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–+ servings
Cornbread dressing on a plate with turkey, cranberry sauce, greens and mashed potatoes.
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5 from 7 votes

Cornbread Dressing

Fluffy, savory, and perfectly seasoned — this Cornbread Dressing is your new holiday staple! It's made from scratch and tastes amazing, so it's the perfect addition to your holiday turkey and sides.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time2 hours 5 minutes
Total Time2 hours 15 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cornbread dressing, cornbread stuffing
Servings: 10

Ingredients

For the cornbread

  • 2 cups yellow corn meal fine
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tbsps baking powder
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 2 cups milk
  • 2/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 2 whole eggs

For the chicken broth

  • 4-6 bone-in skin on chicken thighs
  • 2 stalks celery cut
  • 1 whole carrot chopped
  • 1/2 medium white or yellow onion chopped
  • 1/2 medium green pepper chopped
  • 4-6 whole garlic cloves
  • 2 tablespoons chicken bouillon powder
  • 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon base
  • 2 teaspoons dried herb mix (all-purpose seasoning or herbs de provence)
  • 2 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 3-4 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 2-3 sprigs fresh thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 4-6 cups water

Dressing

  • 2-3 pieces bacon chopped
  • 1/2 medium white or yellow onion diced
  • 1/2 medium green bell pepper diced
  • 3 celery stalks died
  • 1 1/3 cups hot chicken broth (from above)
  • 1 can of cream of chicken
  • 1 can of cream of celery
  • 2 tablespoons freshly chopped sage
  • 2 teaspoons adobo
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • 1 teaspoons garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoons onion powder

For the Gravy

  • 4 tbsps butter
  • 4 tbsps flour
  • 1 cup chicken broth
  • season to taste

Instructions

  • Preheat your oven to 400°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  • In a large bowl, stir together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
  • In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, vegetable oil, and eggs until well combined. Pour the wet ingredients into dry ingredients. Stir until just combined. Transfer to the greased baking dish and spread out evenly with a spatula. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes. Set aside to cool, then crumble the bread.
  • In a large soup pot or Dutch oven, add the chicken thighs, celery, carrot, onion, pepper, garlic, chicken bouillon, chicken bouillon base (optional), dried herb mix, garlic powder, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Pour in the water and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Strain the broth through a large mesh sieve into a bowl. Debone the chicken and set aside.
  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9x13-inch baking dish.
  • In a large skillet, cook the bacon. Add the onions, peppers, and celery. Cook until soft.
  • In a large bowl, add the bacon and veggie mixture, crumbled cornbread, deboned chicken, 1 1/3 cups warm chicken broth, cream of chicken, cream of celery, fresh sage, and spices. Stir until well combined. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Bake uncovered at 350°F for 30 minutes. Increase the heat 375°F and bake for 10 additional minutes, until golden brown.

Notes

  • Bacon is optional. You can omit, if desired.
  • When in doubt, add more chicken broth to the cornbread dressing mixture before baking. The dressing should look wet before going into the oven. If it doesn't look wet, then it will come out dry. You can add more chicken broth and mix everything together right before baking.