Eva Claiborne's Hen and Dressing
Source of Recipe
BBR
Recipe Introduction
Posted by: smatterchu
List of Ingredients
7 or 8 lb. Hen (boiled with 1 onion and 2 ribs of celery and salt) - save broth
2 (9 inch) skillet corn bread (cooked until just barely done, but not too brown!)
1 batch of homemade biscuits (the Bisquik drop recipe is fine - also not too done!)
1 ½ to 2 cups diced celery (raw)
2 large chopped onions (raw)
1 to 2 T. sage (or to taste)
1 to 2 T. poultry seasoning (or to taste)
Lawry's Seasoning Salt to taste
Dash or ground red pepper (optional)
9 raw whole eggs
Broth from hen - keep hot or reheat (add canned broth and butter if necessary)
Recipe
Crumble bread and biscuits; add celery, onion and seasonings. Add raw
eggs, mix well. Add HOT broth to make VERY THIN. Add a few cups and stir...add and stir....etc.
Now, by very thin, we're talking about soupy oatmeal. More than likely, you will think, "Oh no, I've put in too much now....add one more cup and that will be about right." 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. These days, we use a big disposable roasting pan on a cookie sheet (for stability).
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. Enjoy!
I came across one here on the board and it is even better than mine. Everyone tells me your dressing just gets better and better LOL...I cook for families that won't have a holiday dinner and the fire department parties. Here is the recipe I found on here. Go by her notes and follow this and you will have the best dressing in the world! Promise *grin*
Some hints....
1. Don't overcook the cornbread. (Use Jiffy if you want) If the cornbread is dry before you even begin, you can't expect much from the dressing.
2. Don't overcook the biscuits (see cornbread explaination). ;-)
3. Make sure you have enough broth to add to the dressing. Buy a few cans of chicken broth and add to the chicken pot, just in case. Add butter to make the broth richer. But once you have enough broth, keep it hot and add enough to the dressing to make it really soupy.
4. Stir every 10 or 15 minutes while it cooks so the dressing can distribute and cook evenly. Keeping it from forming a crust is important.
5. Yes.....9 eggs -- it's part of the secret. AND, please make sure you break each egg into a cup or bowl first -- rather than breaking it over the dressing. For one thing, it's hard to fish out a tiny shell piece in a dressing pan. -But most importantly, if you happen to get a bad egg, you will not have ruined the entire pan of ingredients.
6. The hen goes in the dressing and the turkey is served on the side (if you even want turkey). Turkey is traditionally a dry meat, so it is best to be served beside the dressing - otherwise it will pull moisture out of the dressing.
**This can be made in stages. Often, my Grandmother would make the cornbread and biscuits ahead of time, crumble them up and freeze or refrigerate them in Zip-Loc bags. That cuts down a lot of prep time -- especially if you are doing this for Thanksgiving.
**You can also make up the dressing and bake it halfway through the day before. Cover with foil and put it in the fridge and finish baking the next day -- remembering to stir throughout.
|
Â
Â
Â
|
member logon
