done and stringy.
Frankly i hate progressive dinners.....but if I really have to participate, I would prefer to have the salad course...
The last time I had main course, I put 2 pork tenderloins into the oven just as I left the house....and they were over done. I have tried whole pork loin and was madly turning up the oven to get it more cooked while guests were waiting...I have eaten an awful crock pot hamberger stroganoff and a good meat loaf.
I think I would buy 3 chickens about 4 pounds each and stuff a lemon and an onion inside each one, tie them up and put them into a325 oven just as I left....I figure that appetizers and salad takes about 1 1/2 hours and the chicken ought to be fine.
Or ther's that "party chicken" that everyone was making about 25 years ago...can't remember exactly but you roll up a boneless chicken breast with a piece of dried beef inside, place it in a casserole lined with canadian bacon ( yes it's salty!) and pour over it, I think cream of something soup and sour cream and cook for a couple of hours....
And there are variations on that theme using a piece of swiss cheese.
Maybe someone else can help with the recipe.....But I think I would do the Ina Garten recipe in the link...chicken and vegetables all in one pan and cooks in an hour and a half.
Linda c

Here is a link that might be useful: Perfect roast chicken

I think chicken is a bit tricky to cook in a Crock Pot and not run the risk of overcooking. I suggest a casserole type dish that is cooked and ready to go and only needs reheating.

This one is an easy make ahead and is quite elegant for a dinner party. I have subbed apricots for the prunes. If you cook it earlier and leave it at room temp it will reheat quite quickly. Just be sure not to overcook.

Chicken Marbella

This was the first main-course dish to be offered at The Silver Palate shop, and the distinctive colors and flavors of the prunes, olives, and capers have kept it a favorite for years. It's good hot or at room temperature. When prepared with small drumsticks and wings, it makes a delicious appetizer.

The overnight marination is essential to the moistness of the finished product: The chicken keeps and even improves over several days of refrigeration

1⁄2 cup olive oil
1⁄2 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup pitted prunes
1⁄2 cup pitted Spanish green olives
1⁄2 cup capers with a bit of juice
6 bay leaves
1 head of garlic, peeled and finely purd
1â4 cup dried oregano
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 chickens (2 1â2 pounds each), quartered
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup dry white wine
1â4 cup fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley or fresh cilantro, finely chopped

1. Combine the olive oil, vinegar, prunes, olives, capers and juice, bay leaves, garlic, oregano, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken and stir to coat. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

3. Arrange the chicken in a single layer in one or two large, shallow baking pans and spoon the marinade over it evenly. Sprinkle the chicken pieces with the brown sugar and pour the white wine around them.

4. Bake, basting frequently with the pan juices, until the thigh pieces yield clear yellow (rather than pink) juice when pricked with a fork, 50 minutes to 1 hour.

5. With a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken, prunes, olives, and capers to a serving platter. Moisten with a few spoonfuls of the pan juices and sprinkle generously with the parsley or cilantro. Pass the remaining pan juices in a sauceboat.

16 pieces, 10 or more portions

Note: To serve Chicken Marbella cold, cool to room temperature in the cooking juices before transferring the pieces to a serving platter. If the chicken has been covered and refrigerated, reheat it in the juices, then allow it to come to room temperature before serving. Spoon some of the reserved juice over the chicken.

This recipe of Scott's makes a really good lasagna. Again you could cook it almost all the way and then finish off when you get home.

SCOTT'S CHICKEN LASAGNE

9 Lasagna Noodles

1/4 cup butter/margarine
8 oz/3 cups sliced fresh mushrooms
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 whole chicken breasts or equivalent, stewed and cubed
1 cup of the liquid you cooked the chicken in
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
15 oz. carton ricotta cheese
2 eggs
3 cups chopped fresh broccoli
8 oz/2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Cook lasagne noodles, drain and rinse in hot water.

In large saucepan, melt butter, add mushrooms, garlic salt and lemon juice. Saute mushrooms until tender, about 5 minutes. Add flour; blend well. Add milk and chicken juice; cook over medium high heat until mixture thickens and boils, stirring constantly. Stir in chicken and 1/3 cup parsley.

Heat oven to 325. Mix Ricotta and parmesan cheese with beaten eggs. Layer 1/3 each noodles, ricotta mixture, mozzarella, sauce and broccoli (for the top layer I do the broccoli then the mozzarella on top). Sprinkle with remaining parsley. Bake for 45 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 10-15 minutes before serving.

How about Chicken Taco's?

all you have to do is reheat the chicken-in-taco-sauce when you get home (someone may have an idea of doing this in the crock-pot, but I'm not very crock-savvy).

