IRMA TUBBS’ CHEEEKEN AND DRESSIN’
AUNT IRMA TUBBS’ CHEEEKEN AND DRESSIN’
Ailment: Homesick for southern comfort (and I ain't talkin' about the hooch!)
Cure-all: Julie’s Aunt Irma Tubbs' Cheeeken and Dressin'
Those who know me have heard all about my Aunt Irma Tubbs (best name ever, right?) from Hanceville, Alabama. A lucky few have even had the pleasure of tasting her heavenly down-home cooking. Aunt Irma's notoriety has made it all the way to New York City, winning the heart of chef and radio personality Erica Wides who talked about Aunt Irma on her radio program "Let's Get Real." Some of Irma's homemade masterpieces include: sweet potato casserole; home-canned green beans; apple pie in a jar; salsa; cheeeken and dressin'; marinara sauce made with her backyard roma tomatoes; and even homemade nose drops (caution: do not eat). In the spirit of Thanksgiving—a time of sharing—I'm going to let you in on a little secret recipe: Aunt Irma’s Cheeeken and Dressin' (that’s Chicken and Dressing to you Yankees). This is a closely guarded family secret…until now. And I guarun-damn-tee you’ve never tasted anything like Aunt Irma's Cheeekin and Dressin'. (c’mon, really put year heart into it when you say it). With a name like Irma Tubbs, y’all know it has to be good.
Brooklyn hipsters step aside - Warhol's real muse.
For the chicken stock:
- 6 bone-in chicken thighs with skin
- 2-3 celery stalks, cut in half
- 1 carrot, peeled and cut in half
- Parsley stems
For the cornbread:
- 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- 1 egg
- 2 cups buttermilk
- 2 cups self-rising cornmeal (Irma uses White Lily)
- 1/4 cup self-rising flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
For the dressing:
- 1 small yellow onion, diced into 1/2” pieces
- 4 celery stalks, sliced lengthwise and diced into 1/2” pieces
- Coarsely shredded chicken
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped sage
- 2 Tablespoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 1 9-inch skilletful of cornbread, crumbled
- 2 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups homemade chicken stock
- 1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
Make your chicken stock (can be made 3 days in advance):
Place chicken thighs, celery, carrots and parsley stems in a pot and add enough cold water to cover the ingredients.
Bring water to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Simmer for about an hour, or until the chicken is falling off the bone, occasionally skimming fat off the top.
Strain the stock through a sieve into a liquid measuring cup (you should have about 3 cups) and place in refrigerator to cool. Once it’s cold, you can skim off more of the fat solids. Transfer the chicken to a plate and let cool. Toss the veggies.
When the chicken has cooled, discard the skin and pull the meat off bones; reserve.
Grease a cast iron pan with vegetable oil and place in oven. Preheat oven to 400ºF, allowing the pan to heat with your oven.
Beat the egg and buttermilk together in a large bowl. Whisk in the cornmeal, flour and salt. Mix until combined.
Carefully remove the cast iron pan from the oven and pour the cornbread batter into pan. Bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Carefully invert cornbread on to a plate and let cool.
Preheat oven to 350ºF; grease an 8x11 pan with butter.
In a large bowl, combine onion, celery, shredded chicken and herbs. Crumble your cornbread into the bowl and mix well. Adjust seasoning according to taste.
Gradually begin adding chicken stock (do not dump it all in at once) until mixture is wet but not runny (Think thick oatmeal texture).
Pour dressing mixture into pan and bake until edges begin to turn golden brown, about an hour. Dig in!
A few notes:
- You can certainly use store-bought chicken stock and even a pre-cooked rotisserie chicken, but if you want it to taste like Irma’s, we suggest making everything from scratch.
- If your dressing mixture needs more liquid and you’ve used all your stock, add a little water.
- Aunt Irma suggests preparing your dressing ahead of time, pouring it in the pan, covering with plastic wrap and letting it sit in the refrigerator overnight.
