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.
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.
Sage is all it’s missing
I love your recipe! This will be my 3rd year using it for my Thanksgiving dinner
What is the name of your chicken broth. Never seen s broth so creAmy
Dressing fro m a favorite rest. There dressing is sweet but very good how is that? How do u make the gravey
My grandmothers recipe is similar but she always added some chopped up boiled eggs. and cooked diced mushrooms with the other veggies. YUMMY. I still make it like she did and it’s everyones favorite
Mine too, I had to have boiled eggs in it!! Waiting for it to come out of the oven now. ????????
Oh my boiled eggs!!! That reminds me of my aunt Lena from Mississippi; she made the best cornbread dressing around. She would call her dressing ‘ country dressing’ whenever she added boiled eggs!!!!
Hi Diva. Lady love again
Forgot to mention that my mom has a secret ingredient that she put in her dressing and it really makes a different!
That’s not helpful if you don’t share the “secret ingredient”
Why wiuld you mention yiur mom’s secret ingredient if you are not going to share it!!!&%*%
I know Leatrice……….Shouldn’t post just part of a recipe..
Lol
Exactly!!!
Lmboooo!!
My mother always added a spoonful of baking powder. Her dressing was light and smooth, not heavy like wet bread. She used leftover biscuits rather than toast. Otherwise except for bell peppers, your recipe is pretty much ours.
People like that should keep there mouth shut , SMH
I agree…pointless on this forum….but im not trying to b rude so u aint heard nothin from me
I wanna know what it is too
I was wondering the same thing. Maybe she wanted attention.
Exactly …. lol ????
Exactly! I’ll bet the “not so secret” ingredient is Cream of Chicken soup!
Lol I thought the same thing
Yes!!!! Give it or don’t comment!
This would be chicken liver.
Please tell me……this is one of my favorites but I have the hardest time getting it right.
What’s the secret?!
I am going to make guess that your momma’s secret ingredient is “love.”