Southern Cornbread Dressing

Cornbread dressing fresh from the oven with homemade cranberry sauce.

A classic Southern holiday dish made from cubed bread and cornbread, butter, sausage, eggs, and a handful of easy-to-find ingredients. Moist, well-seasoned, and truly comforting side dish!

Course Sides

Cuisine Southern

Prep Time 15

Cook Time 45

Total Time 1

Servings

Calories 591kcal

Author Imma

Ingredients

Chicken and Broth

4 chicken thighs
salt and pepper (¾-1 teaspoon per pound of chicken)
2 cloves garlic
1 small stalk celery
½ small onion, quartered
1 sprig thyme
water, enough to cover the chicken

The Dressing

1 pound (450g) breakfast sausage
3 tablespoons (42g) unsalted butter, divided
2 medium onions, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 stalks celery, finely chopped (about 2 cups)
2 teaspoons (10g) minced garlic
1 teaspoon (2g) Italian seasoning
3 tablespoons (8g) chopped fresh sage
1-2 teaspoons (1-2g) minced fresh thyme
6 cups (450g) day-old cornbread, cut into 1-inch cubes
2 cups (100g) bread, cut into 1-inch cubes (6-8 slices)
1 10.5-ounce can Campbell's cream of chicken soup
1 10.5-ounce can Campbell's cream of mushroom soup
3 large eggs, beaten
1 cup (236ml) reserved chicken broth (more or less as needed to moisten dressing)
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

The Chicken

Season the chicken thighs with salt and black pepper. Brown them well in a skillet or Dutch oven.
Add the garlic, celery, and onion, and lightly brown them.
Add a sprig of thyme and enough water to braise the chicken, cover, and cook gently until the thighs are fall-apart tender. Remove the chicken, shred it, and reserve a cup of the broth for the dressing.

The Dressing

Generously grease a 9×13 baking dish with nonstick cooking spray or butter. Set aside.
Heat a large skillet over medium heat, add breakfast sausage, and break it into chunks with a wooden spoon. Let it cook while stirring for 3-5 minutes.
Add about a tablespoon of butter to the pan with the sausage, followed by onions, celery, garlic, Italian herbs, sage, and thyme. Then cook until the vegetables are softened, 3-5 minutes. Remove from heat.
In a large bowl, combine day-old cornbread and bread cubes.
Fold in the sausage and vegetable mixture, including the flavorful pan juices.
Mix the cans of cream of mushroom soup and cream of chicken soup, then mix them gently into the bread mixture. Add the lightly beaten eggs and mix them in.
Then add the reserved chicken broth gradually until the dressing is moist and sponge-like, not soupy. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Spread roughly half of the cornbread dressing in the prepared baking dish.
Distribute the shredded chicken over the dressing in an even center layer.
Cover the chicken with the remaining cornbread dressing. Dot the top with the remaining butter.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 35-40 minutes, until hot throughout and lightly crusty and golden on top. Begin checking around 30 minutes.

Notes

This is a new recipe based on several tweaks to make it even better. We added chicken and homemade broth instead of store-bought chicken broth. I also traded the heavy cream for more flavorful cream of mushroom and cream of chicken soups.
Day-old bread makes the best dressing because it soaks up the liquids better.
The cornbread dressing should have a moist, sponge-like texture. Not too dry and not too wet is a perfect consistency.
Please keep in mind that nutritional information is a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition