This recipe holds a very special spot in my heart. This was the chicken dish that my Grandma McDonald would make for special occasions. Her name was Bertha, but she was also known affectionately as 'Birthday' and my favourite, (but not a name I would have ever referred to her as) 'Birdie'. In fact, I like the name Birdie so much that I now use it as Ellen's nickname, and I hope it sticks.The picture above shows the chicken just before I put it in the oven. The low temperature of the oven and the long cooking time create melt-in-your-mouth chicken that falls off the bones. I don't recall my grandma ever taking the skin off her chicken before cooking it. I have removed the skin before, but I remember thinking that the skin adds something to the overall dish, and I tend to leave it on now, too (I do trim any excess skin off before dipping in the eggs and cracker crumbs). It doesn't mean you have to eat the skin, if you don't want to. Just remove it after it's cooked. You may find this recipe a little loosey-goosey, but it doesn't lend itself to being an exact sort of recipe.
This chicken goes well with mashed potatoes, scalloped potatoes... any sort of comforting starch, actually. Maybe some nice steamed veggies, to offset all this comfort, and a leafy, green salad.
Birdie's Chicken
1 whole chicken, or as much chicken as you need
Saltines, crushed into crumbs with a food processor
Eggs, beaten
Onions, sliced
Butter, a few pats
1. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Cut the chicken into pieces, if you are using a whole chicken. Wash and dry the chicken pieces.
2. Dip chicken pieces in beaten eggs, and then roll in cracker crumbs. Place one layer of chicken in a casserole dish. Sprinkle with salt & pepper and place a slice of onion on each chicken piece. Layer the rest of the chicken on top of the first layer. Dot the top with butter. Add 3 tablespoons of water to the dish. Cover and bake 4 hours.
