Auntie Rose’s Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

My Auntie Rose’s Famous Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe will put boring ole’ stuffing to shame. Moist skillet cornbread is combined with homemade chicken stock, celery, onion, chicken pieces, spices and flavor galore more creating a perfect side dish ready to claim its fame at your holiday table especially served with Cranberry Sauce and Gravy or try my Seafood Dressing.  Serve with my Candied Yams, Honey Baked Ham, Collard Greens, Mashed Potatoes, Baked Macaroni and Cheese, Candied Sweet Potatoes and Sweet Rolls to have the best Southern sides ever!

As a Southern reared girl through and through, there wasn’t a holiday spent with my family where there wasn’t a vat of Cornbread Dressing cooked up and served in a giant baking pan. This southern holiday classic battles every main star for star of the show come Thanksgiving!

In my family, the task of making the dressing was an honor only bestowed to the family member trusted enough to do it justice, and that person is and always is Auntie Rose.  This is her recipe after all.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

Well there’s many, but here’s why I think this recipe is so special!

• Each bite is deliciously moist, light, fluffy and studded with tender pieces of both meat and veggies.

• The outside layer of your dressing cooks up golden brown with a texture that’s slightly crisp yet almost buttery.

• Cornbread makes for a sweet corn taste in this cornbread dressing recipe that you can’t resist

What Is Cornbread Dressing?

Dressing is a simple side dish that’s loaded with flavor and is usually served along side roasted or fried turkey or slow cooker roasted chicken for the holidays!

The recipes for dressing vary and many use bread to create the doughy texture while I prefer cornbread which shines in this version.

Southern Cornbread Dressing is traditionally seasoned with sage, black pepper, and poultry seasoning and broth is added to make the bread moist and delicious. It’s cooked up in a casserole dish for a dish that’s a holiday favorite among many.

Dressing Vs. Stuffing

For the most part, both of these terms can be used interchangeably and just about anyone will know what you’re talking about.

But as a Southerner, just as any other Southerner would, I stand by my choice to use the term ‘dressing’. Don’t get it twisted, I’m not knocking anyone who uses the term ‘stuffing’ but I might just change your mind with this recipe.

The one glaring technical difference between the two is how they’re cooked. According to most dictionaries, stuffing is defined as “a mixture used to stuff another food, traditionally poultry, before cooking.” Whereas dressing is cooked in a pan outside of the turkey cavity.

Dressing implies something a bit more embellished and capable of being enjoyed on its own rather than a side that might be ignored.

Ingredients

Let’s take a look at all the ingredients you need to pick up at the store to make southern cornbread dressing. For the full list and quantities, please check the recipe card further down the page.

• Cornbread: I may be partial, but I highly recommend making a batch of my southern cornbread.
• Chicken stock and shredded chicken: Using this homemade chicken stock recipe, you get both. It will not taste the same if you use store bought stock.  I repeat IT WILL NOT TASTE THE SAME.  If you are going to make this recipe, you must commit.
• Aromatics and veggies: We will be using onions, celery, and green pepper.
• Herb stuffing mixture: An easy way to add flavor. My favorite brand is Pepperidge Farms.
• Canned soups: This recipe uses cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup to add flavor and creamy richness to the dressing.
• Sandwich bread: It balances out the coarseness of the cornbread perfectly. Make sure to use the two end pieces.
• Seasoning: Use dried sage, poultry seasoning, and black pepper to give the dressing flavor.

How To Make Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Here’s a bit of a guide to ensure you make a dressing even your favorite aunty will be jealous of when you serve it up for Thanksgiving.

1. It all starts with making (or buying) chicken broth and I highly recommend making chicken broth from scratch. Not only does it add great flavor, but it also means you will have the chicken to shred up and add to the dressing.
2. Make a batch of southern cornbread to use for the base of the dressing.

TOP TIP: Make your cornbread a day ahead to allow it to create a bit more structure. This structure will make it so that your cornbread won’t succumb to your wet ingredients. Mix in your sandwich bread then mix in both your broth and soups.

3. Crumble the cornbread into very small pieces and crumbs.  We mix this with the stuffing mix because it has so many great seasoning elements already there.  We like to use this one from Pepperidge Farms.
4. Fold in your onions, celery and green pepper until all your ingredients are well combined.

5. Add the cream of mushroom soups, cream of chicken soups and 6 cups of the homemade stock and combine thoroughly. Make sure you are mixing every single thing in as well as possible so flavor gets throughout.
6. Place the slices of bread on the top of the dressing mixture. Pour the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock over the bread and dressing soaking the bread. Then break up the bread making sure it’s mixed thoroughly into the dressing mixture. 

7. Add the ground sage, poultry seasoning and pepper and mix in until well seasoned. We do not add additional salt to the dressing.  You will find sodium in various components throughout the dressing from the stock that is already salted to the cream soups added as well which have sodium.  You won’t need it.

TOP TIP: Don’t be afraid to taste your mixture as you go along and add what you feel is needed.

8. Now, you’re ready to assemble. Start first with a layer of dressing mixture on the bottom of your pan.  
9. Top with a layer of shredded chicken then repeat with another large layer of dressing then chicken and repeat ending with dressing at the top of the pan.

10. Bake until it’s heated through and ready to serve. Once your dressing is out of the oven, allow it to cool and serve it with your favorite main course or allow it to shine all on its own. You’ll never go back to regular old “stuffing” again.

TOP TIP: Lastly, add a layer of broth over the top of the dressing before baking.  We do this because it adds more moisture as the dressing bakes. Be careful not to oversaturate your mixture. You want your dressing to be moist, not soggy. Add in broth a little bit at a time and allow it to soak in while avoiding a large pool to build up on the bottom.

How to Store

This makes a big batch to feed lots of people, but hopefully you have some leftover! Nothing is better than Thanksgiving leftovers.

Leftovers: Store in the fridge for up to five days or freeze the dressing after it is baked for up to three months. Thaw it out in the fridge and microwave to reheat so you can enjoy all year round.

Expert Tips and FAQs

• Make the cornbread and chicken stock ahead of time. It will save you time but also the cornbread works better in the dressing after it sits overnight and the chicken and stock will have more intense flavors. However, if you don’t have time, make sure that you cool your chicken to room temperature.
• Taste and adjust the seasoning to your tastes. Just be careful adding salt as there is actually plenty in the ingredients you are using and likely won’t need it.
• Don’t over bake dressing. You want it to be moist and it will dry out if it cooks too long.
• Add more broth to the top if it starts to look dry as it cooks.
• Don’t skip the homemade chicken stock! It simply won’t taste as good!

More Holiday Side Dishes You’ll Love

• Cranberry Sauce
• Giblet Gravy
• Potato and Squash Gratin
• Green Bean Casserole

*Did you make this recipe? Please give it a star rating and leave comments below!* Post a photo of how your version of the recipe came out on Instagram (using #grandbabycakes)!!

This post was originally published October 2019. It has been updated with new content and images.