Since I'm Southern at heart and waiting oh-so-patiently for God to see fit to send me back that way I love to make yummy Southern dishes and dream I'm already there. This recipe is particularly going to help those who want to make a simple Thanksgiving Dinner with the chicken already cooked and diced or cut up and blended with the stuffing. It would travel well, could be made ahead of time and taken with to reheat at a family gathering, or could be made the night before and just popped into a hot oven during a busy day.
Either way if you have biscuits and cornbread on hand to use up or you want to buy or make some for the recipe, give it a try and let your Southern spirit soar... if only for a day!
Eva's Hen and Dressing Casserole
7 or 8 lb. Chicken (a hen) - boiled with 1 onion and 2 ribs of celery and salt
2 (9 inch) skillet corn bread
1 batch of homemade biscuits
1 ½ to 2 cups diced celery
2 large chopped onions
1 to 2 T. sage
Salt and/or pepper
1 to 2 T. poultry seasoning
9 raw whole eggs
Clean the chicken from the bones and reserve both the chicken and the broth separately.
Crumble bread and biscuits; add celery, onion and seasonings. Add eggs, mix well. Add hot broth to make a very thin, soupy mix. The dressing will soak up a lot of broth, so you might even need to add another cup or two after the first time you stir. Mix well.
Bake at 350 degrees in a greased deep baking pan for 1 hour or more. Important: Stir dressing every 10 to 15 minutes so it won't form a crust. During the last 20 minutes, fold in the cut up chicken. Serve with giblet gravy.
