Chicken Cornbread Dressing

I love it when a plan comes together.  But, even better than that, I love it when I have to scrap my original plan at the last minute and the backup turns out to be just as good!  This was one of those times.  I was planning on making Sausage Bake tonight, but as I was beginning to prep it this afternoon I realized I didn't have any potatoes.  UGH!  I was already feeling under the weather and was very tempted to call the hubby and ask him to bring home fast food.  This morning, however, I had found a recipe on the Taste And See God's Goodness Blog that had really intrigued me.  It was easy, not a lot of work, and I already had all the ingredients, so I decided to go for it.  I did tweak it a little to our tastes, but if you'd like to see the original recipe, you can find it here.



To begin with, I baked 2 chicken breasts.  (I use the frozen bags of boneless, skinless chicken breasts.  They work great for "last minute meals" because they don't need to be thawed.)  You could also boil your chicken instead of baking it, but I find that baking works just fine and I can aslo just throw it in the oven and go about my business.

After the chicken was cooked and cooled, I shredded it in large chunks.

While I was shredding the chicken, I baked up some Jiffy cornbread mix.  (I used an 8x8 baking dish and baked it at 400 degrees for approximately 20 minutes.)  -  I chopped up one small onion and threw that into the cornbread mix, but that is completely optional.  It just felt right.  ;)

Once the cornbread was done (a knife inserted in the middle came out clean) I crumbled it into a large bowl.

Then, I added the shredded chicken, 1 teaspoon onion salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and 3/4 teaspoon poultry seasoning.  (Once it was baked, the poultry seasoning seemed just a bit much.  Next time I make this I will only throw in 1/2 teaspoon. - Knowing that, I have gone ahead and altered the recipe here to reflect that change.)

I mixed the cornbread, chicken and seasonings together until combined, then I added one egg (beaten) and mixed that in.  Next, I poured in 2 cups of chicken broth and stirred to make sure all the cornbread was moist.  I let this sit for 10 minutes (to soak up the broth).  After 10 minutes I checked it again and I still felt like it was moist enough so I didn't add anymore broth, but if you like your cornbread stuffing really soggy you could add up to another whole cup of broth. 

I poured the mixture into an 8x8 inch baking dish (I actually used the same one that I baked the cornbread in.  Why dirty another dish?)

I bake this in a preheated 350 degree oven for approximately 40 minutes and it came out nice and golden.

Look at that cornbread-y, chicken-y goodness.  Oh my!  I may have to go get seconds!

Family reactions to this new recipe:
Well, the hubby LOVED it!  He agreed with me that I should back down on the poultry seasoing a little next time, but he cleaned his plate and kept saying, "You should DEFINITELY make this again!"  (Hubby also suggested serving this next time with some chicken gravy.)
And Baby Girl, well, she cleaned her plate - in about 30 seconds - and then cried for a second helping!  I'd say that was quite an approval! :)


Chicken Cornbread Dressing

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken
1 box Jiffy Mix - baked according to package directions
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
1 tsp onion salt (or 1 tsp onion powder PLUS 1 tsp salt)
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg - beaten
2-3 cups chicken broth

1.) Crumble cornbread.  Combine it with shredded chicken and seasonings.
2.) Stir in beaten egg.
3.) Add 2 cups of broth. Make sure all the cornbread and chicken is moist.  Allow mixture to sit for 10 minutes to soak up broth.  After 10 minutes, add more broth (up to 1 cup) if you like it really moist.
4.) Spread mixture into a greased 8x8 inch baking dish.
5.) Bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes, or until golden brown.