Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

Casserole dish of southern cornbread dressing with a spoon scooping a serving up.

4.23 from 111 votes

Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

My Auntie Rose’s Famous Southern Cornbread Dressing recipe combines moist skillet cornbread with homemade chicken stock, celery, onion, chicken pieces, spices and flavor galore.

Prep Time2

Cook Time1 20

Total Time3 20

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American, soul food, south, Southern

Servings: servings

Calories: 449.57kcal

Author: Jocelyn Delk Adams

Equipment

deep baking dish

Ingredients

For the Chicken and Chicken Stock

1 5-6 pound chicken thawed
3 large celery stalks
1 large sweet onion peeled
¾ cup salted butter
1 tbsp minced garlic heaping
8 chicken bouillon cubes
1 tbsp black pepper plus 1 teaspoon

For the Cornbread

5 cups self rising cornmeal mix I use Pearl Milling Co.
5 tbsp all purpose flour
5 tsp granulated sugar
2½ cups whole milk room temperature
6 large eggs room temperature and beaten
8 oz sour cream room temperature
½ cup salted butter melted
⅓ cup vegetable oil

For the Cornbread Dressing

2 cups finely chopped onions
2 cups finely chopped celery
½ cup finely chopped green pepper
14 oz herb seasoned stuffing Pepperidge farms is what we use
2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of mushroom soup
2 (10.5 ounce) cans cream of chicken soup
8 white sandwich bread slices (include the 2 ends)
1 tbsp ground sage
1 tbsp poultry seasoning
1½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

For the Chicken and Chicken Stock

Follow full instructions for making chicken stock in this recipe.

For the Cornbread

Follow full instructions to make southern cornbread.

For the Cornbread Dressing

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Crumble cornbread by hand into super small pieces and fine crumbs in a large roasting pan.
Add the onions, celery, green pepper and stuffing mix to crumbled cornbread. Completely mix everything together until thoroughly mixed.
Next add 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.
Next place slices of bread to the top of dressing mixture. Pour remaining 2 cups of chicken stock over the bread and dressing soaking the bread then mix thoroughly into the dressing mixture.
Finally add ground sage, poultry seasoning and pepper and mix in until well seasoned.

To Assemble

Begin by adding a layer of dressing mixture to bottom of 9x13 pan about a ¾ to an inch high to cover the bottom of the pan. Line the layer with shredded chicken then repeat with another large layer of dressing then chicken and repeat ending with dressing at the top of the pan. Repeat for the other 9x13 pan.
Cover both pans with foil and bake for 45 minutes (ADD TENT OF STOCK NOTED IN NOTES BELOW AS IT BAKES) then remove foil and bake for 25-35 minutes or until a thermometer reaches 180. (DON'T OVERBAKE!- ALSO SEE NOTES BELOW)

Notes

How to Store & Reheat Cornbread Dressing

Leftover dressing should be cooled completely, then stored in an airtight container in the fridge. To reheat, cover with foil to prevent it from drying out, and bake at 350°F until warmed through, about 15-20 minutes.

How Long Will African American Cornbread Dressing Last in the Fridge?

It should last for 3 to 4 days in the fridge.

Can I Freeze Southern Dressing?

Yep absolutely boos! Ensure it's cooled completely, then cover it tightly with aluminum foil then add to a freezer bag releasing air and freeze. Don't forget to add a label with the date too. It can be frozen for up to a month. To reheat, thaw it in the fridge overnight then reheat in the oven as instructed above.

Nutrition