Chicken and Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 4 lb
• 10 cups water
• 2 yellow onions, one halved and one chopped
• 3 ribs celery, one halved and two chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 7 cups crumbled day-old cornbread
• 2 cups torn white sandwich bread
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• 2 teaspoons rubbed sage
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley

Before you cook

• Rinse the chicken and pull out anything in the cavity.
• Crumble the cornbread and tear the white bread into a very large bowl.
• Chop one onion and two ribs of celery finely.
• Heat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish.

Steps

1. Put the chicken in a stockpot with the water, halved onion, halved celery rib, bay leaves, and salt.
2. Bring the pot to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 1 hour.
3. Lift the chicken out onto a sheet pan and let it cool for 20 minutes.
4. Strain the broth through a sieve and skim the fat from the surface.
5. Pull all the meat off the bones and tear it into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones.
6. Melt the butter in a skillet and cook the chopped onion and celery for 12 minutes until soft.
7. Stir the sage, poultry seasoning, and black pepper into the vegetables and cook for 1 minute.
8. Scrape the vegetables and butter into the crumbled bread and toss.
9. Add the pulled chicken and chopped parsley and mix with your hands.
10. Pour in 4 to 5 cups of the warm broth until the mixture is very moist and pourable.
11. Fold in the beaten eggs and taste a pinch for salt.
12. Spread the mixture in the buttered dish and level the top.
13. Bake uncovered for 50 minutes until browned and firm in the center, then rest 10 minutes before serving.