Mississippi Smothered Chicken

I’ve had delicious “smothered” poultry and game in Kentucky and Creole Louisiana, but when it comes to smothered chicken, Mississippians have made almost an art of one technique. Basically, a chicken is split down the back and opened up as if for broiling. It’s then cooked in a iron skillet with several weights on top, turned over, and cooked further in a gravy till the meat is almost falling off the bones. The chicken can either be cooked by itself or enhanced with any number of vegetables