Homemade Southern Cornbread Dressing
I would describe my food taste as more of elegant, but with a touch of soul. One of my favorite dinners growing up would have to be Thanksgiving dinner, because there is so much history in the foods we make starting with the dressing. My great grandma was the first to cook this recipe and my grandmother watched her and now is following in her footsteps. Down in the south of Alabama we love soul food and there are so many traditions that we carry throughout generations.
In the north they would call this "stuffing" because it is usually inside of an turkey. Stuffing and cornbread dressing are completely different because stuffing is made with white bread, and cornbread dressing is made with cornbread mixture. I personally prefer cornbread dressing over stuffing because the texture is different. Dressing has a harder crust than stuffing. If you want to add more flavor to the dish you could add sausage or shrimp. A traditional Thanksgiving dressing will be topped with homemade gravy and you cannot forget the cranberry sauce, because this completes the meal.
In the north they would call this "stuffing" because it is usually inside of an turkey. Stuffing and cornbread dressing are completely different because stuffing is made with white bread, and cornbread dressing is made with cornbread mixture. I personally prefer cornbread dressing over stuffing because the texture is different. Dressing has a harder crust than stuffing. If you want to add more flavor to the dish you could add sausage or shrimp. A traditional Thanksgiving dressing will be topped with homemade gravy and you cannot forget the cranberry sauce, because this completes the meal.
Ingredients
- BASIC CORNBREAD RECIPE
- 1 cup self-rising cornmeal
- ½ cup self-rising flour
- ¾ cup buttermilk
- 2 eggs
- 2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
- SOUTHERN DRESSING RECIPE
- Cornbread (9x9 inch pan) (my grandmother always uses day old cornbread)
- 1 cup onions, diced (about half of a large onion)
- 1 cup of celery, diced (about 3 stalks)
- 1 cup of green bell peppers diced (about 1 medium green bell pepper. You could also add in some red bell pepper as well if you'd like)
- 3 pieces of toast
- 1 cooked chicken breast or cooked chicken thighs, shredded
- 2 eggs
- 3-4 cups of chicken or turkey broth
- Seasonings (poultry seasonings, sage, black pepper, ) *see recipe to see how much I ad
- Preheat the oven to 350 F.
- First let's make the cornbread!
- In a bowl, stir together the cornmeal & flour.
- Stir in the buttermilk, eggs & oil.
- Pour into a greased, 9 x9 baking dish.
- Bake for about 20-25 minutes or until done.
- Let cool.
- Now let's put together the dressing!
- Break up the cornbread and toast in a large bowl. Set aside.
- In a saucepan, sauté onions, celery and green bell peppers in a little bit of butter until tender.
- Add the sautéed veggies and the cooked shredded chicken into the cornbread mixture.
- Stir together to combine.
- Add in the broth a little at a time. Add in just enough to make it thick & a little soupy.
- Stir in a teaspoon of poultry seasoning, sage, and black pepper. I usually start with a teaspoon of each and add more to suite my taste. ( Since my broth is pretty salt I don't add salt)
- Give it a taste. It should taste exactly the way you want your dressing to taste like.
- When you are content with the taste, go ahead and stir in the eggs.
- Pour into a buttered 9 X 13 casserole pan.
- Bake for 45 minutes or until set.