Chicken and dressing in a skillet transforms a fussy Southern dish into an easy meal you could turn out on a weeknight – with minimal clean-up!
When it comes to food, I’m happy to eat food that isn’t “Southern”, but if I’m going to eat Southern food then I’m going to do it right (you guys know that about me, right?). That means (as I’ve mentioned before) that in my house there’s no such thing as chicken and stuffing. That bread-based stuff that you eat at Thanksgiving is called dressing. Most Southerners I know would never put it inside of the bird (we bake it in a pan) and we make it with cornbread (and, if you’re me, biscuits). Still, Northerners know that cooking the stuffing in the turkey (or chicken) adds flavor because the juice infuses the stuffing (you can call it stuff if it’s stuffed in the bird). That’s a little bit of a food safety nightmare, though, because odds are that by the time the stuffing (with said juices) is cooked through the bird is going to be pretty dang dry.
Dressing is just as good at Easter, though, and a lot of us Southerners eat chicken and dressing for our Easter family meal (though ham definitely takes the top honors, served with deviled eggs alongside, of course). The thing is, chicken and dressing can be quite a production. Too many pans! And how on earth do you get that blasted chicken cooked through???
So…I decided to turn chicken and dressing into a one-pot meal (well, a one-pan meal). Truth be told, it took me a couple of times to get the chicken cooked through. I tried spatchcocking the chicken and cooking it on top of the dressing but the parts of the chicken that were touching the dressing didn’t cook through. Unfortunately, I didn’t realize this until I had already cut up the chicken. Not cool. Not at all. I had to sear the chicken in a pan to make it edible.?
What did the trick? We had the butcher cut the chicken into pieces. I seared the chicken in the pan before adding the vegetables and mixing the dressing up in the pan. I then cooked the chicken on top of the dressing. You guys, it was perfect. Chicken and dressing can be an easy meal…I made it on a Tuesday after my workout and took a shower while it was in the oven. Pretty much perfect.
What will you be serving for Easter dinner? What’s your favorite way to make chicken and dressing? Comment below and let me know!
For other great recipes, check out Meal Plan Monday on Southern Bite!
Mary
Yield: 4 servings
15 minPrep Time:
1 hr, 30 Cook Time:
1 hr, 45 Total Time:
Save Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 cups crumbled cornbread (half of a full-sized batch)
- 3 cups crumbled biscuits (about 5 biscuits)
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- salt and pepper
- 1 whole chicken, cut into 8 pieces (I had the butcher do this for me)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/2 medium yellow onion - finely chopped
- 1 stalks celery - finally chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh sage - julienned
- 1 egg
- 2-3 cups low-sodium chicken broth
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Place the crumbled biscuits and cornbread on a sheet pan. Bake for about 40 minutes to dehydrate. Set aside. Increase oven temperature to 450 degrees.
- Sprinkle both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper. In a 10-inch ovenproof skillet (I used cast iron), preheat one tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat. Place half of the chicken in the pan and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining oil and chicken pieces. Remove the chicken to a paper towel lined plate and set aside.
- Wipe out the skillet. Add the butter and reduce the heat to medium. Cook the onions and celery until softened. Add the sage and cook for about 30 seconds. Stir in the biscuits and cornbread. Add enough chicken stock to completely moisten the crumbs. Salt and pepper to taste. Add the egg and stir until thoroughly combined. Smooth the top and place the chicken pieces skin-side-down on top of the dressing.
- Bake the chicken and dressing for 20 minutes. Turn the chicken pieces over and return the pan to the oven for another 20 minutes. Remove the chicken to a plate and tent with foil. Return the dressing to the oven for 10 minutes. Serve immediately.
Notes
Prep/cook time does not include time to make the biscuits or cornbread.
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