Friday Whole Food Recipe Review

Today I have one lone recipe, and no thanks to me because this week was absolutely crazy (but good- I hope to write something else this afternoon with details). It's actually two-three recipes that make up one dish. My good friend, Sarah, sent this my way. I was in a Gourmet Dinner Club with her before we moved so her recommendation carries more weight in my book. Here's what she has to say about it:

Speaking of the food reviews I tried a new More with Less recipe recently that we really liked. It was Creamed Chicken with Corn Bread Dressing, pages 186 and 187 in my edition. I used crumbled whole grain bread in place of croutons in my version. I really like dressing but tend not to make it except for "special" occasions, this one was so easy though and the crunch of the walnuts just put it over the top in my book. It caught my eye 'cause I happened to have half a pan of leftover cornbread and some chicken breasts on hand that day. I think I'll start a little leftover bread bag in the freezer with any bits and pieces of leftover bread we end up with to have on hand for this recipe.

Enjoy!

Whole Food Recipe Review

Creamed Chicken with Corn Bread Dressing
(Original Recipe Source: More with Less Cookbook)

Combine in a saucepan:
About 2 lbs. giblets and bony chicken pieces
1 qt. water
seasonings as desired
Cook 1 hour or until meat is tender. Remove chicken and take meat from bones. Reserve meat and broth.

Dressing:
Combine in a large bowl:
4 cups cornbread, crumbled
1 3/4 cup croutons (see below)

Melt in skillet:
1/4 cup butter
Add:
4 stalks celery
1 large onion, chopped
1/3 cup walnuts
1 teaspoon celery seed
1/4 cup minced parsley
salt and pepper
Saute until tender and add to bread mixture.

Brown in skillet:
3 oz. pork sausage

Add to bread mixture along with 1 cup of reserved chicken broth. Combine and turn into a greased casserole dish. Sprinkle with sausage drippings. Bake at 325 degrees for 40 minutes. Use reserved chicken meat and broth to make Creamed chicken. Serve over dressing.

Creamed Chicken

Heat in skillet or heavy saucepan:
1/4 cup butter or chicken fat skimmed from broth
Add and saute just until soft:
1 onion, chopped
1/2 green pepper, chopped
Add, stir, and cook until bubbly:
1/4 cup flour
Add:
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup milk (I'm guessing you could substitute broth for the milk)
salt and pepper to taste
Cook, stirring constantly, until smooth and thickened.

Add:
2-3 cups diced cooked chicken
1 Tablespoon chopped parsley
Heat through and serve over cornbread dressing.

Croutons
No real recipe here, but I just dice up old bread, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and toss with garlic salt, italian seasonings, or whatever I have on hand. Spread on a baking sheet (cover with parchment paper if you want easy clean-up), and toast in the oven for 10-20 minutes.