Granny's Chicken and Dressing, Saturday, December 21, 2013

I'm the last one who KNOWS how to make Granny's Cornbread Dressing, and so I've been trying to share this recipe, (well actually, it is more of a TECHNIQUE than a recipe...LOL) with as many people as I can so MAYBE, her recipe will live on!  I would make it for ALL of my Mother's family (the Sanford's) Thanksgivings and Christmases.  It is VERY simple becaus
e you basically make cornbread and add some stuff and cook it!  It is a typical Southern Recipe and YUMMY.

This is DRESSING, NOT STUFFING.  My family also has a LONG tradition of NOT following directions or of measuring, so as I said before, IF you are going to COOK with me, you MUST be flexible.  ALWAYS adjust recipes to fit YOUR taste.  Once you have the basics of cooking down, then you can just go "off on your own."  So here is the recipe and it is just fabulous to make a BIG BATCH, cook it and throw it in the freezer for other times when you need a quick meal.

Granny Sanford’s Chicken and Dressing

Cook a large chicken (about 5 lbs) covered with water (as much as your pan will hold) (add salt) until done…I cook two chickens in a HUGE pot, so I will have extra broth and chicken to freeze for later use as soup, chicken/dumplins, or another making of dressing!  When cool, take chicken off the bone. You can use any chicken you want, but the flavor is BETTER is you use a whole chicken…but use only breasts, or thighs and legs…doesn’t really matter!

When making Cornbread and Biscuits-NEVER use milk.  ALWAYS use buttermilk.  Fat-free buttermilk is fine, but NEVER USE MILK!  AND NEVER EVER add SUGAR to this recipe!!

I use Martha White Self-rising corn meal mix (NOT the buttermilk mix NOR Yellow).  If you can’t find this meal, use a good quality meal, such as White Lily…it makes a difference!!  DON’T use yellow meal!

Make cornbread according to directions on package.  Double the recipe.

Pour app. ½  cup oil into a 9x13 cake pan.  Place in cold oven.  Heat to 425.

Beat 2 eggs

4 cups Corn Meal Mix

3 ½ cups Buttermilk (it might take more…the consistency should resemble that of a cake mix)

DO NOT OVER MIX!  This makes the cornbread tough!

When oven reaches 425, pour oil into cornbread mixture and stir until almost completely combined-it is fine to leave a little of the oil showing…DO NOT overmix!!

Pour into pan and cook until golden brown (app. 25 minutes)

Remove from pan and when cooled,  crumble VERY fine.  Leave out overnight.

(NOW, if you are making cornbread to EAT, ALWAYS cook in a Black Iron Skillet...it does MAKE a difference in the taste and crunchiness of your cornbread)

Make a recipe of Biscuits with BUTTERMILK.  Use your favorite recipe.  I use Bisquik (usually a generic brand) and mix according to directions on the package BUT USE BUTTERMILK…(HAVE YOU ALL GOTTEN THE IDEA-milk-bad…BUTTERMILK-good).    When cooked and cooled, crumble very fine into the cornbread and leave out overnight. (TOO many biscuits will make the dressing ‘slick’ according to Mother) 

ALSO-NEVER use YEAST bread of any kind to make cornbread dressing-NEVER EVER EVER!!!

NEXT DAY-make the dressing.  It is FINE to use cornbread/biscuits that you have frozen….we used to freeze our leftover cornbread/biscuits to make dressing.  It if fine to go ahead and make the dressing the same night you make your cornbread/biscuits, but it is better if it is stale!

Chop app. 2 cups celery (about 4-5 stems)

Chop LARGE softball sized onion, or 2 medium onions (app. 2 cups)

4 eggs

1 Tablespoon Poultry Seasoning (IF you don’t use this, it is fine to just add 2 T of Sage)

1 Tablespoon Rubbed Sage (make sure your herbs are fresh)

2 teaspoons Black Pepper

I don’t add salt until I taste it

I mix everything BEFORE I add the broth

APPROXIMATELY 8 – 12 cups of Broth, heated, so it will kinda cook your eggs.

The consistency should be similar to the cornbread you made-perhaps just a tad thicker.

IF when you taste this, and it doesn’t have enough CHICKEN flavor, it is fine to add a can of cream of chicken soup, or chicken noodle soup, or those flavor packets of broth….EITHER is fine—It all depends on how good your broth is!  You just have to play this by ear!

We put out chicken on the bottom and pour the dressing on top.  It is fine NOT to do this.  Reserve app. 2 cups of dressing and 3 cups of broth for gravy.

Cook at 350 – 425 (depending on how fast it is browning) for about 1 hour…check it-you want it to be golden brown.

To make Giblet gravy:

I do NOT use the giblets because I don’t like my dressing being ruined by biting into a piece of Liver-YUCK!  BUT if that is what you like, then add the giblets to the gravy.

Boil 4 eggs (Place in cold water…bring to a hard boil.  Cover once the boiling starts.  Turn off heat.  Sit for 10 minutes, covered…drain and run cold water over them to cool, rattle eggs in pan to crack shells, peel eggs-perfect EVERY time!!)

Put 2 cups dressing with 3 cups of broth in a heavy bottomed pan.  Cook for about 30 minutes until thick....WATCH carefully, it will STICK and burn!  Chop eggs into gravy once it is thick…if it is too thick, add some more broth or water..

This is ready to go IN THE OVEN...I can't wait!!

You are ready to go…So SO SOOOOO simple!!

Enjoy….

 
Family recipes help to make holidays special because it brings those who are not present with us anymore BACK to us with our memories...Uncle Cecil ALWAYS wanted dressed eggs...Aunt Becky or Aunt Sybil ALWAYS made cooked apples, Mother or Aunt Becky ALWAYS made the dressing, THEN I took over...Turnip Greens were a requirement (ick) BUT DON'T you dare forget the vinegar...Uncle Doyle loved just about anything that I cooked, but he really liked my Green Pea Layered Salad...I would make it JUST for HIM!...Food feeds the body, but MEMORIES feed the SOUL...Blessings to YOU...~charlotte♥

Charlie wanted to help cook the holiday meal, so I AWOKE to scuffling...I went around the corner and He had taken Daddy's work bench and was making Fruit Salad...SOOOOOO, Charlie...Why do you have the hammer and the needle-nosed pliers?  He said he needed it to get the banana peels and orange peels off  AND to cut off the grapes...BUT CHARLIE, you just put the fruit in WITHOUT PEELING it!...THEN I asked WHY he had the Ghiradelli Peppermint Bark and Peanut M&Ms...he gave me a VERY stern look, so I just went back into the den....I'm not sure how this fruit salad is going to turn out, BUT I am PRETTY SURE, I will have NO candy left after this morning...