Homemade Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe ~Soul Food Style~
You are viewing the original dressing recipe posted in 2009. I have since updated the recipe (photo below) and you can find it HERE. If you prefer this recipe then just keep reading. I decided to leave it up just in case.
Watch me make this southern cornbread dressing recipe from start to finish!
Original Post
If you’ve ever wondered how to make a flavorful, homemade Southern Cornbread dressing, then let me share with you my grandmother’s recipe. This dressing is usually the ONLY dressing I will eat. It is moist, full of that soul food flavor, and as southern as it gets! I’m talking Elberton, Georgia southern!!
My grandmother has been making this dressing for EVERYBODY’S Thanksgiving since I was a baby. People put in their requests for her to make them a pan for their Thanksgiving dinner months ahead of time.
My Grandma’s Homemade Cornbread Dressing Before It Get’s Devoured On Thanksgiving!
When she gave me this recipe I was surprised to discover how easy it was. All this time I thought it was some complicated process. Now if you want this dressing to be darker then you can put in more seasonings. My grandmother puts in a crapload, but I find it tastes delish with just a teaspoon of each, especially if I’m going to be serving it with some flavorful gravy.
If you have a favorite southern cornbread recipe (not the sweet kind) then use that. If not I’ve listed a basic, easy one below.
Get the Recipe: Homemade Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe ~Soul Food Style~
Ingredients
BASIC CORNBREAD RECIPE
- 1 cup self-rising cornmeal
- 1/2 cup self-rising flour
- 3/4 cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs, lightly beaten
- 2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
DRESSING RECIPE
- Cornbread, 9x9 inch pan (my grandmother always uses day old cornbread)
- 3 pieced of toast, crumbled (or stale bread)
- 1 cup onions, diced (about half of a large onion)
- 1 cup celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
- 1 cup green bell peppers, diced, (about 1 medium green bell pepper. You could also add in some red bell pepper as well if you'd like)
- 1 cooked chicken breast or cooked chicken thighs, shredded
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 cups chicken or turkey broth
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon sage
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- To make the cornbread, in a bowl,whisk together the cornmeal & flour.
- Add in the buttermilk, eggs & oil.
- Stir just until combined. Do not over work the batter.
- Pour into a greased, 9 x9 baking dish.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until done.
- Let cool.
- Once cooled break up the cornbread and toast it in the oven to dry it out. *See note*
- Set aside.
- To make the dressing, add the dried cornbread and crumbled toast into a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, sauté onions, celery and green bell peppers in a little bit of butter or olive oil until tender.
- Add the sautéed veggies into the cornbread mixture.
- Add shredded chicken into the cornbread mixture.
- Stir together to combine.
- Add in the broth a little at a time. (Add in just enough to make everything thick & a little soupy.)
- Stir in poultry seasoning, sage, and black pepper.
- Give it a taste and add more seasonings if desired. It should taste exactly the way you want your dressing to taste like.
- When you are content with the taste, go ahead and stir in the eggs.
- Pour into a buttered 9 X 13 casserole pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until set.
Video
Notes
Be sure to taste it before adding the eggs and adjust the seasonings to your liking. You can also use chicken thighs for more flavor.
My grandmother uses red bell pepper as well sometimes.
I've always been in search of that chocolate layer cake that dreams are made of. Although I've found a few in patty la belles and Silvia's in new york cook books, they are sometimes not as moist. I need one that passing the "stick to the fork" taste. Any help! No recipes using store bought cake mix, please.
This post is from one of the brothers that cook. I like many of my counterparts do the majority of the cooking for our families. I think that's probably why I've been married so long, yea! Anyway i did write and gave Monigue big ups for the great work she's doing. Her dressing recipe was superb, but can i add this for anyone who would like to try.
My dad was also the family cook, straight out of Newton county Miss.(Forest,Ms). Although he couldn't touch my mom his dressing was a thing of beauty. He made up his dressing the same way, but when the bird was cooked half way he would us the juice from the bird to mix with the chicken broth. Then he would pour the dressing in the same pan with the half cooked bird and let it finish cooking, yea all together, sometimes he would break up the bird some. When it was done, with that light brown top, it was wonderful.
I wish this network would keep the old fashioned recipes alive, they r so hard to find as our elders leave us.
I usually take the neck,& giblets from the turkey and cook with onions, celery, poultry seasoning, black pepper, salt, garlic powder (whatever seasonings you like) and boil until done and there’s your broth. I usually use a large pot with 1/2-3/4 filled with water.
oh, I cut up the giblets and pull the meat off the neck and add to dressing mixture. But I may try the chicken thighs as well…
That’s exactly what I do. The giblets add a special flavor to the dressing. My mother taught me that.
Ok so I'm sitting here with tears in my eyes because I just made my first batch of dressing EVER…all thanks to you and this easy recipe. My mother's dressing was delicious and everyone loved it. However, she passed away before passing the secrets on to me. Now, thanks to you, I can finally start my own traditions. Thanks for the recipe and keep up the good work!
This is EXACTLY how my grandmother makes hers and everybody loves it as well. I think you should state that you shouldn't add in too much broth or your dressing will be super wet & soggy instead of moist when it's done.
I just pour in enough until the cornbread is really soggy, but not swimming in broth.
I also cook mine for 1 hour.
You have some great recipes! Very true to soul food! I'm glad you don't replace ingredients with fat-free items and substitute ingredients. Not that there is anything wrong with that but it's just getting so hard to find AUTHENTIC southern soul food recipes these days.
Keep up the good work.
that is almost too simple! but isn't it funny how usually the simplest ingredients and recipes are the best. am definitely trying this for thanksgiving! thanks!
I LOVE this blog!
Thanks for sharing! I mix my cut up veggies in with my cornbread when I bake it. Lazy but it works! lol