Are ya hungry? The South knows what you need! And all of it can be found within this Southern Chicken Bake. Veggies, chicken, and breadcrumbs, oh my! It’s a low-country comfort kind of dish that’ll make you feel like dancin’ ’til the cows come home. It’s not too fancy, but that doesn’t matter, because it’s loaded with all those soul-warming flavors that make ya feel good. And who doesn’t want that?! Southern Chicken Bake is proof that they know what they’re doing out there past the backroads!
Ingredients
- 1 (3-4-pound) chicken
- 3 1/4 cups water
- parsley sprigs, to taste
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 cup onion, chopped, divided
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen corn, thawed
- 1 (10-ounce) package frozen French-cut green beans, thawed
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/4 cup butter
- 3 cups coarse soft breadcrumbs
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Directions
Step 1 –In a large Dutch oven over medium heat, add the chicken, the water, the parsley, the celery, 1/2 of the onions, and the thyme, cover, and cook until the veggies are very tender and the meat reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F, about 1 hour 25 minutes.
Step 2 –Grease a 9×13-inch baking dish.
Step 3 –Drain the chicken, reserving the stock.
Step 4 –Let the chicken cool, then discard the skin and the bones and chop the meat.
Step 5 –Strain the stock through a strainer into a bowl.
Step 6 –Evenly spread the corn and the green beans into the prepared baking dish.
Step 7 –Arrange the chicken over the veggies.
Step 8 –In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cornstarch and the reserved stock and stir until it dissolves.
Step 9 –Bring the cornstarch mixture to a boil and stir constantly.
Step 10 –Pour the sauce over the chicken mixture.
Step 11 –Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.
Step 12 –In a small saucepan, melt the butter.
Step 13 –Add the remaining onion to the butter and cook over low heat until softened.
Step 14 –In a medium bowl, combine the breadcrumbs, the cooked onions, the egg, the sage, and the pepper.
Step 15 –Sprinkle the breadcrumb mixture over the chicken mixture.
Step 16 –Bake the chicken mixture until the sauce is bubbly and the top is browned, about 25 minutes.
Step 17 –Serve.
