Chicken and Cornbread Dressing/Casserole

Tweet

While making our bi-weekly menu the other day, I realized we had numerous amounts of left over food just waiting to either be eaten up or tossed in the trash.  I scoured the internet for ideas and inspiration to see what I can use with these specific ingredients. 

I should have called this recipe, "What Ever Is Left" Casserole/Dressing cause it literally is made from the scraps and remains of past meals.  

Have some left over cornbread?  Toss it in there.  Have some hot dog and hamburger buns that need to be used up?  Toss it in there.  Have some eggs that are getting ready to expire?  Toss them in there.  Have a few pieces of chicken left over from that barbecue over the weekend?  Shred them and toss em in there.  Can't get any better then this folk ;)  

This is also similar to how my mother-in-law makes her southern cornbread dressing for the holidays.  Hers has more ingredients though :)  I felt like I was not only using up left overs, but that I also made my very first dish of Southern cornbread dressing....sort of :)  Here's how to make it:

Chicken and Cornbread Dressing/Casserole

(serves 8-10)

Ingredients:

2 and 1/2 cups of cornbread, chopped into one inch cubes

2 and 1/2 cups of any other type of bread (I used left over hot dog buns and hamburger buns), chopped into one inch cubes and toasted in the oven on 400 degrees for 10 minutes.  

1 and 1/2 stalks of celery, chopped

1/2 an onion, chopped

2 tbsp. butter

2 hard boiled eggs, chopped

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 can Cream of Chicken Soup

1 and 1/2 tbsp. dried sage

1 and 1/2 tbsp. dried parsley

2 pinches of salt

2 pinches of pepper

2 cups of shredded chicken (or turkey)

Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Take the toasted cubes of bread and the cubes of corn bread and place them in a big bowl.  Mix them up.

2.  Take the chopped onion and celery sticks and saute' them with the 2 tbsp. of butter in a frying pan over medium heat.  When the onions are translucent and the celery is on the soft side, take them and pour into the big bowl.

3.  Take the chopped up eggs and place them in bowl.  Stir everything up until well mixed.

4.  Take the 2 lightly beaten eggs and pour them into the bowl.  

5.  Take the can of Cream of Chicken Soup and pour it over the beaten eggs.

6.  Stir everything together again and sprinkle the sage, parsley, salt, and pepper into the bowl.  Stir again to mix in the seasonings.

7.  Take your shredded chicken (or turkey) and place it in the bowl.  Mix everything together one last time.  I used my hands to mix it all this one last time.

8.  In a buttered 9x13 inch casserole dish, spoon the mixture in.  Making sure to make it nice and even.

9.  Place in oven to bake for one hour or until lightly brown.  

**Libby's Notes:  You can serve this during the holidays as a side dish or you can turn it into a main course and serve it with corn bread and vegetables on the side.  Or you can serve it with mashed potatoes.  Don't forget the gravy :)

Also, if it comes out to dry for your taste, you can always make it again and increase the amount of eggs to three and/or add another can of Cream of Chicken...or add some chicken broth to it until it reaches the consistency you like.  Experiment with it and have fun!  That's what it's all about!**

Recipe Source: www.messythrillinglife.blogspot.com