Mom’s Cornbread Dressing

Mom’s Southern Cornbread Dressing & Turkey – My Mom’s recipe for THE BEST turkey & dressing! It is SO easy to make and packed full of amazing flavor. Homemade cornbread, wheat bread, celery, onion, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, chicken broth, eggs, salt, pepper, and sage. Bake in the oven along with bone-in turkey for the BEST Thanksgiving dinner you will ever eat. I look forward to this meal all year long!

turkey and dressing in baking dish

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Southern Cornbread Dressing Recipe

This classic recipe is our favorite part of the holidays – my Mom’s dressing. I don’t really like turkey, but I LOVE my Mom’s dressing. It is especially good smothered with gravy! The original recipe came from my Dad’s Mom. She was a great cook and made one of my other all-time favorite meals – Chicken Tetrazzini.

My Mom has perfected the dressing recipe over the years. Chicken Legs can’t get enough of this during the holidays. He especially likes it reheated at about 10:00 pm on Thanksgiving or Christmas night. Chicken Legs swears this is the best dressing you’ll ever eat – I agree!

scooping southern dressing from baking dish

How to Make Mom’s Cornbread Stuffing

This casserole is very easy to make with only a few simple ingredients. In a very large bowl, crumble cornbread and wheat bread. Add chopped onion, chopped celery, eggs, chicken broth, water, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, salt, black pepper, and sage. Spread the cornbread mixture into a large deep baking dish or roasting pan. Top with your turkey and bake until the turkey reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF.

Helpful Tips & Frequently Asked Questions

  • I make homemade cornbread a day or two before making the dressing.
  • Here is our Buttermilk Cornbread Recipehttps://www.plainchicken.com/southern-cornbread/
  • I chop the onion and celery in a food processor so it is very finely chopped.
    • Can sauté the vegetables in melted butter in a large skillet until tender.
  • I recommend using unsalted cream of chicken and mushroom soup.
  • If the dressing starts to get too brown, cover it with aluminum foil while the turkey finishes cooking.
  • Can I freeze Cornbread Dressing? Yes! Cool the dressing to room temperature. Transfer the dressing to freezer bags and store it in the freezer for up to 3 months.
    • Reheat in the microwave.
  • Variations/Additions:
    • poultry seasoning
    • parsley
    • thyme
  • Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge.
turkey and dressing in baking dish

Tips for Cooking a Thanksgiving Turkey

  • We usually use a bone-in turkey breast, but this recipe also works with a regular turkey.
  • You want to bake the turkey at 350ºF for about 15 minutes per pound.
  • You need to check for an internal temperature of 165ºF in the innermost part of the thigh and wing and the thickest part of the breast.
  • We prefer to brine our turkey before baking. Here is our Turkey Brine Recipehttps://www.plainchicken.com/brined-thanksgiving-turkey/
plate of turkey & dressing

What to Serve with Easy Cornbread Dressing 

This is the best turkey and dressing I’ve ever eaten. This is the perfect side dish for your holiday table! We serve this with sliced turkey and all of your favorite holiday side dishes – green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, squash casserole, and warm rolls

Here are a few of our favorite holiday recipes that go great with this turkey & stuffing:

turkey and dressing in baking dish

Southern Cornbread Dressing

Yield: 8 people
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 2 hours
Total Time 2 hours 15 minutes
Southern Cornbread Dressing – My Mom’s recipe for THE BEST dressing! SO easy. Homemade cornbread, white bread, celery, onion, cream of chicken, cream of mushroom, chicken stock, salt, pepper and sage. Bake along with bone-in turkey. I could just eat this for Thanksgiving and be happy!

Ingredients:

Instructions:

  • Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  • Chop onion and celery in food processor. Crumble cornbread and bread. Add remaining ingredients (except turkey). Stir well. Place dressing in turkey roasting pan, top with turkey breast.
  • Cover dressing with foil (leaving turkey breast uncovered) and bake until turkey breast reaches an internal temperature of 165ºF – about 2 hours.

Notes:

Steph

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plate of turkey & dressing
scooping southern dressing from baking dish
turkey and dressing in baking dish

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Comments

  1. Can l just put turkey on dressing and cook uncovered until dressing starts turning real brown than cover the dressing only?

  2. Hello, I love you cooking blog.
    Your Mom’s recipe for Turkey and stuffing look delicious. I would love to try it, but what kind of Gravy Recipe do you use. I gotta smother everything in good rich Turkey Gravy. Thank you very much. Dale

    1. We use a packet of McCormick Turkey Gravy mix with some drippings from the turkey mixed in. My grandmother made a giblet gravy, but we prefer the flavor of the packet.

  3. If the turkey breast is on top of the dressing and you cover the dressing with foil but not the turkey, do you just cover around the turkey? How is the dressing if it is cooked without the turkey on it? Also, I use my turkey drippings to make my gravy. What do you use to make gravy if all the drippings are going into the dressing?

    1. Yes – I just lay the foil on top of the exposed dressing and leave the turkey uncovered. I tore off strips of foil and it worked just fine.

      1. This is sure odd to me. I have always rememberd the smell of celery and onions being sauteed. Maybe it is because I am older and traditional.

        1. NO. It is just because your recipe is simply different from ours. All families feel their personal recipes are traditional. We think this is traditional as it has been in our family for generations.

