For chicken:

3-4 med. bone-in chicken thighs

`1 t. black pepper

1 t. cayenne or chipotle pepper

1 t. paprika

1 t. kosher salt

1 T. bacon grease or oil

1 c. water

1 t. garlic soup base or roasted vegetable soup base

For dressing:

chicken

reserved cooking liquid from chicken

2 c. water

2 t. roasted vegetable soup base

1 c. half & half (cream or evaporated milk are good, too)

2 lg. eggs, well beaten

4 T. butter

1 med. onion (1 cm dice) or 2-3 shallots

½ c. diced carrot or carrot shreds (1-2 carrots)

2-3 finely diced jalapenos (optional)

¾ - 1 12” pan of cornbread, crumbled

salt, pepper, paprika, chipotle, cayenne, etc., as desired

additional water, as needed

For chicken:

1. Prepare a spice mixture from pepper, cayenne/chipotle, paprika, and salt. Sprinkle on both sides of chicken thighs and rub under skin.
2. Heat oil to medium in a pressure cooker. Brown the chicken thighs ~3 minutes per side. End with skin side up.
3. Mix water and soup base. Pour into the pressure cooker, seal, and allow it to reach pressure. Cook at pressure for 25 minutes. Release pressure naturally.
4. Remove chicken from the pot and reserve the liquid. I leave it in the pot to make the dressing liquid.
5. Pull the chicken, removing bones, fat, and gristle, and set aside while dressing is prepared.

For dressing:

1. Prepare the liquid mixture. To the reserved cooking liquid from the chicken, add water and roasted vegetable soup base and bring to a boil to incorporate. Lower heat to low and add half & half. Once a cohesive mixture is achieved, taste and adjust seasonings, as desired. It should have a lot of depth and be somewhat spicy.
2. Melt butter in an oven-safe pan over medium-low heat. I like to use an enameled Dutch oven. Add onion/shallot and cook until soft and translucent, ~5-10 minutes. Add carrot and cook for a few additional minutes. Add jalapeno, if using, and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Add crumbled cornbread, liquid from step 1, and pulled chicken, including any juices. Stir well and taste. Adjust seasonings, as desired. The mixture should be somewhat soupy. This can be done up to a day or so in advance and stored tightly wrapped/covered in the refrigerator. Allow it to warm to room temperature for an hour or so before baking.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Add beaten eggs to the cooled cornbread-chicken mixture and mix well to incorporate the eggs. If not preparing the cornbread mixture in advance, be sure the mixture is completely cool before adding the eggs or they will curdle.
6. Bake for 45-60 minutes, stirring after ~20 minutes. If the dressing is too dry at 20 minutes, add water ¼ c. at a time to remoisten. Dressing is ready when almost set and golden peaks have formed.