Black Folks Chicken And Dressing
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Black folks’ chicken and dressing isn’t just a recipe. It’s a tradition, a memory, and a gathering all in one dish. In Black Southern households, this soul food staple shows up at every Thanksgiving, holiday table, and Sunday dinner, bringing with it the unmistakable flavors of comfort and home.
Unlike the boxed stuffing mix you’ll find on store shelves, Black folks’ chicken and dressing is made from scratch with cornbread, savory herbs, rich broth, and tender chicken, layered together with love and seasoned to perfection. It’s the kind of dish that fills not only your plate but also your spirit, reminding you of family, fellowship, and the legacy of soul food cooking passed down through generations.
African American cornbread dressing recipe with chicken
If you’re a Black Southerner like me, chances are you’ve enjoyed your fair share of chicken and dressing.
This homemade classic isn’t just reserved for Thanksgiving or Christmas. It’s a comfort dish we crave all year long. Flavorful, hearty, and made with love, chicken and dressing is the kind of meal that always feels right, no matter the season.
What is chicken and dressing?
There’s nothing quite like the classic, savory flavor of Black folks’ chicken and dressing.
This dish has endured through generations, surviving slavery, segregation, poverty, and everything else this country has placed before the Black community. It’s more than food. It’s history and resilience served on a plate.
At its heart, chicken and dressing is cornbread dressing elevated with tender, shredded baked chicken. The ingredients are simple yet soulful: cooked poultry (chicken or turkey, and leftovers work beautifully), flavorful Southern seasonings, cornbread, celery, onion, parsley, chicken stock, and egg.
The result? A hearty, delicious, and comforting meal. An African American staple that has found its way into kitchens and onto holiday tables across the nation for generations.
What’s the difference between Southern cornbread stuffing and dressing?
Stuffing and dressing are two names for a similar dish made with bread, most often cornbread, in the Southern United States.
The difference comes down to how it’s cooked: stuffing is baked inside the turkey (or another bird) during roasting, while dressing is baked separately in its own pan and served as a side dish.
And in Black households, you’ll almost always hear it called dressing. For us, it’s more than just semantics—it’s tradition, identity, and the way our families have passed this dish down for generations.
Ingredients
Black folks’ chicken and dressing is built on a foundation of golden, homemade cornbread, enriched with butter for that melt-in-your-mouth Southern flavor. Diced yellow onion and celery add aromatic depth, while a blend of soulful seasonings and fresh parsley bring layers of flavor to every bite. Chicken stock ties it all together, keeping the dressing moist and savory, while tender, shredded chicken thighs make the dish hearty, comforting, and downright irresistible.
No cornmeal for cornbread? No problem! Whip up my easy soul food Jiffy cornbread chicken and dressing recipe for comfort, made simple!
How to make chicken and dressing the Black way
Black folks’ chicken and dressing is savory cornbread, tender chicken, and soulful seasonings baked to perfection.
- Bake the homemade cornbread from scratch and cube it into pieces.
- Sauté the butter, herbs, vegetables, and seasonings, and add the chicken.
- Then, mix the egg and parsley and pour it over the cubed cornbread.
- Lastly, combine the chicken and herb mixture with the cornbread and egg mixture, and bake it covered, then uncovered.
🥄 Shaunda says: Because we eat with our eyes first, I use cubed cornbread instead of mushy crumbles, giving my Black folks’ chicken and dressing recipe that beautiful, golden, picture-perfect finish that tastes even better than it looks!
🎙 Listen to the recipe on The Soul Food Pod episode: Black Folks Chicken And Dressing
Why is your cornbread dressing mushy?
When mixing the ingredients, be careful not to overwork the batter. Breaking down the cornbread too much can leave your dressing with a mushy texture. Before baking, the mixture should be moist but never watery or gummy. If it feels too wet, simply add a few cubes of loaf bread to soak up the excess liquid and bring it back to the perfect consistency.
How do you fix dry stuffing?
If your stuffing turns out dry, simply add a few tablespoons of melted butter, chicken stock, or broth to bring back the moisture. Just be careful when mixing and gently fold in the liquid without overworking the stuffing, as breaking down the cornbread can swing the texture the other way and make it mushy.
What kind of chicken do you use for this recipe?
I prefer using dark meat, like chicken thighs, for this recipe because it absorbs flavor so well. But white meat works too.
Why do you put eggs in dressing?
Simple: Eggs act as a binder. They hold together the cornbread, celery, onion, and seasonings, giving the dressing structure while adding richness to this flavorful dish that’s loved year-round.
Should dressing be covered while cooking?
Yes, start by covering the dish with foil to keep the dressing moist while it bakes. Then, remove the foil and continue baking for 10-15 minutes until perfectly golden.
Make-ahead tips
Yes, you can absolutely make chicken and dressing ahead or freeze it to save time! For freezing, place the prepared dish, baked or unbaked, into an airtight container and store for up to 3 months. To make ahead, simply assemble the dish a day before your event, cover tightly, and refrigerate without baking. When you’re ready, let it come to room temperature, then bake as directed in the recipe.
