Christmas dinner

[Blablabla1984]

6 adults, 1 toddler.

Was thinking of doing a slow cooker chicken (then roast it for about 20mins to crisp up) and loads of nice sides.

Does this sound alright? I feel like Christmas is such a big day, don't want a chicken to feel like a little puny thing on the table (as opposed to turkey, cockerel, goose...). Would you do it?

Also what are some nice Christmas side dishes apart from roast potatoes, carrots and parsnips?

[WreckTangled]

I don't think there's anything wrong with chicken but I would do gammon too or beef.

On the side you need cauliflower cheese, red canbage, roast parsnips and carrots, roast potatoes, peas (I love peas!), pigs in blankets, sausage meat stuffing and gravy.

[flapjackfairy]

I always do braised celery with walnuts.(fry in butter first then simmer in a bit of veg or chicken stock then add chopped walnuts )much nicer than it sounds

[OhNoNotMyBaby]

Bread sauce is absolutely essential! And pigs in blankets, and home-made blackberry jelly, and cranberry sauce, and sprouts with chestnuts and 2 stuffings and CRACKERS

[Ninasimoneinthemorning]

Chicken in fine as long as it's big enough. I wouldn't bother about crimping it up but I'd tear it up and mix the dark meat with the white. Will you be playing up or self serve?

[Blablabla1984]

Nina self serve

[flapjackfairy]

Oh pigs in blankets absolutely vital in my opinion . They are extra delicious if you do them with a cocktail stick in the middle and put 1/4 of a dried apricot on each end. They are lovely hot or cold and I always make enough for boxing day as well. Have to hide them in fridge because no one can resist them !

[Ninasimoneinthemorning]

blab id get a really nice large platter plate. I got a beautiful on from a charity shop years ago and still use it. Depending on if your lot are big eaters I'd get one or two chickens, roast them, I think the roast in bag ones are lovely and you get nice stock/juice from them. Tear it up, mix the meat up. And display it nicely with pigs in blankets, roasties, roast onion few roast carrots ect.. and it will look lovely. Plus if there is any left over you can use it for sandwiches or curry.

Turkey is so dry we don't fuss with it. Dh insists on doing beef with it but it's the chicken that goes first here!

[MyBreadIsEggy]

Would be fine with me!!
Although if my family are anything to go by, you'll need a
Bloody gigantic chicken to feed 6 adults

[FireflyGirl]

Definitely need more than 1 chicken for 6 adults surprised nobody has mentioned the legendary MN chicken yet

For sides, we have everything; pigs in blankets, potato croquettes, mash, carrot and swede mash, roasties, stuffing balls, cauliflower cheese, 8 different veggies, and Yorkshire Puddings. It's not Christmas dinner without Yorkshire Puddings! Just work out what you have to actually cook on/with (oven/slow cooker/steamer/borrowed appliances) and go from there.

[nightandthelight]

Chicken is fine :) For sides as a minimum you need roast potatoes, honey or orange glazed parsnips and carrots, red cabbage, brussel sprouts (I like to do with a lemon butter), pigs in blankets, stuffing (or will that be in the chicken?), cranberry sauce and gravy. I don't like bread sauce but I know a lot of people would consider that essential.

I would say cauliflower cheese, peas etc were optional but I have no doubt others would consider me a barbarian for saying so

[disneymum3]

I would say 1 large chicken would be fine. I have cooked a new years dinner before with 1 and served 6 adults and 6 children.
If you have enough side dishes you don't need so much meat.

[OSETmum]

Chicken is fine but you definitely need 2!

[sonlypuppyfat]

Last year we had a capon it was absolutely amazing

[MoreGilmoreGirls]

Gong on my family one chicken would not feed 6 people, is there a reason you don't want a turkey?

[Ditsy4]

I simmer then roast a piece of gammon on Christmas Eve so that on Christmas Day we have two meats. It would work well with chicken too. Do you not like turkey? You can buy small ones. If not then yes you can have chicken but have two.
For veg I do roast potatoes, mashed turnip, carrot, cabbage red, sprouts cooked with chopped onion, baked onion,baked sweet potato, baked beetroot.
Pigs in blankets, three different sausage meat balls, bacon rolls, bacon over the bird to keep it moist, stuffing. Bread sauce, gravy.

[BellaOfTheBalls]

You'll definitely need more than one chicken or a gammon as well.

I'm cooking this year but it's just us (2 adults, 2 DC's) so we'll do a small turkey (brined the day before, google it you won't be sorry) and perhaps a small bit of gammon. For sides we have stuffing, pigs in blankets, roast potatoes, honey glazed roast carrots and parsnips, mashed swede, sprouts with bacon and chestnuts, braised red cabbage, bread sauce and gravy plus homemade cranberry sauce (really easy to make and so much nicer than shop bought).

Only 15 weeks to go!