Asparagus has enough flavor to hold its own, whereas mesclun salad is a nice foil.

Rice is the obvious choice for a starch because it makes a nice bed for the sauce. Alternatives could be roasted potato medallions, which are delicious at room temperature if they're all caramelized and roasty, and they'd be good with the sauce too. If you want to do a grain other than rice, farro would be good.

That Silver Palate menu is awfully heavy!

I can't find my Sukkot menu. I did make Chicken Marbella, but I can't remember what went with it. Rice for sure. I probably had half a dozen salads/cold veg, which is why I can't remember anything in particular. During a long holiday like that (8 days), I make a bunch of special salads and serve them at various meals, adding in and reimagining as needed.

Rice and broccoli are my regular sides with Chicken Marbella. I've also served grilled asparagus.

Rice or, to be different, orzo. Made with chicken stock.

I'd roast a pile of broccoli and cauliflower, toss with olive oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper.

What a nice way to celebrate! Last year my nephew/godson graduated college in Boston and despite having reservations it was a nightmare fighting the mobs to get to the restaurant. And, as was to be expected, they were booked to the max, service was slow and the meal wasn't the best. How nice that you're providing a nice landing spot to relax with a good meal and enjoy it in a comfortable atmosphere..

It's been a long time since I had Chicken Marbella, but I get why the Lime Mousse was chosen as a dessert. I think something citrus would be a good bright counterpoint. Something make-ahead like a simple lemon tart for dessert?

Rice with peas and/ or spring onions -or rice and roasted asparagus.

Think spring!

Orzo is perfect John! I'm going to use that next time we have it. It's our hands-down favourite chicken dish, and we have many that we love.

Thanks for the suggestions.

I frequently serve Chicken Marbella with Lemon Rice, which is plain white rice cooked in chicken broth with a little white wine, and lemon zest folded in before serving. Following mimipadv's suggestion, I may throw in a handful of peas for color! My notes in the cookbook indicate that at least once, I served it with roasted green beans. I could do that again, but I wanted to branch out a little bit.

plllog, tell me about your roasted potato medallions, please.

I'll probably serve asparagus as one of the "crudities," so that puts it out for a vegetable, also.

john, orzo is a great idea. I don't usually think of it, because I prepared it once when DD was about middle-school age. Because it looks like rice but tastes like pasta, she was totally duped and has hated it ever since. HA!

Do you think the roasted veggies will be good at room temp? Maybe green beans, yellow squash, radishes, and new potatoes? How would you season that? (no sesame oil. Sis finally told me she hates sesame oil - after I've fed it to her for years!)

amck2, we live in a very small rural college town. Everything will be overloaded. I'm perfectly happy to stay home and prepare lunch instead of fighting the crowds on and off campus. P.S. The service here is sometimes slow too - especially if the cook has one glass of celebratory champagne too much. :-)))

Roasted vegetables are terrific at room temperature, but are better if you nab them before they go limp or after all the moisture is mostly gone. I.e., a little under or very well done. In between, they can be soggy. They still taste good but not as appealing for a party.

Try using "Lite" olive oil. That's the oil with the olivy part that makes EVOO so good mostly filtered out. It has a fresh taste like olive oil, without the strong fruitiness, and, since it doesn't have the solids, it has a higher smoke point. You should be able to safely take it to 425° F.

If you do the roasted vegetables, you probably don't want to do the potato slices. That's all "medallions" are. The middle (large) slices of a potato. Cut about 3/8-1/2" thick, coat with oil and a little seasoning and roast. Better with yellow potatoes, or red skin, than white, because the flesh holds together better than the potatoes that make fluffy fries or bakers.

OTOH, I'm not sure I'd do roasted mixed veg with Chicken Marbella. I think it needs something a bit bitter as a foil, and roasted veg are sweet. Broccoli is a good choice. Or you could do broccoli rabe or something. A favorite of mine for rabe or baby broccoli is to lightly saute with red pepper flakes and finely cut shallots or onions (saute those first until just softening), until just bright green and still crisp. Possibly best hot out of the pan, but good at any temperature. Or you could start the shallots/onions, and set aside, then bring to heat and throw in the rabe after you know they're on their way.

