The weather was really nasty around here today and I was trying to come up with something for dinner (for my daughter and I) with whatever I had in-house. She LOVES cornbread dressing and gravy, so that was the start of this meal. My measurements are "guess-ti-mats", so you will have to adjust to your own taste. We really enjoyed the meal and hope you do, too!
** NOTE ** I ALWAYS have the "heels" in the freezer from loaves of bread. When we polish off a loaf of bread, I take the end pieces and accumulate them in a bag in the freezer to be used for other purposes, especially dressing!!!
FOR THE CHICKEN Place the chicken breasts in a large zip-lock bag, pour in buttermilk to cover and marinate for about 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Mix the bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese and poultry seasoning in a shallow bowl. Pull the chicken breasts out of the buttermilk allowing excess to drain off and roll in the bread crumb mixture, THOROUGHLY.
Place the coated breasts on a rack to "dry" for about 10 - 15 minutes before frying. Heat some canola oil with a tablespoon butter in the high-sided skillet. Add the "dried" chicken and fry until thoroughly browned before turning; repeat on "all sides" until cooked and browned; place on a platter and keep warm.
FOR THE PAN GRAVY After removing the chicken, add about 2 tablespoons of flour. Using a spatula or spoon, stir the flour into the pan drippings, scraping any "bits" from the bottom of the pan, for about 2 minutes; add salt and pepper to taste. Slowly pour in water (about 2 cups) while stirring; reduce heat and simmer for an additional 3 - 4 minutes keeping a check on the "consistency".
FOR THE DRESSING Prepare your favorite cornbread, enough for a small skillet; place the bread heels in the oven on a cookie sheet for the last couple minutes of cornbread cooking to "dry it out". Remove the breads from the oven to cool slightly. After cooled, crumble the breads into a large bowl and set aside.
Peheat the oven to 400 degrees. Heat 1-2 tablespoons of butter in a medium skillet. Chop the onion and celery medium dice and add to the hot butter. Cook for about 10 minutes or until softened. Add the minced garlic and cook an additional minute or two. Remove from heat.
To the bread crumbs, add the poultry seasoning, rubbed sage, cooked onion mixture, salt and pepper to taste, and egg (slightly beaten). Stir to combine. Begin adding the chicken broth or stock, stirring until mixture is slightly soupy. This will produce a moist dressing. Pour into a large iron skillet sprayed with cooking spray and bake for about 30 minutes or until set and browned on top.
FOR THE BLACKENED FRENCH STYLE GREEN BEANS Allow the frozen beans to thaw; lay on paper towels to remove the excess water. In a medium bowl, mix together the paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cumin, black pepper and kosher salt. Add the defrosted beans and toss to coat thoroughly.
Heat the olive oil over medium heat; pour in the coated beans. Cook and stir until the spices have "blackened" and the beans are tenderized, about 10 - 15 minutes.
Toss the cooked beans with a couple tablespoons of butter and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese before serving.