  4. My Momma’s dressing recipe has green bell pepper and 3 hard boiled eggs in it. My son and I have started adding a deboned hen to it because my late husband liked it that way. Also we add minced garlic and green onion. Best dressing ever❤️

    1. You can make just the stuffing. Maybe add a touch more liquid so it stays moist since it won’t get the turkey drippings. Enjoy!

  5. HI Stephanie! I’m late to this stuffing party but this is my first year hosting thanksgiving. I’m SO nervous. My family has always put the stuffing inside a whole turkey. Do you think that will work as well??

  6. Have you ever roasted a whole turkey in the dressing instead of just a turkey breast? I was thinking of doing this in my roaster with a 9.5 lb whole turkey, but then was wondering if a whole turkey would create too much juice for the dressing.

  7. Hi Stephanie, I used a 10 1/2 size can of cream of chicken and mushroom soup for the dressing and should I use a larger size or the 10 1/2 size is enough?

  8. Stephanie, The recipe said to use 2 cans of chicken stock, but in the store, I think they all come in 16oz tall box, an how many do I need because I'm not going to add the turkey breast. I guest for the salt and pepper adjust to my taste?

    1. They sell 14.5-oz cans of chicken broth in the stores. I might add 1/4 to 1/2 cup more broth since you aren't baking with the turkey breast.

  9. Thanksgiving is all about the turkey and great dressing with your best gravy and pumpkin pie with whipped cream
    And this dressing looks awesome

  10. my mom's dressing is very similar, but she cooks her onion and celery in a stick of butter and a half a can of chicken broth, then adds it to the bread (we use all bread) with poultry seasoning, parsley flakes, and 2 eggs. she has always mixed it up in the top of an over turned Rubbermaid cake carrier 😀 some goes in the turkey, some goes in the pan. i love them both!

  11. Do you think this recipe would work if I just baked the dressing separately without the turkey? Would I still bake it 2 hours?

    1. If you are going to bake it separately, add 1/2-1 cup more chicken broth, and I would probably bake it about an hour.

  12. i could also use stock i froze. i but carcass in crockpot with celery and onion and cooked on low for 8-10 hours. i froze it and it should work too i guess????

  13. this is very yummy but i had to cook another breast alone so i could make gravy. what do you do about stock for gravy?

  14. what if you dont want the dressing mushy but like browned on top some can you take foil off or what. Im a very new cook and not sure bout this and did you season the turkey breast?

  15. The stuffing turned out great!!! It was very moist and still had plenty of juice from the turkey. Love this recipe!

    1. You said to use 3 pieces of wheat bread, do we cut off the sides and let it also dry out than cut it up in pieces?

  16. julied – yes, bake the cornbread first and tear it up. You want to dry the white bread out a little, but not toast it. Put it in the oven for a minute or in the toaster on the lowest setting.

  17. so you bake 2 skillets of cornbread- right? do you toast the wheat bread a little or just tear it up soft? thanks

  18. so you bake 2 skillets of cornbread- right? do you toast the wheat bread a little or just tear it up soft? thanks

  19. cajuncutie – You just arrange some foil around the dressing after it has cooked for a while if you see if getting too brown. The dressing and turkey are baked together.

  20. I just want to double check the last persons comment that you agreed on:
    "I pour the dressing into the pan, cover totally with foil, lay turkey breast on top of foil and bake 2 hours. Cook the DRESSING for 2 hours, too?"

    So…you lay the turkey breast on top of the foil that is covering the dressing? Picture looks like it's laying on top of the dressing? If it is, do you just arrange some foil around the dressing to keep it from browning too quickly, letting only the breast to be exposed? I want mine to look as wonderful as your does in the photo!! Thanks for the help!!!

  21. bj – yes, put everything in the oven together and let it cook for about 2 hours. Check the turkey and make sure it is done. You might have to loosely cover the dressing with foil if it gets too brown.

  22. This sounds wonderful and will make it for Thanksgiving…
    Now..
    I pour the dressing into the pan, cover totally with foil, lay turkey breast on top of foil and bake 2 hours. Cook the DRESSING for 2 hours, too???

  23. Tom's here for Thanksgiving and we made the dressing, although we didn't cook it with the turkey. It was delicious! John and Tom are now playing Sports Illustrated football. A real old fashioned Thanksgiving. (Although I don't think Julia would have served champagne!)

  24. That looks wonderful! Just wondering if you seasoned the turkey with anything? We usually inject our turkey with Cajun seasoning but if I made it with the dressing in the pan would that ruin the flavor of the dressing you think?

  25. I'm so hungry for it right now I could just spit. Yummm
    My favorite of all is the dressing, gravy and cranberry sauce…If I never had another piece of turkey, I wouldn't care.
    This looks almost just like my recipe..lots of black pepper and plenty of stock…

  26. Hey that's a good idea doing the breast on top! And, of course, it looks and sounds amazing. Happy Thanksgiving!!

  27. We’ve been on the road without wi-fi access since Monday morning, so I’m behind in my blog reading. I'm with you guys and live for the dressing – your mom's recipe sounds and looks sooo good and I really like the idea of cooking it under the breast – especially since it's the part Bev wants. The dish below also looks outstanding and both went onto the try list.

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