One of my mother’s signature dishes that she is known for in our family and extended family and friends is her Southern cornbread dressing. There’s nothing Stovetop stuffing about this one, no way! Made from simple ingredients and crumbled up cornbread, it’s an easy, yet deliciously satisfying side dish for Thanksgiving and Christmas. We have it every single year. I grew up on this stuff.
This was a good opportunity to take notes and write down another one of mom’s recipes that resides in her head. This is yet one more recipe that my sister, niece, and I have never made. So, now I get to document it for all of you too. I’m not sure if everyone will love this, but we sure love our dressing in the South made this way. It’s a big hit in our family and tastes delicious!
Start with a medium iron skillet to cook the cornbread in. You’ll want to drizzle a little oil (I prefer canola) in the bottom of the pan and heat it in the oven while you whip up the cornbread batter to pour in. This makes for a crisp crust!
Iris’s Southern Cornbread
1 & 1/2 cups self-rising corn meal (mom uses white) (just found out from mom that self-rising cornmeal has salt in it). I did not know that!
1/2 cup self-rising flour (just found out from mom that self-rising flour has salt in it). I did not know that!
1 egg
1 & 1/4 cup buttermilk
Stir together and pour into iron skillet. Heat oven to 400* and bake 30 min. or until golden brown.
You can bake up the cornbread ahead of time and set aside to cool.
Chop up 3 stalks celery.
Slice and chop one large onion.
Chop well
Saute celery and onion until soft.
Break up cornbread in small pieces in a large pan.
Add 2 to 3 slices of wheat bread (or white if you’re feeling crazy!). 🙂
Take a large spoon and start breaking it up further, until it’s crumbly texture.
Of course, I used Knorr’s Homestyle chicken concentrate Homestyle Stock in this recipe and added the celery water as well as any chicken broth that the chicken was cooked in to add to the water. We used one chicken stock concentrate from Knorr and 4 cups water/broth mixture.
Begin pouring in the stock and you’ll need 3 to 4 cups. Add until heavily moistened. When you bake this, a lot of the broth will cook out, so you want to keep it moist. We added approximately 4 cups chicken stock.
Add sauteed onions and celery. Add 1/2 tsp. sage (optional, if you don’t like this herb).
Mix well with a big spoon. The mixture will be very wet and soupy and that is what you want.
Pour it all into a large baking dish. This is a large flat French cookware piece.
Then add pieces of cooked chicken, again optional, but I love it best with chicken added. You won’t need any more than 1 chicken breast or even dark meat chicken, cut up and added.  Press it down into the dressing.
Ready to bake.  Bake at 400* for 45 minutes and you’ll have this!
Golden brown Southern cornbread chicken and dressing.
Mom made a little gravy for this too and it was really good!
So, I have to know? Do you other Southern girls make dressing like this?? It’s really not hard to make now that I’ve watched her do it. Really pretty easy to put together and it feeds a lot of people.
Classic Southern Chicken Cornbread Dressing
Bake cornbread recipe (above) set aside
Chop celery and onion (3 stalks celery and 1 large onion)
Saute in saucepan until soft.
Cook 1 chicken breast in water, debone and chop or any other chicken piece you have.
Crumble up entire cornbread into large pan. Add 3 to 4 slices wheat bread (or other bread) to the mix. Press down with a large spoon to break it all up into smaller crumbles.
Add sauteed onion and chopped celery back to the pan.
Begin adding broth, approx. 4 cups. You’ll want the bread all covered and very moist. Soupy texture.
Add 1/2 tsp. sage (optional)
Mix well. Pour into large baking pan
Bake at 400* for 45 minutes.
Eat and Enjoy!
Let me know if you’ve made a Southern cornbread dressing recipe like this before or if you think you might try it out! I’d love to hear! Also enjoy those leftovers!Â
Rhoda,
I find it interesting that there is no oil in your mother’s cornbread.
I have three different recipes that I have used and they all have some kind of oil in them. Maybe I will try your Mom’s and see if it compares. My recipes don’t use buttermilk.
I look forward to your blog everyday!
You look pretty in yellow. I think I’ll do this stuffing for Thanksgiving. I’ve been asked to bring stuffing as we are invited somewhere, the hostess does not like to stuff her turkey.
Hi Rhoda! this is how I make dressing too. I agree, it’s not that difficult, but I only make it twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I enjoyed the pictures you posted of your mother’s hands at work.
