I am looking for ideas/recipes which use chicken breasts in a somewhat creative way, but still simple and that can be made to feed about 25 to 30 people.
The Culpeper area churches have banned together for about 3 years to run a "heat shelter" for homeless folks from Dec. 1 through Mar 31. People can come in at 5:30 pm, have a hot dinner and a warm bed for the night, and then get breakfast in the morning. There are about 24 churches which volunteer to cover a one week period. During that week they do the cooking. Bent and I offered to help because they sometimes have nights when a church has not been able to find a member to cook.
We are cooking dinner next Sun and Tues night. We went tonight to check out the kitchen, etc and found they have a pantry where various canned and dried food have been donated. They also have a freezer with meats, although the selection is limited. Apparently they get a LOT of chicken breasts donated by the local Chik-fil-A and asked if we could help use some up. They get regular and pre-marinaded "spicy" chicken breass which they claim are very spicy. I have never had Chik-fil-A spicy chicken, so I brought a small amount home to try out and see what I think of the spice level.
They indicated they get a lot of baked chicken and chicken casseroles, so I am trying to think of some other types of dishes to make with chicken. We need to be able to serve 25 to 30 people. We need to cook here at home and transport about 20 minutes across town. They have a nice oven which we can use to reheat. We will dish up plates.
Bent wants to do meat loaf, mashed potatoes and corn on Sunday with gravy and rolls. I understand that the folks will be having chicken casserole, baked chicken and maybe one other night of chicken in the days leading up to Sunday, so I am sure his meatloaf will be a nice change and big hit. I want to use their chicken for Tuesday.
I thought of chicken and dumpings, but it may be a little bland and a lot like chicken casserole. I am thinking about a simple chicken cacciatore (not too much garlic!). If the spicy chicken isn't too spicy, I may in the future be able to make chicken enchilladas (or a chicken enchillada casserole).
Do you all have any other ideas which would allow me to use the chicken but maybe in a more creative way than a casserole or chicken pot pie? Thanks for any help!