I poach Chicken, then shred it in a sautee pan, adding an envelope of taco seasoning and water.... (I also usually sautee onion with it)

Have all the "fixins" prepped ahead of time... e.g. lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chopped onion, chopped olives (you can buy cans of sliced olive, and not bother chopping), shredded cheese, sour cream, chopped jalapeno's, salsa... then either make guacamole when you get home, or just slice avocado.... offer beans (black or refried) if you like... and I'd serve with a salad, or greens and dressing so people can make a salad....though the salad may be redundant for a progressive dinner...

Then they can make their own. We use both soft-flour tortillas and hard-corn shells. We do heat the shells, but no real need to....

I really like Lars' Algerian chicken, and it's good right out of the oven, it's good at room temperature and it's good reheated so you could roast it ahead of time and reheat it in the oven if that works for you. You've got to buy powdered sumac, though. I never have fenugreen, I leave it out. Oh, and I do it in the oven at 350F, it takes about an hour to an hour and a half and I've even used chicken pieces instead of whole chicken, if that's what I have, although it reduces cooking time so be aware of that.

Algerian Roasted Chicken -- Lars--based on recipe by Chef Farid Zadi

1 whole chicken
4 cloves of garlic
1-1/2 tbsp Kosher salt
1 teaspoon of sumac
1/2 teaspoon of sesame seeds
1/2 tsp coriander seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek
3/4 tsp cumin
3 tablespoons of butter, room temperature
1 tbsp minced Thai basil (or 1/2 tsp fennel)
2 lemons
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
extra herbs, 1 tsp each minced fresh oregano and basil, optional
4-5 sprigs of thyme

Start charcoal for outdoor barbeque, using large chunks of mesquite wood and charcoal. Place the chicken in a roasting pan with a rack. Slide your fingers under the breasts to separate the skin from the meat, turn the chicken over and do the same with the thighs. Mash the garlic with 1-1/2 tablespoons of salt in a mortar and pestle or finely chop the garlic and incorporate the salt into it with the side of your knife or back of a spoon. Add the sumac, sesame seeds, coriander seeds, fenugreek seeds, and cumin and mix to pulverize the seeds. Add butter and basil and combine to mix. Tuck pieces of the butter into the "pockets" under the skin.

Squeeze the juice of one lemon all over the chicken, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle freshly ground black pepper. Season the cavity with pepper, tuck in the lemon halves and more herbs into the cavity if desired. Place the chicken on the barbeque and cover, leaving vents fully open to maintain heat. Baste the chicken every 15 minutes alternating water and pan drippings. Midway through cooking turn the chicken 90 degrees. Continue frequent basting. The cooking time for a 3-1/2 pound bird is about 1-1/2 hours, depending on how hot your fire is. Cook to an internal temperature of 160°, measured in the thigh.

Let rest covered about 30 minutes before carving. Squeeze fresh lemon juice into the roasting juices, and pour into a gravy boat. Add salt, if needed.

Annie

Great recipes, thanks to all of you.

Is the dinner more a casual dinner or is it suppose to be more "gourmet"?

This recipe can be prepared a head and takes about 30 to 40 minutes to bake. Depending on how long you are going to be away from your home, you could either put it in the oven just before you leave the house OR, and this would be my personal preference, taken out of the oven just before you go out and then put back in just long enough to reheat when you return.

Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table

Chicken Breasts With Mushroon Duxelles
======================================

This flavorful and elegant chicken is stuffed with a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms. Because the breasts are stuffed under the skin, the stuffing moistens the chicken meat and keeps it juicy. use either dried porcini or dried Chinese mushrooms; they have the most flavor. The sauce can be made ahead of time and the breasts stuffed a few hours before baking.

6 Dried mushrooms
1/2 cup boiling chicken broth
2 tablespoons butter
4 shallots
8 ounce fresh mushrooms finely chopped
1 teaspoon dried tarragon or basil
3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs
1/3 cup whipping cream
3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
6 single boned chicken breasts, with skin on.

Sauce

1/2 cup chopped onions
1/4 cup dry red wine
1/2 cup mushroom-soaking liquid
3 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons port or Madeira
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon cold water
salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
. 1.
Soak the mushrooms in boiling chicken broth for 20 minutes. Drain the
mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid and the mushrooms
separately.Chop the mushrooms.

2.
Preheat the oven to 375°F

3.
Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the
shallots and dried and fresh mushrooms. Saute until all the liquid has
evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Stir in the basil
or tarragon, bread crumbs, cream and parsley. cook until the cream has
reduced and the filling is thick. Season with salt and pepper.

4.
Divide the filling in six portions. with your fingertips, make a
pocket between the skin and the flesh of each chicken breast. Stuff
the filling under the skin of the chicken breasts. Season the breasts
with salt and pepper and place in a buttered baking dish large enough
to hold the breasts in one layer.

5.
Bake for 30 or 40 minutes, basting occasionally, until the juices run
clear.

6.
To make the sauce, in a frying pan, combine the onions and wine. On
high heat, bring to a boil and reduce until you have 1 tablespoon of
liquid.