Hi Rho:
Great receipe. I make my dressing the same way which is always a hit. Everyone in the family ask me to make it during the holidays. Such a sweet picture of your Mama’s hands. She is such a lovely lady. Knorr products are great. I have been using the beef and chicken stock lately. It is actually much better in soups that the canned broth.
Hmmmm….not sure how I feel about this recipe! It sounds unique, LOL! It doesn’t seem like a side dish with the chicken in it….it seems more like a casserole. I like chicken divan, which is topped with crumbled cornbread, so maybe this is okay, too!
Thanks for the opportunity for the apron and cookbook.
Growing up in GA, we always made our dressing like this…sans the sage. We’re probably the only family that doesn’t like the taste of sage. For me, it overwhelms the dish. Dressing has always been my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner!
Yeah, just in time for the holidays….I’ll definitely being trying this one!! Thanks for sharing!
That looks delish! I am used to my mothers stuffing (which I love) but am always looking for something to try–so I will try this!!
Count me in on the give away too!! Who doesn’t love an apron and a cookbook!!
Thanks Rhoda!!
Morning Rhoda,
I am a stuffing freak! I could eat the stuff every day and never tire of it. Your Mom’s recipe looks yummy.
Hugs to your Mom and tell her thanks for sharing. Hope you are well!
Enjoy the day
Janet xox
Yes, my dressing is made very much like this. I use biscuts instead of bread. I’m known as the cornbread queen in my circle of family and friends (I make it several times a week), and I’m wondering if you didn’t leave out the salt? I SLOWLY count to five while shaking a salt shaker….say that 3 times fast!!!! Did you know that you can make your cornbread and biscuts a week ahead of time, then crumble them and freeze until ready to use? Saves a lot of time!
Hey, Susan. I just double-checked with mom and she said that self-rising cornmeal has salt in it. That is something I didn’t know, but now I do! I added it in the notes above.
I’m a Missouri girl, but I make stuffing like my hubby likes– the way his mother makes it. I have a special place in his heart when I do that.
I use white bread pieces, eggs, onions, celery, chopped up turkey innerds, lots of the turkey broth from cooking those innerds, and poultry seasoning. We like it moist, mOiSt, MOIST!
Loved all these photos. Spectacular memory you made today, girl!
Thank you, Rhoda! Yes, our dressing is much the same as your Mom’s. My Mom always makes the dressing and giblet gravy, but she is 89 now and I need to learn how to do this! Everyone comes to our home for Thanksgiving now. I will print out your Mom’s recipe and keep it .Love the photos with your Mom’ beautiful hands in them! Again, thank you for this post. I’d love to win the cookbook and apron.
mine is similar, it was my Mama’s recipe, I add eggs and milk to the mixture and I keep it moist with chicken broth. We don’t let it set up. It is served with giblet gravy and rice. My son came on thanksgiving and wrote it down so he could make it. I also loved seeing your Mom’s hands. This is the time of year that I really miss my Mama. Give yours an extra hug.
Love that splash of color with the apron and what a yummy looking stuffing dish.
Thanks again for sharing. Our southern Mother passed away over 15 years ago & we haven’t had chicken & dressing since. No good cornbread either ’cause she, or we, never wrote anything down. Most of her recipes were in her head too. She was a great cook & we still miss her wonderful meals. I’m heading to the store to buy some self-rising flour & meal (got the Knorr’s already). We’re going to have this southern treat for supper tonight. Can’t wait for Thanksgiving!
Great recipe! Thanks for the giveaway!
One word for the recipe – a big fat YUM. Also, I love your mother’s hands They look a if they are taking such care in preparing the dish. Sign me up for the giveaway. That would be fun to win.
Your mom has beautiful hands that have comforted and fed her family for many years. The cornbread and dressing are made with love. Lucky you!
I love cornbread dressing! I like mine a little dry with crust and served with gravy. Thanks so much for sharing your mother’s recipe! Perhaps you’ll consider putting together a collection of her recipes!
That recipe reminds me of my Grandmother’s recipe. That chicken tastes so good cooked into the dressing. And you could add cream of mushroom soup and cheddar cheese to the top for some tasty Poulet! That is a dish I had never heard of until I moved to Decatur and it is served at several restaurants around here. When I first had it, I said, well this is just chicken and dressing with soup and cheese on top with a fancy French name!! I love hearing about your parents! I am sure you all by blessed by being together!