My labor of love…….Thanks Giving Dressing

[jackieschmidt]

Well, it’s that time of year, time to make my Thanks Giving Dressing for the big meal Thursday.

Sometime around 20 years ago, I got handed this job. It’s pretty labor intensive, and I pretty much mess up the kitchen making it, but the results are well worth the effort.

While It’s not a complicated recipe, it is actually a meal in it‘s self.

I make enough to feed around 25 on Thanks Giving, we freeze the remainder for Christmas Dinner.

6 chicken breast
6 chicken thighs
6 bunches of celery
6 bunches of green onions.
5 apples
6 eight inch cornbread cakes.
2 sticks of butter
8 boiled eggs
salt, pepper, and sage.

In a large pan, boil chicken breast and thighs, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Dice celery sticks and green onion stalks, including the white bases. Boil in a large pot with salt and pepper seasoning.
dice the 8 boiled eggs.
Peel and dice the apples into around 1/2 inch chunks.
remove skin and debone the chicken, break into small chunks.

crush the 6 cornbread cakes in a large pan, around 2 gallons, into fine pieces.
Start adding the chicken broth and celery/onion soup until throughly wet.
Mix in the chicken pieces thoroughly.
Mix in all of the cooked green onions and celery bits.
Mix in the apple chunks. Melt the 2 sticks of butter and mix in.
mix in the diced boiled eggs.

Start seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste. When satisfied, start adding sage to taste.

Continue adding the chicken broth and celery soup until thoroughly wet. Lay a table spoon flush with the mix. If it readily fills with liquid, that about the right consistency.

Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours in 8x12 aluminum pans.or until a knife blade comes out pretty clean.

enjoy with giblet gravy if so desired, or just by it’s self.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Well I hit like but that excludes the celery. Just had to clear that up. Family recipes are a great tradition.

 

[Mark M.]

We grew up on oyster dressing for thanksgiving

 

[AlNyhus]

Looks great, Jackie. Family traditions like this are a big part of what makes the holidays special. My late wife's third generation recipe for Swedish meatballs has been passed down to our youngest daughter....complete with the with the old Sunbeam electric fry pan. Having those at Christmas is pretty special.

My contribution to Thanksgiving is the green bean casserole. No canned beans...fresh green beans are worth the little bit of effort.

I'm going to make up a smaller batch of your recipe for New Years Day...it's always an 'open' day where our tradition is anything goes for food.-Al

 

[joshb]

Well done, Jackie! It looks yummy! I think some one should give you a bigger pot for Christmas.

 

[majohnson]

That a pan full of goodness Jackie, nice job in the kitchen!

 

[R.Morehouse]

Thanks, Jackie...............Enjoy The Holiday!!!!!!

Regards

Rick

 

[Bill Norris]

Nice looking dish Jackie. Enjoy T-day.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Well done, Jackie! It looks yummy! I think some one should give you a bigger pot for Christmas.

That old pot actually belonged to my Wife’s Grandmother. It is probably 1920’s vintage.
A few years ago, I had to make new handle hangers for it.

That dressing has to be mixed in that pot.

 

[riverman1]

Just so I'm clear. You boil the celery/onion separate from the chicken? This looks like a great recipe and I might just use it to take over the dressing duty at our Thanksgiving celebration. I already contribute with creamed corn, green beans and apple skillet cake.

I got the cake recipe from and old friend of mine. His mother used to make it, wrap it in foil, pack in in popped corn and send it to him in Viet Nam. He was in the Air force, living in plywood housing, so he was able to receive regular care packages from home. When all the other airmen would see him walking along with a new box under his arm, they would follow him to his shack to get their share of the goodies. He said they would eat that old dry cake like it had just come out of the oven. And then they would eat up that old stale popcorn and wash it all down with a couple of beers.

When he told me that story, I said, those boys weren't hungry for cake and popped corn, the were hungry for home!

Anyway, that cake recipe has become one of my contributions to all of our family gatherings.

Thanks for sharing Jackie.

 

[Prose]

I do not know what "Dressing" is. Is this some sort of chicken soup? Or chicken soup over cornbread? Where in Europe/US does it hail from?

 

[jackieschmidt]

I do not know what "Dressing" is. Is this some sort of chicken soup? Or chicken soup over cornbread? Where in Europe/US does it hail from?

I suppose it is a regional term for “Stuffing”, which is often baked inside the Turkey.

The lowest form of the dish is Stovetop Stuffing, a packaged mix which taste like ground up cardboard.