7.
Pour in the mushroom liquid, reduce to 2 tablespoons and then add the
chicken stock and continue to boil until the stock is reduced by half.
Add the port and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the sauce is
smooth and strongly flavored.

8.
Combine the cornstarch and cold water and stir into the sauce,
simmering until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Season
with salt and pepper and add any juices from the chicken. To serve,
pour the sauce over the chicken breasts.

Chase suggested the Chicken Marbella from the Silver Palate which is quite delicious and a terrific suggestion!
I've made this recipe several times from the Silver Palate Cookbook and have gotten rave reviews (even though I was hesitant to make it due to the prunes):)
For those who've yet to try this recipe, do!

I think I would take the easy way and opt for a big pot of spagetti. You could have the sauce cooking on low while you were out and then take a couple of minutes to do the pasta when you got in. Garlic bread could be ready to go in the oven also. Very good, filling, and inexpensive.
Beth

How about coq au vin and some new potatoes or rice pilaf. You could make it up ahead of time and just keep warm in a crock pot or even in the oven for that matter. I've never cooked in the crockpot but do use it to keep things warm. Another thought is to do appetizers at one house, salad and main course at your house and dessert at the third house. That way people could be eating the salad course while you're doing last minute prep on main course.

Chicken Marbella is my go-to recipe when I need to have something really good, but don't have a lot of time at the last minute. If you have folks who you think will object to the prunes, you can substitute apricots. I have done that but the prunes are the best. And if you don't tell your guests, most of them will not be able to identify the prunes. They cook down to small pieces but the flavor they add cannot be beat! (I do not use all of the brown sugar called for in the recipe. I just sprinkle a bit on top of each piece of chicken.)

Georgysmom's suggestion of Coq Au Vin is good too. Using the recipe below, I would prepare it completely - all the way through simmering for 1 hour - and then move it into a crockpot to hold on the lowest heat available (mine has a "keep warm" setting). Here is my recipe which is adapted from the Atlanta High Museum cookbook:

COQ AU VIN

1/4 lb mild sausage
1 lg onion, cut in 1/16ths
3 lg carrots sliced
3 Tblsp butter
1/8 tsp garlic powder
8 pieces of chicken (See Note below)
2 Tblsp brandy, optional
2 Tblsp flour
2 Tblsp parsley, chopped, optional
1 tsp chervil or rosemary
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp thyme, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups dry red wine

Melt butter in large, heavy skillet (I use electric skillet). Add sausage, onions, and carrots. Brown. Add garlic powder. Remove vegetables from skillet. Brown chicken in butter remaining in skillet (add a little more butter if needed). Pour brandy over chicken and ignite. When flame dies, proceed. Move chicken to one side of skillet. Stir in flour and seasonings. When well-mixed and smooth, add red wine. Stir. Return vegetables to skillet. Cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour. If it is necessary to hold dish for more than one hour, add a tad more red wine or some chicken broth as necessary. Serve with white rice.

NOTE: Dark meat chicken is best for this recipe. If I am making it for company, I use boneless chicken thighs, if I can find them. Otherwise, bone-in chicken thighs only have one bone to contend with.

For dinner party, serve with white rice and broccoli.

bb, your coq au vin recipe is almost exactly like mine. Mine calls for marjoram instead of rosemary...I like rosemary because I have it on the deck. Thanks for posting it...I was too lazy. You know how you forget about recipes, well I forgot about Chicken Marbella so thanks Chase for posting it. I need to have some friends over in a couple of weeks and think that's what I shall have. Thanks for reminding me. Dottie

Thank you for all the wonderful recipes. I'm going to start making them this weekend. I needed more chicken recipes for company. I do like the idea of thighs.

This progressive dinner isn't in a neighborhood. We do have to drive from house to house so I won't have much time to prepare anything once I get home.

Not sure what to call this, but variations abound on the internet. The end result is a fancy chicken served in slices-4-5 slices a person. You get about 6 slices per breast.

Spinach, prosciutto and Boursin chicken

Take a bag or two of fresh spinach (frozen also works). Cook and drain well. Cool

Pound out chicken breasts between waxed paper. Spread a layer of boursin on the chicken. Now place a slice of prosciutto over the boursin. Cover the boursin with a layer of spinach. Roll up and place seam side down in a glass baking dish. Add a little chicken broth over the tops of the chicken. Bake at 350 for 40 minutes. Let sit for a few minutes and then slice into 1/2 " slices. Serve with a spoonful of pan drippings on top.

You don't have to use boursin. You can use goat cheese or mozzarella. If you use something other than boursin, you may want to add seasoning to the spinach.

When sliced, you have a perfect spiral inside. You could prepare these ahead, and either pop them in the oven right when you walk in, or better yet, have someone pop them in the oven while you are at the course before house.
Jo