Just steamed is a great way to go, too. :)

That is a tough one. I did a google image search and barely a side dish was in any photo...mostly rice. I do like the addition of peas and maybe a bit of a different colored grain or 5% wild rice, handful dried cranberries?

Then studied this photo in an article...i think the red is an apple beet relish. And it looks like a brunch and may have added a few things to the table for the pic. A big green salad would be good and a homemade dressing with similar flavors...lemon, capers, etc.

I always do a big mixed roasted veg with just about everything i see in the market for a crowd. Even if i'm serving a rice dish to go with my main meat.

It seems to please a crowd having so much to choose from especially if a self-serve buffet situation. Mostly veg but i toss in new potatoes and cubed sweet potatoes, a winter squash, quarter yellow beets, cauliflower, etc...covers the vegetarians. : ) an easy day ahead prep.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/magazine/06food-t.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0

I often serve roasted vegetables at room temperature, and they would be good with Chicken Marabella. I would freshen them with a dab of EVOO and a splash of balsamic vinegar if I was going to serve them that way. I often roast mine with a splash of balsamic anyway, or red wine, so if I was worried about serving them lukewarm I would save the vinegar for after roasting. My standard roast vegetable seasonings are garlic, maple syrup, rosemary, olive oil and either wine or balsamic vinegar. Also s&p and sometimes a little broth in the bottom of the pan if they are sticking real bad. I use carrots, sweet potatoes and regular potatoes, red onions, and butternut squash. Sometimes I add celery. Parsnips and turnips and rutabaga are great too, but not as many people like them. They can be picked out I guess. I have also done asparagus and zuchinni but they take less time than the other heavier vegetables. Beets are good roasted and marinated and then served at room temp, but not mixed in with other veggies since they stain.

Good ideas!

I think I'm going to have a seat at a table for everyone. Nevertheless, I want the food to be easily eaten with a fork in the event someone ends up with a tray on their lap. Should I use a combination of boneless chicken breasts and boneless thighs for the Chicken Marbella, or just boneless breasts?

sleevendog, how clever of you to do a Google image search! Doing the same, I found this menu. It must have been quite a party! Roasted goat?!?!?!?!

A Menu to Celebrate
A Milestone!
Happy Graduation Geoff!
June 12th, 2010

With Celebratory Champagne

Freshly Shucked Oysters with
Sauce Mignonette and Cocktail Sauce
*
Tempura Bar including Shrimp, Scallops, Nori Wrapped Ahi Tuna
and Assorted Vegetables
*
Burrata and Carmelized Onion Crostini
*
Smoked Salmon Pinwheels

Dinner Buffet

Rotisserie Goat with Herbed Salt
*
Barbecued Artic Char
*
Chicken Marbella with Pappardelle and Carrot Ribbons
*
Olive Oil Roasted Yukon Golds
*
Haricots Verts with Prosciutto and Gruyere
*
Tomato Salad with Cucumbers and Feta Cheese
*
Caesar Salad with Homemade Croutons

Dessert Buffet

Apricot Almond Tart
*
Assorted Mini Cakes, Macaroons, Mousses and Cupcakes

You need the bones for flavor. It won't taste right without them. Thighs have bigger bones, so I assume that those bones contribute more, and it would be better to do the breasts boneless. Or some of each and some bone in of each. Or have a sharp knife and waste bowl on the buffet so people can do a quick deboning or slicing if they're going to eating from their laps.

Or borrow some TV trays from the neighbors. :)

BB, I used some boneless breasts along with bone-in breasts and thighs one time, as hubby then preferred boneless breasts. They had no flavour at all. Chicken Marbella needs bone-in chicken. Hubby has learned to really like thighs now, which is remarkable.

I think you can use boneless skinless thighs and do not think bone-in is necessary for flavor, especially with the assertive flavors of Marbella. It would be my choice for the guests' ease

How do y'all think a marinated green bean salad would work with Chicken Marbella? It could be served room temp and would give me a green veggie on the plate. Anyone have a good recipe for something with marinated green beans that isn't 3 Bean Salad? (With some exceptions, I'm averse to beans like kidney beans, lima beans, white beans, and any kind of pea except english peas).