Southern Cornbread Dressing
This classic Southern cornbread dressing is deliciously moist , has the perfect balance of flavor , and packed with fresh veggies. This is a staple during the holidays !
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This is a staple during the holidays and Thanksgiving wouldn’t be the same without it . This recipe is exactly the way my Mother taught me to make it, so it is a family recipe for sure. In my opinion heirloom recipes are the best , pure comfort food. Plus they are tried and true . Here in the south we don’t do “stuffing” and we don’t put strange things like cranberries or chestnuts in our dressing . I think if I did something strange to our dressing I would be banned from making it. This dish could take center stage for sure , the one thing you do need with it is Turkey Gravy and Homemade rolls. Forget the turkey bring me the cornbread dressing !
What you will need to make Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Kitchen knife-This Rada knife is my favorite
- cutting board
- Cast Iron skillet-Optional
- 9×13 baking dish
- 2 packages of cooked cornbread mix-I like Jiffy
- Pepperidge Corn Bread stuffing mix
- 1 onion
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 stick of butter
- 2 eggs
- 32 oz of chicken broth
- Poultry seasoning
- salt and pepper
Gather the simple ingredients needed for this classic holiday dish. Cook and cool your cornbread ahead of time.
Dice your onions and celery . Melt the butter in a skillet and cook the onions and celery until they are soft and set aside
Crumble the corn bread into a large mixing bowl , add the bad of cornbread mix and seasoning.
Stir in the chicken broth
Mix in slightly cooled onions and celery
Beat the eggs well and stir it into the cornbread mixture
Add optional shredded chicken if desired
Pour it into a 9×13 pan sprayed with cooking oil. Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes . Uncover and bake another 20-30 minutes , until golden brown
Serve hot and enjoy!!
If you like this recipe you will love these as well :
- Old Fashioned Turkey Gravy
- Dinner rolls
- Southern candied sweet potatoes
- Southern Sweet Potato Pie
- Pecan Pie
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Southern Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
- 1 10 inch skillet of cornbread Homemade or made from a package see notes
- 12 oz bag Pepperidge Corn bread stuffing Only this brand
- 1 stick of butter
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 medium onion
- 2 eggs
- 32 oz chicken broth Have extra available
- 1 1/2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- Optional-1 cup of shredded chicken
Instructions
- Cook and cool your cornbread
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees
- Dice your onions and celery
- Melt the butter in a skillet and cook the onions and celery until they are soft and set aside
- Crumble the corn bread into a large mixing bowl
- Add the bag of cornbread stuffing mix
- Add poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and stir together
- Stir in the chicken broth.
- Mix in cooled onions and celery
- Beat the eggs well and stir it into the cornbread mixture
- If added shredded chicken , add it now . At this point if you feel you need more broth you can add it . You want it somewhat soupy
- Pour it into a 9×13 pan sprayed with cooking oil
- Cover with foil and cook for 45 minutes
- Uncover and bake another 20-30 minutes , until golden brown
Southerners do not put eggs in dressing and no sweet cornbread.
Hey Barbara ..Thanks for your comment. I am from the deep south. I live in the same small southern Louisiana town I grew up in . I assure you I am a southerner and this the way my Momma taught me . Cornbread dressing can be a very diverse dish, there is no wrong way to make it. My Mother in Law was from Virginia and she put Boiled eggs in her dressing. Variety is the spice of life and I am sure how you make your dressing is delicious .. Happy Cooking.. Debbie
Hi Debbie your recipe is the one I was searching for! Just the way my mom made it! I’m from the deep south myself, and making stuffing was one of the main dishes my mom would make for Thanksgiving. I can remember chopping the eggs for her to add to the mix. She was a cook by trade, and an amazing cook at that. What makes us so unique is our differences in the way we cook. I love learning and pulling ideas from others. Thank you so much for sharing….I will be using your recipe this Thanksgiving. Have a great Thanksgiving Debbie!
Hi Priscilla .. Thank you so much for your kind words and I am so glad you found this recipe as well. I can’t agree with you more , I love getting ideas from others and growing as a home cook. I hope you and your family have a fantastic Thanksgiving.
I am in south Ms. I made homemade cornbread for my dressing and use no bread. I use green onions and bell peppers along with the celery and onions. I also cook my vegetables in chicken broth instead of butter, and I don’t put eggs in mine
The south is a big place and everyone makes this dish slightly different . Your way sounds fabulous !
I don’t know where you’re from but I’ve been taught to put eggs in my dressing by my mother and we are from SC/ GA. I do have a cousin who does not use eggs and she pours oil in her cornbread mix, onions, and broth and she only seasons with salt/ pepper. My mom would also use oil vs butter. I honestly think it tastes similar both ways. Oh and Oil mixed in the cornbread (not heated) raw onions in the mix as it all bakes/ cooks together anyway so there’s no need to really heat on the skillet but she also uses sage/ seasonings. I’ve tried it this way with butter and onions heated on the skillet and the taste is practically identical but I think the oil makes it taste a bit better. We don’t use celery (none of my family does) but my fiancee here in TN does use celery/ onions and he also uses sausage. We do two pans. His for some reason is more dry for my preference. He uses sausage, broth, onions, celery and seasonings and that’s it but he normally just does a turkey stuffing now a days. His dad used to prefer crisp pan fried but since trying my dressing, it’s all he’ll eat. Of course topped with turkey gravy and a side of Cranberry sauce makes it.
