How to Scale Moroccan-Style Braised Lemon Chicken Tangia for a Crowd

Question

Wondering if anyone has made this recipe for a crowd. Would this be easily to scale it up and do entirely in the oven? Instead of thickening the sauce, just roast uncovered in pans, and then finish with the lemons and the green olives. Also, is 3 lbs of chicken thighs more than the standard 1/2 lb per person?

Elizabeth Mindreau · Accepted Answer

Hello Todd –
I shared your query with our Culinary Director and he said that he wouldn't recommend roasting it uncovered. This is a braise, which requires moist, covered heat. The liquid might dry out in a roasting pan before the chicken is cooked through. It would be better to use 2 large Dutch ovens, covered, if you wanted to make a larger batch in the oven, but you would still need to simmer it to reduce the sauce on the cooktop.
\\* please note, this method has not been tested in the Milk Street Kitchen.
As for the meat weight, 3 pounds of bone-in chicken thighs is usually between 6 and 8 thighs, depending on their size. Figuring 2 thighs per person, this is how we settled on this being enough to serve 4. Chicken on the bone does lose a fair amount of weight during the cooking process.
A tagine is a classic braise, and changing the cooking method might result in mixed success. He'd recommend the traybake below, which you could make 2 of at once for a crowd, that has a similar flavor profile.
https://www.177milkstreet.com/recipes/greek-chicken-potato-traybake

How to Scale Moroccan-Style Braised Lemon Chicken Tangia for a Crowd

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