World’s Best Thanksgiving Cornbread Dressing (my world anyway)
Start weeks or days before with home-made Chicken Broth
Make the Chicken Broth ahead for use at the end. Boil a whole chicken (cheapo leg quarters work too). Bones add the flavor. Add celery leaves and tips. Start with a teaspoon of Lowry’s salt, then add salt and pepper to taste. When done – strain the broth and store. You can freeze in glass mayonnaise jars and do ahead of time. If you do, scrape off any congealed fat when it is time to use.
Make the Corn Bread
Start with:
- 1/4-1/2 cup finely chopped onion
- 4 Cups of White Lily White Cornmeal Mix
- 1/2 Cup Flour
- 1 Tbsp Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 2-3/4 cup of buttermilk
- 2 Tbsp Vegetable Oil
Heat pan or muffin tins (about 16 muffins) with bottoms filled with vegetable oil at 425 degrees until smoking. Mom adds oil to all. Then, add batter on top of hot oil and bake for 25 minutes or until done. (Probably less)
Assemble the Ingredients
Heat pan or muffin tins (about 16 muffins) with bottoms filled with vegetable oil at 425 degrees until smoking. Mom adds oil to all. Then, add batter on top of hot oil.
Finely chop a cup and a half each of:
- bell pepper (takes 2)
- white onion(2-3 small onions)
- Celery (4-5 stalks)
Use 1/2 stick of butter to Sauté 3/4 cup of each (or half). Sauté fully with the butter first – then add 1 can of Campbell’s Cream of Chicken Soup and stir together.
Crumble cornbread into large plastic bowl. Add one hot dog bun or biscuit (crumbled). You can question it… just don’t blame me for the consequences. I don’t know what is crucial and what is not. All I know is that this turns out amazingly when I follow the directions.
Add 1 teaspoon of Poultry Seasoning and fold crumbled cornbread (along with optional 1/4 cup of Evaporated Milk ) together with the sautéed ingredients. Add the first quart of broth – remove congealed fat, if any, on top if you prepared this in advance. Begin with the second quart – checking for consistency as you go. At the end, fold in 2 raw eggs.
Should be almost “soupy” but not. Still sticky and clumpy. When all is blended together, pour into a large rectangular metal pan. Spray pan with Pam first. Mom uses an old roast pan. Cook at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (if cold); 30 minutes if room temp.
Gravy
Sauté the remaining 3/4 cup of each – onion, bell pepper and celery in butter in black skillet. Hold a 1/4 cup of the sautéed veggies back as extra – may not need. Don’t want too much. Then, add a spoonful or two of non-cooked dressing plus 2 Cups of chicken broth and check texture. Fold in 2 finely grated hard boiled eggs. Add broth until very soupy – not thick.
Credit
Credit goes to my Mom who refined this over the years to perfection! Thanks, Nell Bunch 🙂
