Breadcrumbs | Jill's Cooking

One of my favorite dishes at Thanksgiving is the stuffing…homemade stuffing! I’ve made it many different ways over the years using either cornbread or sourdough; bacon or sausage. I’ve stuffed the turkey with the mixture and I’ve baked it on the side. All have been delicious but my most favorite is this one!

Classic Bacon & Sourdough Stuffing

Ingredients:

3/4 lb. bacon, cut in chunks (you can substitute the bacon for 1 pound Italian Sausage if you wish)

2 small onions or 1 large, diced

4 stalks of celery, diced

fresh thyme, sage, rosemary and parsley chopped (you can use all of these or a combination), enough for 3 TBSP

12 cups sourdough baguette, cubed and toasted (you can substitute the sourdough for cornbread but make sure to toast the cubes too)

4 cups chicken broth

2/3 stick salted butter (1/3 of the butter cut in slices)

salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Cut a baguette or sourdough loaf into cubes, enough for 12 cups. Toss the cubes with olive oil and spread on a cookie sheet. Top with sea salt. Toast at 375 degrees for about 4-6 minutes depending on your oven. You want these lightly toasted and crunchy. Set aside to cool.
Fry the bacon (or sausage) in a large skillet until crisp. Remove to a plate.
In the same skillet add 1/3 of the butter to the bacon grease and heat. Add the onions, celery and rosemary (if you’re using it). Cook for 7-10 minutes until the onion is translucent. Add the remaining fresh, chopped seasonings (thyme, sage and parsley). Remove from heat and let cool.
In a large bowl, combine the bacon, vegetable mixture and bread cubes. Stir in the chicken broth until cubes are moist (but not soggy). Toss gently. Season with salt and pepper.
Add to a casserole dish and dot with the remaining butter slices. Cover with foil. (The good news is that you can make the stuffing 48 hours ahead to this point. Then, just refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before baking.)
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for 15 minutes longer.

Note: You can eliminate numbers 6 and 7 if you stuff the turkey. The mixture must be completely cooled for at least 45 minutes in the refrigerator before you stuff the cavity. My preference is to bake the stuffing separate from the turkey; however, either will work!

This makes about 12 servings of deliciousness!

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

Chicken is probably one of the most versatile dishes to make. It is used in many American, Italian, Mexican, Spanish, Indian and Chinese recipes. Besides pasta, chicken is generally something that children and adults will eat without too much fuss. One of my go-to and our family’s all-time favorite is Chicken Parmesan.

I usually make Chicken Parmesan from memory, which means it isn’t always the same. No fear! I have my recipe binder with one I saved from Bon Appetit when my children were younger. The following is sure to be a family winner.

Basic Tomato Sauce

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 3/4 cup chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup peeled, grated and coarsely chopped carrots (you can use a Cuisinart)

3 TBSP thyme

2 28 ounce cans peeled whole tomatoes in juice (I use Italbrand Italian Peeled, San Marzano Whole Peeled or Muir Glen Whole Peeled)

Chicken

10 skinless boneless chicken breasts halved to 1/3″ thickness (you can buy the thin cut chicken breasts or cut whole ones diagonally through the center. A butcher will cut and flatten them for you or you can use a mallet or rolling pin to do it yourself.)

3 cups breadcrumbs (you can purchase Progresso Italian Style or Italian Panko or I like using ALEIAs Original Real Panko that is gluten free)

2 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup all purpose flour

6 TBSP olive oil, divided

3 cups shredded mozzarella, divided

1 1/4 cups grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 1/4 cups grated Pecorino Romano cheese, divided

2 TBSP chopped fresh Italian parsley

1 TBSP chopped fresh marjoram

5-6 Basil leaves torn

Preparation:

Step 1

Heat olive oil in large saucepan over medium high heat. Add onions and garlic; saute until onions are soft and translucent about 10 minutes. Add carrots and thyme; saute until the carrots are soft about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes with their juice; bring to a boil, coarsely mash the tomatoes as they cook. Reduce heat to medium low; simmer until the sauce begins to thicken and reduce to about 5 cups about 1 hour. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper.

Step 2

Sprinkle both sides of chicken with salt and pepper. Spread breadcrumbs on plate. Whisk eggs to blend in medium bowl. Spread flour on another plate. Coat both sides of chicken with flour, then egg, then breadcrumbs.

Step 3

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Heat 2 TBSP oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add chicken to skillet and cook until brown, about 2 minutes per side, adding more oil as needed. Transfer chicken to a platter. Spread 1 cup sauce over bottom of a 15x10x12 inch glass baking dish. Arrange one layer of chicken over the sauce. Spoon 2 cups sauce over the chicken. Sprinkle with half of the mozzarella, Parmesan and Pecorino over. Repeat with remaining chicken, sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan and Pecorino. Bake until cheeses melt and chicken is cooked through about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley, marjoram and basil leaves before serving.

Serve over angel hair or thin spaghetti pasta with a Caesar Salad and Garlic Bread.

Few notes:

To save time, you can substitute the tomato sauce recipe for your favorite jarred pasta sauce. This isn’t something I do but it’ll save valuable time for a quick but delicious dinner.
I sometimes buy the Belgioioso Fresh Mozzarella and slice it thinly. I place this on top of the chicken along with the Parmesan and Pecorino. I prefer it to the shredded mozzarella cheese but both work.

Enjoy! XOXO Jill

Thanksgiving Stuffing!

Chicken Parmesan