“We are having Turkey and Dressing for Thanksgiving“ is probably a universal phrase in millions of families.
The dressing is a side dish. There are many recipes. All involve some type of bread.
This is “chicken dressing”. Truth is, you don’t even need the Turkey to make a meal of it.

Keep in mind, that concoction you see in the picture will be baked in the oven.

 

[jackieschmidt]

Just so I'm clear. You boil the celery/onion separate from the chicken? This looks like a great recipe and I might just use it to take over the dressing duty at our Thanksgiving celebration. I already contribute with creamed corn, green beans and apple skillet cake.

I got the cake recipe from and old friend of mine. His mother used to make it, wrap it in foil, pack in in popped corn and send it to him in Viet Nam. He was in the Air force, living in plywood housing, so he was able to receive regular care packages from home. When all the other airmen would see him walking along with a new box under his arm, they would follow him to his shack to get their share of the goodies. He said they would eat that old dry cake like it had just come out of the oven. And then they would eat up that old stale popcorn and wash it all down with a couple of beers.

When he told me that story, I said, those boys weren't hungry for cake and popped corn, the were hungry for home!

Anyway, that cake recipe has become one of my contributions to all of our family gatherings.

Thanks for sharing Jackie.

Yes, the celery and green onions are cooked separate, seasoned with salt and pepper to taste.
The chicken is boiled separate in a large pot, with salt and pepper seasoning to taste.

It’s later all blended together.

 

[Prose]

I suppose it is a regional term for “Stuffing”, which is often baked inside the Turkey.

The lowest form of the dish is Stovetop Stuffing, a packaged mix which taste like ground up cardboard.

“We are having Turkey and Dressing for Thanksgiving“ is probably a universal phrase in millions of families.
The dressing is a side dish. There are many recipes. All involve some type of bread.
This is “chicken dressing”. Truth is, you don’t even need the Turkey to make a meal of it.

Keep in mind, that concoction you see in the picture will be baked in the oven.

Thanks for the clarification. Make sure you update us with a picture of the finished product!

 

[ShtrRdy]

Wowzer!!! That looks like some good eating there!

 

[BP1]

Well, it’s that time of year, time to make my Thanks Giving Dressing for the big meal Thursday.

Sometime around 20 years ago, I got handed this job. It’s pretty labor intensive, and I pretty much mess up the kitchen making it, but the results are well worth the effort.

While It’s not a complicated recipe, it is actually a meal in it‘s self.

I make enough to feed around 25 on Thanks Giving, we freeze the remainder for Christmas Dinner.

6 chicken breast
6 chicken thighs
6 bunches of celery
6 bunches of green onions.
5 apples
6 eight inch cornbread cakes.
2 sticks of butter
8 boiled eggs
salt, pepper, and sage.

In a large pan, boil chicken breast and thighs, seasoning with salt and pepper.
Dice celery sticks and green onion stalks, including the white bases. Boil in a large pot with salt and pepper seasoning.
dice the 8 boiled eggs.
Peel and dice the apples into around 1/2 inch chunks.
remove skin and debone the chicken, break into small chunks.

crush the 6 cornbread cakes in a large pan, around 2 gallons, into fine pieces.
Start adding the chicken broth and celery/onion soup until throughly wet.
Mix in the chicken pieces thoroughly.
Mix in all of the cooked green onions and celery bits.
Mix in the apple chunks. Melt the 2 sticks of butter and mix in.
mix in the diced boiled eggs.

Start seasoning with salt and black pepper to taste. When satisfied, start adding sage to taste.

Continue adding the chicken broth and celery soup until thoroughly wet. Lay a table spoon flush with the mix. If it readily fills with liquid, that about the right consistency.

Bake at 325 degrees for 2 hours in 8x12 aluminum pans.or until a knife blade comes out pretty clean.

enjoy with giblet gravy if so desired, or just by it’s self.View attachment 1495480View attachment 1495481

Pretty much how my mom makes it minus the apples..that is one meal I could eat everyday for the rest of my life and not get tired of it.

 

[1K6BRA]

If you can’t eat all that I can probably stop by and help! Looks and sounds delicious!

 

[Andy Work]

The lowest form of the dish is Stovetop Stuffing, a packaged mix which taste like ground up cardboard.

That made me laugh out loud.

 

[Bill K]

The lowest form of the dish is Stovetop Stuffing, a packaged mix which taste like ground up cardboard.

And loaded with salt, rather than sage and other fine herbs.

 

[Infrequent Shooter]

excellent post.