Super Delicious Stuffing

Super juicy stuffing is typically served with the main course this holiday season. However, if you don’t eat turkey, like me, then you can still enjoy this part of the holiday with this yummy recipe. Also nice on a picnic.

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1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 spicy chicken
• 4 ribs celery, finely diced
• 1 small onion, finely diced
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed through garlic press
• 1 (1 pound) loaf chewy French bread
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage leaves
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, divided use
• ½ teaspoon dry thyme
• ½ teaspoon salt, plus a pinch, divided use
• ½ teaspoon black pepper, plus a pinch, divided use
• ½ cup chopped, dried apples
• 2 cups warm chicken broth
• 6 tablespoon melted butter
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 ½ cup shredded, Italian Four-Cheese blend
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese

-Preheat the oven to 375°, and lightly butter a medium-sized casserole dish.

-In a large, non-stick skillet set over medium-high heat, add the olive oil; once the oil is hot, add in the chicken, crumbling it into the pan and using a spoon/spatula.

-Allow the chicken to cook for a couple of minutes, and then add in the celery, onion, and garlic, plus a pinch of salt and pepper, and stir the mixture together allowing it to cook until the veggies and chicken are a light brown, remove from the pan and set aside for a moment.

-Into a large bowl, begin tearing bite-size pieces of the French bread.

-Add to the torn bread the sauteed veggies and chicken mixture, along with the parsley, sage, fresh thyme leaves, ½ teaspoon of the seasoning, dry thyme, the ½ teaspoon of salt and pepper, and the chopped dried apples, and toss the mixture together.

-Next, add in the warm chicken stock, the melted butter, the beaten eggs, 1 cup of the shredded four-cheese blend, and the parmesan, and combine very thoroughly.

-Once well mixed, turn the homemade stuffing mixture into the buttered casserole dish and top with the remaining ½ cup of shredded Italian four-cheese blend and ½ teaspoon of seasoning; cover the casserole dish with foil, and place the dish into the oven to bake for 30 minutes.

-After 30 minutes, remove the foil from the casserole dish, place casserole back into the oven, and bake an additional 15 minutes, or until golden-brown on top, and puffy.

Stuffing is super picnic yummy!