An authentic, southern cornbread dressing recipe made with homemade buttermilk cornbread, shredded chicken, and lots of chopped veggies. This soul food cornbread dressing recipe will be the star of your Thanksgiving dinner!
No holiday is complete in the South, especially Thanksgiving, without a big ol' pan of cornbread dressing. This recipe is loaded with flavor and has the perfect texture - not too dry and not too soupy.
You will definitely want to check out our Southern Candied Yams and Southern Baked Macaroni Cheese recipes next to help round out your Thanksgiving menu!
Jump to:
- Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
- How To Make This Recipe
- Variations and Substitutions
- What is Cornbread Dressing?
- What Is the Difference Between Cornbread Dressing and Stuffing?
- Do I Have To Put Eggs In Dressing?
- Why Did My Dressing Turn Out Mushy?
- How Do I Keep Dressing From Turning Out Dry?
- Make Ahead and Storing Instructions
- What To Serve With Southern Cornbread Dressing
- Recommended Tools For This Recipe
- More Southern Recipes You Will Love!
- 📖 Recipe
Ingredients You Need To Make This Recipe
Buttermilk Cornbread
- Yellow cornmeal. Use good quality stone ground cornmeal for the best flavor and texture.
- All-purpose flour. Use good quality flour for the best result.
- Baking powder. To help the cornbread rise.
- Baking soda. Also helps the cornbread rise.
- Salt. For flavor and balance.
- Buttermilk. For tanginess and tenderness.
- Eggs. To bind the cornbread and keep it from falling apart.
- Melted unsalted butter. For moisture. This cornbread calls for less melted butter than my traditional buttermilk cornbread because drier cornbread works best for dressing.
Dressing
- Sliced white sandwich bread. Combined with the cornbread for added texture in the dressing. Slice the sandwich bread into cubes.
- Unsalted butter. Used to cook the veggies until they soften.
- Yellow onion. For flavor and texture.
- Green bell pepper. Also for flavor and texture.
- Celery. For freshness and texture. Celery is a must-have vegetable for cornbread dressing!
- Fresh garlic. Fresh garlic flavor in cornbread dressing is a must!
- Boneless, skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts. Shred the meat of two chicken breasts or chicken thighs to add to the dressing. You can omit the meat for a vegetarian cornbread dressing.
- Chicken broth. To add moisture to the dressing. I recommend low sodium broth.
- Salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, poultry seasoning, ground sage, dried thyme leaves, and cayenne pepper. To season the dressing.
- Eggs. To bind the dressing and give it structure.
How To Make This Recipe
Buttermilk Cornbread
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron or a 9-inch square baking pan skillet with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients together.
- To a small mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, and eggs. Use a whisk to beat the wet ingredients together until combined.
- Make a well in the center of the cornmeal mixture and pour the buttermilk mixture into the well. Use a rubber spatula to mix the batter until no more dry cornmeal is visible. Pour the melted butter into the batter and mix with the rubber spatula until combined. Pour the batter into your skillet or pan.
- Smooth the cornbread batter out into an even layer and bake the cornbread in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and set in the center. Allow the cornbread to cool enough to handle with your fingers. You can also make this cornbread the day before and store it at room temperature overnight.
Dressing
- Once the cornbread has cooled enough to handle, crumble it onto a large baking sheet and scatter the sandwich bread cubes on top. Toast the bread in the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned to dry it out.
- Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and set it aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until the veggies begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Place the toasted bread, cooked vegetables, and shredded chicken in the baking dish and season with poultry seasoning, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground sage, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper. Gently toss the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.
- Add four cups of chicken broth to the pan and gently stir the dressing to moisten all of the bread. Add more broth until the dressing is a bit soupy but not completely runny. You should end up using 5 to 6 cups of broth. Getting the right consistency at this point is key to getting the best texture once the dressing is baked!
- Taste the cornbread dressing and add more seasoning if needed until you are pleased with the flavor. Mix in the beaten eggs. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F, transfer the dressing to the oven, and bake it uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown on top and set in the center.
Variations and Substitutions
Feel free to add different vegetables to this cornbread dressing if you like, such as:
- Red bell pepper
- Sliced mushrooms
- Corn kernels
Instead of shredded chicken, you can use shredded turkey meat, ground meat, smoked sausage, or even cooked shrimp in this dressing. You can also omit the meat altogether for vegetarian cornbread dressing.
What is Cornbread Dressing?
Cornbread dressing is a popular southern side dish made with cornbread, vegetables, broth, eggs, spices, herbs, and sometimes chicken or turkey that is baked in the oven. You typically see cornbread dressing served at holiday dinners, particularly Thanksgiving.
What Is the Difference Between Cornbread Dressing and Stuffing?
The main difference between cornbread dressing and stuffing is that stuffing is typically placed inside the cavity of a bird and cooked while dressing is cooked separately in a baking dish.
Whether you refer to this dish as dressing or stuffing can also be a telltale sign of what part of the US you are from! Being born and raised in Mississippi, my family and most everyone I know have always referred to this dish as dressing.
Many northerners call the bread, vegetable, broth, and herb mixture that is served at Thanksgiving dinner stuffing. I've seen stuffing made with an array of different ingredients, ranging from fruit, nuts, squash, pumpkin, and even quinoa.
Southern cornbread dressing keeps the add-ins to a minimum while delivering maximum flavor and comfort!
