I am borrowing a friend's house on Sunday to throw a party for about 20 people. This is way, way, out of my league...

How much chicken do I need to buy to feed 20 people? We'll have corn and salad and will have nibbled on cheese and crackers to start.

Thanks!

Jennifer

Keep the faith, you can do this!

I'm going to assume you just want to gauge how much chicken to prepare.
Cutlets are the least favorable due to drying out, and dark meat is best because if you let it go a bit too long it will more than likely stay nice and moist for you.
I like to serve split chicken breasts (skin on) and portion 1 for most people, especially if you've had apps and munchies etc. I say most people because I will add another portion for each person I think or know may have a bigger appetite. Always better to err too much vs. too little. With all those folks, I'd imagine some would like leftovers.
Probably the best combination would be thighs, legs/drum sticks and split breasts to suit everyone. I could easily do 2 drum sticks ,or, a thigh and a drum stick, or one split breast. Guys, probably more.
Also, as the party goes on and people are drinking a bit , those leftover pieces will probably dissappear.
Just remember to baste the chicken with the bbq sauce at the end, and you'll be just fine

If you are doing whole chickens cut up, a safe order would be three people per chicken (I would do seven). this allows for a combination of big eaters (two breasts and a leg) and kids that may only have one leg.

Thanks! That was exactly the type of info I was looking for!

This may be too late since the event is today, but I doubt it would be a huge deal regardless...

Manavano touches on one area that I think is somewhat important. Depending on the people at the party and the style of party, it may be good to go a bit overboard with the food. What I mean is that if people are going to sit around and drink for a couple hours people WILL keep nibbling (especially since it tends to absorb some of the alcohol) and you should probably prepare a bit more than you would for say a dinner for 20 people. Maybe an extra 25% at most, but it's something to keep in mind possibly.

Thanks! Just back from shopping and I think we bought enough extra without going hog wild.