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Ask a Southerner about dressing and you will not hear about November first. You will hear about Sunday. Chicken and dressing came out of the oven after church in a 9x13 pan: crumbled cornbread from the day before, stale white bread, onions and celery softened in a full stick of butter, a heavy hand of sage, hot broth from the chicken that had simmered all morning, and the chicken folded through. Brown and crisp on top, soft and savory underneath, with gravy or without.
Two things go wrong with dressing at home, and this recipe is built to prevent both. Fresh cornbread turns it into mush; the cornbread must be a day old and dry, or baked and left uncovered overnight. And most people do not add enough broth. The mixture should look too wet in the bowl, wetter than seems safe, because the bread keeps drinking as it bakes. Trust the four cups. The sage is the other argument, and that one is between you and your family.
Why this chicken and dressing works
- Day-old cornbread. Dried-out cornbread absorbs the broth without collapsing. Fresh cornbread dissolves into paste.
- A little white bread. Four slices of stale sandwich bread lighten the texture and hold the dressing together.
- The chicken’s own broth. Poaching the chicken with an onion gives you meat and a rich broth at once, and the broth is most of the flavor.
- Wetter than you think. Four cups of broth plus the soup and eggs gives a custardy middle under a crisp top instead of a dry brick.
Ingredients
Makes one 9x13 pan, 8 to 10 servings. US cups with grams in brackets.
For the chicken and broth
- 1 whole chicken (about 4 pounds, 1.8kg)
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Water to cover
For the dressing
- 6 cups crumbled day-old cornbread (about one 9-inch pan, 700g)
- 4 slices stale white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick, 113g)
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage (or to taste)
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, or more
- 4 cups hot chicken broth from the pot (950ml)
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Bake the cornbread the day before, from your usual recipe or a mix, and leave it uncovered on the counter overnight. Southern dressing uses an unsweetened cornbread; if yours is sweet, use a little less of it and more white bread.
How to make chicken and dressing
The chicken
- Put the chicken in a large pot with the halved onion, salt and pepper and cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partly cover and cook for 1 hour, until the meat comes away from the bone.
- Lift out the chicken and let it cool a little. Strain the broth and keep it hot. Pull the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones; you need about 3 cups, and the rest can be saved.
The dressing
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and butter a 9x13 baking dish.
- Crumble the cornbread into a very large bowl and add the torn white bread.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onions and celery until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Scrape everything, butter included, into the bread.
- Add the sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and toss well.
- Pour in the 4 cups of hot broth and stir. Add the cream of chicken soup and the beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. The mixture should be very wet and loose, like thick porridge. If it is stiff, add up to 1 cup more broth.
- Fold in the chicken. Taste for salt and pepper and sage; it should taste slightly over-seasoned at this stage.
- Spread into the baking dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp and the center is set but still soft when pressed. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
Tips that make the difference
- If you do not have day-old cornbread, crumble fresh cornbread onto a sheet pan and dry it in a 300°F oven for 20 minutes.
- Taste the raw mixture before the eggs go in. Sage and salt are the two things you cannot fix after baking.
- For a crispier top, dot the surface with a few small pieces of butter before it goes in the oven.
- Make a quick gravy from the leftover broth: 3 tablespoons butter, 3 tablespoons flour, 2 cups broth, salt and pepper.
Variations
- Less sage. Use 1 teaspoon, or none, and lean on the poultry seasoning. Half the South does.
- Turkey. Use 3 cups of leftover roast turkey and store-bought broth the day after a big roast dinner.
- Dressing balls. Scoop the mixture into a muffin tin and bake 25 minutes for crisp individual portions.
- No soup. Replace the cream of chicken soup with 1 extra cup of broth and 1 extra egg.
Storage and make-ahead
Leftovers keep in the refrigerator for 4 days. Reheat covered with foil at 325°F with a splash of broth to keep it moist, or in the microwave for single portions.
Dressing freezes well before or after baking, for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight; bake unbaked dressing as written plus 15 minutes, or reheat baked dressing covered at 325°F for 30 minutes.
The whole thing can be assembled the night before, covered and refrigerated, then baked from cold with 10 extra minutes.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between dressing and stuffing?
In the South it is mostly the name and the pan: dressing is baked in a dish, not inside the bird, and it is nearly always made from cornbread. Stuffing usually means white bread and is cooked inside the roast bird.
Can I use store-bought cornbread or a mix?
Yes. Bake it a day ahead and leave it uncovered. If the cornbread is sweet, use 5 cups of it and 6 slices of white bread to keep the dressing savory.
Why is my dressing dry?
Not enough liquid, almost always. The mixture must be very wet going into the oven, because the bread absorbs broth as it bakes. Next time add the full 4 cups plus another cup if it looks stiff, and do not over-bake.
Can I make it without the chicken?
Yes, as a side dish. Leave the chicken out and use 4 to 5 cups of good chicken broth. It is exactly the cornbread dressing served at every big family dinner in the South.
Sage is a family matter. The wet mixture is not. Add the broth, put it in the oven, and be at the table when the top is brown.
Southern Chicken and Dressing (Cornbread Dressing, Sunday Style)
Old-fashioned Southern chicken and cornbread dressing baked in a 9x13 pan: day-old cornbread and stale white bread, onion and celery cooked in butter, sage, hot broth from a poached chicken, eggs and cream of chicken soup, baked until the top crisps and the inside stays soft.
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken
- 1 onion, halved
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- Water to cover
- 6 cups crumbled day-old cornbread
- 4 slices stale white sandwich bread, torn into small pieces
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 2 onions, chopped
- 4 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried rubbed sage
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper, or more
- 4 cups hot chicken broth from the pot
- 1 can (10.5 ounces) condensed cream of chicken soup
- 2 large eggs, beaten
Instructions
- Put the chicken in a large pot with the halved onion, salt and pepper and cold water to cover. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, partly cover and cook for 1 hour, until the meat comes away from the bone.
- Lift out the chicken and let it cool a little. Strain the broth and keep it hot. Pull the meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding skin and bones; you need about 3 cups, and the rest can be saved.
- Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C) and butter a 9x13 baking dish.
- Crumble the cornbread into a very large bowl and add the torn white bread.
- Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat and cook the onions and celery until soft and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes. Scrape everything, butter included, into the bread.
- Add the sage, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and toss well.
- Pour in the 4 cups of hot broth and stir. Add the cream of chicken soup and the beaten eggs and mix thoroughly. The mixture should be very wet and loose, like thick porridge. If it is stiff, add up to 1 cup more broth.
- Fold in the chicken. Taste for salt and pepper and sage; it should taste slightly over-seasoned at this stage.
- Spread into the baking dish. Bake uncovered for 45 minutes, until the top is golden brown and crisp and the center is set but still soft when pressed. Rest 10 minutes before serving.
