Granny’s Chicken and Dressing

MyMama was my cheerleader as I ran my first 5k this year.

MyMama doesn’t necessarily like to cook. However, growing up in the 80’s, we didn’t have the eat-out option like today. Therefore, Mama did her best to be creative. There will always be the story of the chicken pot pie that no one but I would eat (I was and always will be a Mama pleaser). She finally said, “Baby girl, don’t eat that.” It was thrown out and a neighborhood dog was rumored to have died that night. I didn’t think it was that bad, but Mama was teased forever about it.

Now when it came to the Holidays, everyone looked forward to ONE thing. MyMama’s dressing. It’s a mix-match of two recipes from BettyC with some variations to please the Moore-Tutt masses. I have even made a variation to please MyDaddy. Now that I am a mom with a family, this recipe is requested by my in-laws and daughter as well. Darling Daughter has asked before, “Is this Memaw’s dressing? Yes? Okay, I will eat it.” I made it this year for Thanksgiving and MyDaddy, who doesn’t usually request a repeat at Christmas, specifically asked for me to make him some more of my dressing.

I am posting it here for easy look up when I am traveling here or there or where ever I need to be for the holidays. Make it with LOVE, and it will be a hit with your family too.

Make the cornbread the night before to hurry things along.

Cornbread

Ingredients:
2 cups milk
½ cup butter, melted
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups yellow cornmeal
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 400. Grease the bottom and sides of a large skillet with butter (not included in the ingredients list).

I mix all the ingredients in a topper to a cake carrier because it is technically a double batch of cornbread. Beat milk, butter and eggs with mixer. Stir in remaining ingredients until moistened (lumpy). Pour into skillet.

Bake 20-30 minutes until a knife inserted in center comes out clean.

Let cool overnight on a baking rack.

Dressing

Boil 6-8 chicken thighs until cooked through. Let cool and remove the bones and skin.

Ingredients:
Cornbread crumbled up
1 onion and 1 bunch of celery made to liquid in a Veggie Mixer
2 cups butter melted
4 ½ teaspoons salt
5 teaspoons sage
2 ½ teaspoons thyme
1 ½ teaspoon pepper
4 cans of chicken broth

In a large skillet, cook and stir onion, celery and butter for 5 minutes.

Stir in 1/3 of the bread crumbs.

Turn mixture into that same cake cover lid (largest bowl I own). Add remaining ingredients except chicken broth. Toss thoroughly.

Add chicken and broth to mixture.

Turn everything into a very large baking pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Bake at 400 until it is the desired consistency, stirring every 30 minutes (About an hour and a half).