Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing
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This old fashioned cornbread dressing is hands down the best Southern cornbread dressing recipe ever. This is my grandmother’s recipe, and it’s been tried and true for many, many years. The secret is the cornbread itself. It’s so delicious, and makes the most, savory and decadent dressing. Once you make this cornbread dressing, there’s no going back to anything else.
I’ve made this dressing over and over again, and I’m convinced the secret is in the cornbread. I’ve posted this cornbread recipe before, but you’ll need to make two pans for this recipe. Other than that, it’s actually pretty simple. This dressing is so good. It’s just juicy and flavorful in every bite. The recipe is really straightforward, too.
I like to make my cornbread maybe a day or two before a holiday, and then put the dressing together the night before. I do everything but add in the eggs. The next morning, take it out of the fridge, add in the eggs and maybe a little more broth. Bake to perfection.
Equipment You’ll Need
Ok. Like I said earlier, the secret is in the cornbread. What makes this really good cornbread is a cast iron. You have to have it for this recipe. No exceptions. Basically, you’ll heat the cast iron beforehand, then once you pour your batter into it, it fries the edges and gives it the most amazing texture and flavor.
Another essential for this old fashioned cornbread dressing recipe is the roaster. I have my Granny’s Magnalite that she handed down to me. Sadly, you can’t find these anymore. An aluminum roaster will work, but everything I’ve seen is sold out. Check eBay! However, this copper roaster or any roaster will work just as fine.
How to Make This Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing
The Cornbread
Step One:
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients for your cornbread and mix together. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and wet ingredients then mix into the dry ingredients. (This will be enough to fill two skillets)
Step two:
Add your 10-inch cast iron to the stove and heat on medium for several minutes for the skillet to get nice and hot. Once it’s hot, sprinkle ample amount of cornmeal to the bottom of the skillet. You’ll want it to cover the bottom completely.
Step three:
Add in half of your mixture to the pan. You’ll hear the hot skillet start to fry the batter. Add it to the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the top is nice and brown. Remove from oven and cornbread should dump out of the pan easy from the cornmeal. It will have a nice crispy and crunchy outer layer.
Step four:
Repeat this process to make two of these same cornbreads. You can do this several days in advance. If making only one at a time, split all cornbread ingredient amounts in half.
Dressing
Step one:
Preheat your oven to 375. In a large roaster or Dutch oven, cook your chopped onion, green onion, and celery with your stick of butter. Cook until onion is translucent, but don’t let them start to brown.
Step two:
Add the chopped meat from one and a half rotisserie chickens and sauté for a few minutes. Turn off heat then add crumbled up cornbread. You’ll use one and a half pans. Add in 4 chopped boiled eggs, your seasonings, the raw eggs and four to six cups of chicken broth. You’ll want it to be runny but not soupy.
Step three:
Stir until all of the major chunks of cornbread are broken down. Bake uncovered at 375 for about an hour and a half to two hours. The top will be browned, and the middle of the dressing will be firmed. Serve and enjoy!
Old Fashioned Cornbread Dressing
Ingredients
Cornbread
- 3 cups Yellow Cornmeal
- 1 cup Flour
- 2 tbsp Baking Powder
- 1 tsp Baking Soda
- 2 tsp Salt
- 2 tbsp Sugar
- 2 Large Egg
- 3 cups Butter Milk
- 1 cup Oil
Dressing Ingredients
- 2 Rotisserie Chickens
- 1 Yellow Onion, Chopped
- 2-3 Celery Sticks Chopped
- 3-4 Green Onion Stalks, Chopped
- 4-6 cups Chicken Broth
- 4 Boiled Eggs, Chopped
- 4 Raw Eggs
- 1 tbsp Poultry Seaoning
- 1 tsp Salt
- 1 tsp Pepper
Instructions
The Cornbread
- Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, combine all the dry ingredients for your cornbread and mix together. In a separate bowl, combine the eggs and wet ingredients then mix into the dry ingredients. (This will be enough to fill two skillets)
- Add your 10-inch cast iron to the stove and heat on medium for several minutes for the skillet to get nice and hot. Once it's hot, sprinkle ample amount of cornmeal to the bottom of the skillet. You'll want it to cover the bottom completely.
- Add in half of your mixture to the pan. You'll hear the hot skillet start to fry the batter. Add it to the oven and bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the top is nice and brown. Remove from oven and cornbread should dump out of the pan easy from the cornmeal. It will have a nice crispy and crunchy outer layer.
- Repeat this process to make two of these same cornbreads. You can do this several days in advance. If making only one at a time, split all cornbread ingredient amounts in half.
Dressing
- Preheat your oven to 375. In a large roaster or Dutch oven, cook your chopped onion, green onion, and celery with your stick of butter. Cook until onion is translucent, but don't let them start to brown.
- Add the chopped meat from one and a half rotisserie chickens and sauté for a few minutes. Turn off heat then add the crumbled up cornbread. You'll use one and a half pans. Add in 4 chopped boiled eggs, your seasonings, the raw eggs and four to six cups of chicken broth. You'll want it to be runny but not soupy.
- Stir until all of the major chunks of cornbread are broken down. Bake uncovered at 375 for about an hour and a half to two hours. The top will be browned, and the middle of the dressing will be firmed. Serve and enjoy!
Before you go…
Before you go, please let me know if you made this damn good southern cornbread dressing recipe. What did you think? It’s seriously the best dressing ever. Hands down. Let me know if you made it and what you thought here or in the comments below. Happy cooking!