Do I Have To Put Eggs In Dressing?
Eggs give cornbread dressing structure and keep it from turning into a mushy mess. While you can still make dressing without eggs, you will end up with a much less sturdy dish.
While I have not tried this myself, I have read that you can add heavy cream to dressing to help it bake up sturdy in place in place of eggs.
Why Did My Dressing Turn Out Mushy?
If you end up with soupy, mushy cornbread dressing one of these two things probably happened:
- You added too much broth to the dressing. When adding the broth to the dressing, I always start with four cups and add more as needed to prevent my dressing from baking up mushy. You want the dressing to be a bit soupy after the broth is added, but still hold its structure.
- You overmixed the dressing. If you stir the dressing too long, you can cause the cornbread to break down too much which can result in mushy dressing with not much texture.
- To avoid this, toss the cornbread, veggies, chicken, and spices together before the broth is added then stir in the broth just enough to moisten the bread. You still want to see large chunks of cornbread in the dressing before it goes in the oven.
How Do I Keep Dressing From Turning Out Dry?
On the other end of the spectrum, if your dressing turns out dry you may not have added enough broth. A soupy but sturdy texture is what you are looking for!
Also, be careful not to overbake your dressing as this can cause it to dry out as well. Bake the dressing just until the center no longer jiggles and the edges are browned.
Make Ahead and Storing Instructions
This dressing can be assembled the night before, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Just allow it to set out at room temperature for about 30 minutes before placing it in the oven or add more baking time.
Leftover cornbread dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat dressing in the microwave or oven.
What To Serve With Southern Cornbread Dressing
If you want a true southern Thanksgiving spread, serve Southern Cornbread Dressing with some of these delicious accompaniments:
- Chicken and Sausage Gumbo
- Southern Sweet Potato Casserole
- Cajun Dirty Rice with Smoked Sausage
- Soft Homemade Dinner Rolls
Recommended Tools For This Recipe
More Southern Recipes You Will Love!
- Southern Fried Green Tomatoes
- Southern Oven Fried Catfish
- Classic Buttermilk Cornbread
- Praline Poke Cake
- Maple Chess Pie
📖 Recipe
Southern Cornbread Dressing (+Video)
Equipment
Ingredients
Buttermilk Cornbread
- 1 ½ cups yellow cornmeal 210g, weighed or spooned and leveled
- ½ cup all-purpose flour 60g, weighed or spooned and leveled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ cup buttermilk whole or lowfat
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tablespoons butter unsalted, melted
Dressing
- 5 slices white sandwich bread sliced into cubes
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 small yellow onion chopped
- 1 small green bell pepper rinsed, seeded, and chopped
- 3 stalks celery sliced into half moons
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs or breasts shredded
- 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- ¼ - ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 5 - 6 cups low sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs beaten
Instructions
Buttermilk Cornbread
- Preheat your oven to 400°F. Spray a 10-inch cast-iron skillet or a 9-inch square baking pan with nonstick cooking spray and set it aside.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients together.
- To a small mixing bowl, add the buttermilk, and eggs. Use a whisk to beat the wet ingredients together until combined.
- Make a well in the center of the cornmeal mixture and pour the buttermilk mixture into the well. Use a rubber spatula to mix the batter until no more dry cornmeal is visible. Pour the melted butter into the batter and mix with the rubber spatula until combined. Pour the batter into your skillet or pan.
- Smooth the cornbread batter out into an even layer and bake the cornbread in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top and set in the center. Allow the cornbread to cool enough to handle with your fingers.
Assembling the Dressing
- Once the cornbread has cooled enough to handle, crumble it onto a large baking sheet and scatter the sandwich bread cubes on top. Toast the bread in the oven for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned to dry it out.
- Butter a 9 x 13 baking dish and set it aside.
- Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery and cook until the veggies begin to soften, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Place the toasted bread, cooked vegetables, and shredded chicken in the baking dish and season with poultry seasoning, salt, black pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, ground sage, dried thyme, and cayenne pepper. Gently toss the ingredients together with a wooden spoon.
- Add four cups of chicken broth to the pan and gently stir the dressing to moisten all of the bread. Add more broth until the dressing is a bit soupy but not completely runny. You should end up using 5 to 6 cups of broth.
- Taste the cornbread dressing and add more seasoning if needed until you are pleased with the flavor. Mix in the beaten eggs. Lower the oven temperature to 375°F, transfer the dressing to the oven, and bake it uncovered for 50 to 60 minutes, or until golden brown on top and set in the center. Allow the dressing to cool for about 10 minutes and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- You can also make the cornbread the day before and store it at room temperature overnight.
- Most dressing recipes call for day-old bread, but since the bread is toasted in the oven for this recipe fresh cornbread will work as well.
- This dressing can be assembled the night before and stored in the refrigerator until ready to bake. Take it out of the refrigerator about 30 mins before baking or add more oven time to ensure it cooks through.
- Leftover cornbread dressing can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Marlon Boyd
This recipe will be my saving grace this Holiday season! I know my family will love it! I can’t wait to make this and for them to try it!
Ashley Boyd
I hope you and your family love the dressing recipe! It is a family favorite for Thanksgiving in our home.
Jenny Frost
Love this recipe! Was a big hit for the family thanksgiving. Everyone loved it. Super easy for first time makers also
Ashley Boyd
I am so happy you and your family enjoyed the dressing recipe! Thank you for giving it a try!