Hazel Smith's Chicken Dressing Casserole

ingredients

1 (3 1/2) pound chicken (fryer is OK)
Salt
1 recipe Cornbread, recipe follows
1/2 loaf white bread (7 slices) toasted, cooled, and crumbled or 5 or 6 leftover biscuits
3 hard boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
2 large onions, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
1/4 pound butter
2 eggs, beaten
3 tablespoons dried sage or poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon vinegar
Giblet Gravy, recipe follows
Hazel’s Chutney, recipe follows

1
Place whole chicken in deep pot. Add water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer and cook until ’fork tender’, about 2 1/2 hours.
2
Hold chicken in broth until completely cooled. Remove chicken from broth, reserving broth. Remove meat from bones and chop, discarding skin. Set aside.
3
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
4
In a large bowl, crumble cornbread and toast (or biscuits). Add chopped hard-boiled eggs to mixture.
5
In a large skillet, saute onions and celery in butter until translucent. Add to bread mixture.
6
In a separate small bowl, combine beaten eggs, dried sage, salt, pepper, and vinegar. Stir into bread mixture.
7
Add enough chicken broth to create a moist consistency.
8
Grease a 9 1/2-inch by 13-inch glass baking dish with butter. Evenly spread 1 cup dressing mixture in the bottom of the dish. Add a layer of chicken. Top with remainder of dressing. Bake until browned and bubbly, about 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes.
9
Place a portion of the chicken dressing casserole on each plate. Ladle the Giblet Gravy over the dressing. Serve with chutney, hot mashed potatoes and green beans

1
Cornbread:
2
1/3 cup shortening
3
1 1/2 cups self-rising white cornmeal (do not add sugar)
4
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
5
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
6
Heat a cast iron skillet in the oven with 1/3 cup shortening to melt. When shortening is melted, remove skillet from oven.
7
Combine cornmeal and buttermilk in a medium bowl. Add melted shortening to batter, stirring quickly. Pour batter into hot pan. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes.
8
Let cool and then crumble.
9
Giblet Gravy:
10
Liver, gizzards and heart, from 1 chicken
11
2 tablespoons shortening
12
1 to 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
13
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
14
Salt and freshly ground pepper
15
3 eggs, hard-boiled and sliced
16
Boil liver, gizzards, and heart in a large pot of simmering water for 40 to 50 minutes or until tender. Drain, chop, and reserve giblets.
17
Melt shortening in a frying pan over medium heat. Add flour, stirring until light brown, about the color of peanut butter, about 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and stir. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add giblets and boiled eggs and stir to combine. Serve immediately or keep warm.
18
Hazel’s Chutney:
19
1 can whole cranberry sauce
20
1 small can crushed pineapple
21
1/2 cup chopped pecans
22
1/4 cup chopped celery
23
Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl. Chill until ready to serve