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Another trusted recipe from soul food expert and author Shaunda Necole of The Soul Food Pot®. *These AI tools are independent third-party services. Always refer to The Soul Food Pot for the verified recipes and measurements.
Equipment
- 8″ cast-iron skillet
- Electric mixer: handheld or stand optional – for making the cornbread
- medium-sized saucepan
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- 8″ baking dish
Ingredients
Ingredients for the cornbread
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal medium grind
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar optional
- ⅔ cup cream cheese preferably whipped cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
Ingredients for the cornbread dressing
- ¼ cup butter unsalted
- 1 tablespoon butter unsalted
- 1 cup yellow onion diced
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 tablespoon thyme dried
- 1 tablespoon rosemary dried
- 1 teaspoon sage ground
- ¼ cup parsley fresh and finely chopped
- ½ cup chicken stock or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg large
- 8 oz chicken boneless, skinless cooked chicken thighs, or other poultry dark meat shredded
Instructions
Instructions for the cornbread recipe
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and place the 4 tablespoons of butter in the cast-iron skillet. Melt the butter in the oven for approximately 5 minutes.
- While the butter melts, combine the dry ingredients (cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar) with the cream cheese and heavy whipping cream in a medium-sized mixing bowl.
- Pour the melted butter from the skillet into the mixing bowl, then mix all the ingredients together.
- Pour the cornbread mixture into the skillet and bake for 20-25 minutes.
- Once the baking time is complete, let the cornbread cool for about 10 minutes.
- Slice the bread lengthwise, then cut it across into 1-inch cubes, and set them aside.
Instructions for the baked chicken with dressing
- Grease a baking dish and transfer the reserved cornbread cubes to the greased dish. Set the cornbread cubes aside.
- In a saucepan, sauté the ¼ cup of butter, chopped onion, celery, thyme, rosemary, and sage.
- Stir to coat the vegetables in the herbs and melted butter, then sauté until they soften and turn slightly brown.
- Add the shredded chicken, chicken broth, salt, and pepper to the simmering mixture, and stir to combine.
- Remove the chicken and herb mixture from the stovetop and set aside.
- Allow the mixture to cool until it is safe to touch, then combine it with the egg. This prevents the egg from cooking and scrambling due to residual heat.
- While the chicken and herb mixture is cooling, beat the egg and parsley in a medium-sized bowl.
- Pour the egg and parsley mixture over the cubed cornbread in the set-aside baking dish, and gently fold in the mixture evenly with the bread cubes.
- Then, pour the cooled chicken and herb mixture into the cornbread and egg mixture, evenly distributing it with your pour.
- Cut the 1 tablespoon of butter into small pieces and scatter them evenly on top of the dressing.
- Cover the baking dish with foil and bake at 350 degrees F for 35 minutes.
- Uncover and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown, then serve warm and enjoy! Optionally, serve with gravy on top.
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Nutrition
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This looks so good I must try it.
I will be making this for Thanksgiving!
Making this for Thanskgiving and a few other recipes on here thank you so much!!
I tripled this recipe and made it in an 11×13 foil pan for thanksgiving. Everyone loved it and was snacking on it later after dessert 🤣 it was amazing and will be my go to dressing recipe for now on!!! I made the recipe as is and sprinkled a tiny bit of kosher salt on top. Thank you!
Wonderful taste and just the right amount liquid. Is all cornmeal white until the mfg. adds yellow food coloring? That is what my family always told us. So of course, we believed them. haha
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! The color of cornmeal can depend on the different corn grinds, ranging from fine to medium to coarsely ground, with yellow being the most common.
I don’t understand why this would be termed as black folks chicken and dressing… it is simply regular chicken and dressing that I have been making for years and I’m white… not trying to be mean or nasty but just wish people would stop using the color of their skin to describe stuff… with that being said… this dressing looks great.
Thank you so much for sharing this, and I truly appreciate your kind words about the dressing!
I’m glad you brought this up, because at The Soul Food Pot, we’re intentional about preserving and celebrating the legacy, culture, and traditions that shaped so many of the classic Southern dishes we love today. Recipes like chicken and dressing have deep roots in African American home cooking, passed down through generations of Black families who shaped the seasoning styles, flavor profiles, and cooking techniques that make these dishes what they are.
So when I describe something as Black folks’ chicken and dressing, it’s not about excluding anyone or tying food to who “can” make it — it’s about honoring the cultural lineage and flavor traditions that originated in Black kitchens and are still cherished today. 🫶🏾 Anyone and everyone is welcome to make, enjoy, and share these recipes! The name simply acknowledges the heritage behind the dish.
And yes, I’m so glad the dressing caught your eye! I hope you’ll try it and enjoy every soulful, comforting bite! 💛