Thanks Brandy , I love hearing all the different ways people make this dish. I am from the SW corner of Louisiana and even here everyone makes this slightly different .
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing cornbread dressing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
I am so glad you like it !!
Thanks for such an amazing recipe. Perfect dish for a festive day.
Thanks so much!
I’ve never made cornbread dressing as my mom always made spectacular bread stuffing but this looks so good it is going to be a must try for the holidays. Always ready to try something new and this has everything in it I love!
Cornbread dressing is a little different from bread stuffing , but both are delicious. I hope you decide to try it.
We use stale bread or rolls mixed in with stale jiffy kits .iron skillet cornbread.w/o chicken…cause we make turkey mixed with dressing a few days later
Southern cornbread dressing is superior to all other stuffing! It’s the best! I’m making this again to go with Christmas dinner this year!
Oh my gosh! This dish looks really delicious, and you are giving us an easy follow steps in making this. Thank you!
Great recipe for family dinners! This recipe is amazing, and its easy too. Thanks for sharing, Debbie!
This is exactly the cornbread dressing recipe I was searching for! Looks similar to one I grew up eating for the holidays. Thanks so much Debbie!
Is it this stuffing? When I read dressing I was thinking about the dressing we add to salads until I read your whole recipe. It looks delicious.
Hi Silvia..Technically the terms stuffing and dressing can be used interchangeably. Stuffing is usually “stuffed” inside of poultry when cooked and dressing is used to “dress” the meal up and cooked separately. Here in the south we make our dressing or stuffing with cornbread instead of bread or bread crumbs. It is super good , I hope you try it.
Southerners generally call it “dressing” and Northerners call it “stuffing. I’m from Ga and my mama always made this dressing that she learned from her mother. My mothers in law was from the North and made hers with bread and called it stuffing. I live in WI now and they call it stuffing as well.
Dressing is always my favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal! I definitely have to try this recipe!
Sounds delicious and easy to prepare. I will add this recipe to my Holiday list. I think I never had cornbread dressing before. But I’m definitely making this.
Is there sage in this, or boiled egg???
Not sage alone but there is sage in the poultry seasoning . This recipe doesn’t have boiled eggs in it but feel free to add them if you like .
Boiled eggs in dressing would absolutely ruin it for me. Yuck!
The eggs in this dressing are beaten and added to hold it together . I don’t put boiled eggs in my dressing but I know plenty of people that do .
Me too
Debbie, I am happy to see you’ve made cornbread dressing without that salty sidekick ‘Campbell’s Chicken soup. Your dressing is the BEST looking I’ve seen on the Internet. I just don’t understand it, why do people require those salty additions? On the contrary, dressing attains moisture from a hearty reserve of good stock! No soup for me!
Thank you for your kind words Jennifer. I agree a good stock is key , if you can make a homemade stock it is even better.
The south is a big place and there is no wrong way to make cornbread dressing. I honestly know nobody that use biscuits in their dressing but I am not saying it is wrong .This is the way my Mother made dressing and this is the way I make it. I have made several versions of dressings over the years for my food photography business and I always go back to mine.
My Mom always used leftover homemade biscuits and homemade cornbread Not the sweet kind she was from Arkansas and made her own stock from turkey parts stuffed in turkey cavity (no waste). I miss her.
I’m trying this this thanksgiving. It’ll be my first with my own family. (Married this year and had my first child) so I want it to be special! Hope this isn’t a silly question but what kind of chicken do you use? Is it already cooked? And if I wanted to use turkey meat would I make a separate smaller piece of Turkey from the bird we eat on the actual day. This will be my first time making Thanksgiving dinner so any tips are appreciated! Thank you!
Never a dumb question , I am so glad you are going to try this recipe. I usually boil a chicken breast or thigh and use the broth to moisten the dressing. This is all optional , to make things easier you can get a roastery chicken from the super market deli. No need to cook a turkey a head of time . I am all about things being easy.
Can you make this ahead of time and put in the freezer then bake when you need it?
My mom used to do that all the time but I never have . If you do I recommend letting it defrost completely and checking to see if it need more broth .
Love this cornbread dressing dish. It’s very similar to what my mom used to make every Thanksgiving. She added a pinch of sage to hers. Thanks for sharing your mom’s recipe and may you and your family have a Happy Thanksgiving!
Thanks for the feed back , I am so glad you enjoyed this dish.
Hi Debbie… My Mama is also the dressing maker in our family. She claims she doesn’t use a recipe and she couldn’t even begin to write one down. It’s right when it taste right to her!!!! The picture looks very similar to ours. My question is when you say two packages of cornbread (I make mine from scratch) how many 10 inch cornbread skillets would I need? 2???
Great recipe
Thanks Albert , it’s an oldie but a goodie .