Cracker Barrel Country Store Style Cornbread Dressing

By
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone
Peggy Trowbridge Filippone is a writer who develops approachable recipes for home cooks. Her recipes range from Grandma’s favorites to the latest food trends.
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Updated on 07/12/21
Plate of cornbread squares
Glasshouse Images / Getty Images
Prep: 10 mins
Cook: 60 mins
Total: 70 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 1 pan

Now you can make your own Southern-style cornbread dressing at home with this recipe from the popular down-home Cracker Barrel restaurant chain. Made with leftover cornbread and biscuits, it's a great way to use up the odds and ends from previous dinners. Veggies, herbs, and chicken broth add tons of flavor.

Serve this Southern cornbread dressing with all of the classic fixings, including turkey, mashed potatoes, and gravy. Enjoy it at a Thanksgiving feast or at a winter family dinner.

Ingredients

  • 2 quarts cornbread, day-old, grated

  • 1 quart biscuits, day-old, grated

  • 2 cups chopped celery

  • 2/3 cup chopped onion

  • 1/4 cup dried parsley flakes

  • 2 teaspoons poultry seasoning

  • 2 teaspoons crumbled sage

  • 1 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

  • 4 ounces margarine, melted

  • 1 quart plus 1 (14-ounce) can chicken broth

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

  2. Preheat the oven to 400 F.

  3. Mix the grated cornbread, biscuits, celery, onion, parsley, poultry seasoning, sage, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add melted margarine to the mixture. Stir until well blended.

  4. Add chicken broth to dry ingredients and mix well. The dressing should have a wet but not soupy consistency like a cornbread batter.

  5. Divide mixture evenly into 2 (8 x 8-inch) pans sprayed with nonstick spray.

  6. Bake uncovered for 1 hour until lightly brown and crisped on the top. Serve.

Tips

  • The recipe may be doubled and baked in 2 (9 x 13-inch) pans.
  • Any dressing is best when it's made with stale bread products. Biscuits and cornbread that are a day or two old should work well. If your bread isn't stale enough, cut the cornbread into chunks, split the biscuits, and toast them in a low-temperature oven, just until dried out.
  • Grate the biscuits and cornbread in a food processor until coarsely ground or use the largest holes on your hand grater.
  • Corn muffins also work in place of the cornbread for this recipe.
  • Substitute your own homemade chicken broth or stock for canned for even better flavor.
  • If your cornbread dressing browns too quickly, cover with aluminum foil for part of the baking time.

What Is the Difference Between Stuffing and Dressing?

While stuffing and dressing are made with the same ingredients and using the same methods, stuffing is stuffed inside of the bird (either a turkey, chicken, or other poultry) and cooked, while dressing is baked in a pan outside of the bird. Stuffing has a couple of advantages in that it can be prepared without needing to roast a bird, can be made vegetarian, and isn't impacted by the minimum safe temperature of the poultry. However, stuffing does get extra flavor from the roasting turkey or chicken.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
568 Calories
23g Fat
77g Carbs
13g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 16
Amount per serving
Calories 568
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 23g 30%
Saturated Fat 5g 27%
Cholesterol 49mg 16%
Sodium 1426mg 62%
Total Carbohydrate 77g 28%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 13g
Vitamin C 3mg 13%
Calcium 438mg 34%
Iron 5mg 27%
Potassium 336mg 7%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)