Can I make a roasted chicken dish in advance?

Having guests tonight and making this dish:
http://www.foodandwine...
My oven will be tied up with other things that need to be served immediately. Can I make this fully in advance and then reheat just before serving? Note, I am only using thighs and drumsticks.. no breasts.
Thanks!

lcast
  • Posted by: lcast
  • November 21, 2014
  • 7323 views
  • 5 Comments

5 Comments

ChefJune November 21, 2014
Lyonnaise Chicken in Red Wine Vinegar Sauce is one of my signature dishes and I make it often, but never in the oven. https://food52.com/recipes/11458-chicken-in-red-wine-vinegar-sauce
You can cook the chicken ahead, but I would do the sauce just before serving. The secrets to the best sauce, imho, are 1. use Heinz Red Wine Vinegar. Don't know why, but it gives the best results. and 2. make sure the vinegar reduces to a real syrup before you add the creme fraiche. Otherwise your sauce will be watery. This is my most requested dish for many years. You and your guests will love it (I hope!)
 
lcast November 21, 2014
This hotline is the best. Thanks again everyone.
 
keg72 November 21, 2014
That looks like a great recipe, by the way! I definitely think you can prepare the dish in advance. I would make the whole recipe, as written, but then refrigerate the chicken separate from the sauce. Then, I'd pull both the sauce and the chicken out from the fridge in advance and let them come to room temperature before combining them in a pan on the stove.
 
lcast November 21, 2014
thx!
 
Nancy November 21, 2014
Yes because it's not simply a roasted chicken (which might lose some of its crispiness when reheated) but roasted and braised. So your braising sauce will keep it moist. 2 things to suggest. 1) do about half of step 3 (reduce the sauce but don't cook the chicken in it) on first making & final heating of chicken w/sauce just before serving. 2) if chicken will be cooked more than 1.5 or 2 hr before step, refrigerate for food safety. Then either bring out to room temp, add sauce & cook original timing or from fridge to stove top, may need a few minutes more to cook.
 
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