Southern Cornbread Dressing With Giblets (Gizzards)
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Cornbread dressing is the crown jewel of a Southern holiday table, and when it’s made with giblets, it’s as authentic and soulful as it gets. My Black folks’ cornbread dressing with gizzards recipe is rich, savory, and deeply seasoned, carrying on a soul food tradition where no part of the bird goes to waste.
This dish blends golden, buttery cornbread with tender chicken gizzards, onions, celery, and a medley of classic herbs like sage and thyme. The result? A hearty, flavorful side that speaks to generations of Black Southern cooking, where every bite tells a story of love, resourcefulness, and family gatherings… In essence, soul food!
Giblet cornbread
Gizzards are a soulful staple in Black Southern kitchens, prized for their rich flavor and chewy bite once simmered to perfection. Using chicken gizzards in cornbread dressing isn’t just resourceful. It’s a soul food founding tradition that honors the whole bird, making sure nothing goes to waste. Generations before us knew how to transform these humble cuts into something deeply satisfying, and that legacy lives on in every bite of this dish.
What makes this dressing amazing is the way the gizzards elevate it from a simple side to a star of the holiday table. Combined with golden, buttery cornbread, onions, celery, and soulful herbs like sage and thyme, the gizzards add a hearty depth of flavor you just can’t get any other way!
Ingredients
This soulful cornbread dressing comes together with homemade cornbread as the base, tender chicken gizzards for hearty flavor, and a rich blend of butter, onion, and celery for classic Southern depth. Seasonings and herbs like sage and thyme add warmth, while chicken stock keeps the mixture moist and savory. An egg binds it all together, creating a holiday-ready dish that’s comforting, flavorful, and, in essence, soul food.
How to make cornbread dressing with giblets
- Prepare homemade cornbread to serve as the bread cubes for the dressing.
- Sauté the gizzards with the butter, herbs, and seasonings.
- Combine the sautéd mixture with the egg, parsley, and cornbread.
- Bake the dressing covered initially, and then uncover it to finish baking.
Can you stuff a turkey with giblet dressing?
Yes! You can stuff a turkey with giblet dressing. Stuff the bird before roasting it, and cook until the dressing reaches 165 degrees F for safe, soulful flavor.
How moist should dressing be before baking?
The dressing should be moist enough to hold together, but never so wet that it turns mushy. A proper Southern cornbread dressing with giblets should hold its shape when served from the pan, with a tender, hearty bite in every forkful. To achieve that perfect consistency, my recipe uses cubed cornbread instead of crumbled, giving the dish an elevated taste and texture that feels both classic and comforting.
How to prep ahead
You can easily prep this Southern cornbread dressing with gizzards ahead of time. Bake the cornbread a day or two in advance, and cook the gizzards until tender. Then, chop your veggies and store everything separately in the fridge. On the day you’re ready to serve, simply mix the ingredients together, add the parsley and egg, and bake for fresh, soulful flavor without the last-minute stress!
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Equipment
- 8″ cast-iron skillet
- Electric mixer: handheld or stand optional – for making the cornbread
- Medium-sized mixing bowl
- 8″ baking dish
Ingredients
Ingredients for the homemade cornbread
- 1 cup yellow cornmeal medium grind
- ⅔ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 4 tablespoons butter unsalted
- ⅔ cup cream cheese preferably whipped cream cheese
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar optional
Ingredients for the gizzard dressing
- 1 pound gizzards chicken gizzards chopped into small pieces
- 1 tablespoon poultry seasoning or all-purpose seasoning – I use Famous Dave's Country Roast Chicken Seasoning
- ¼ cup 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 large egg
Instructions
Instructions for the homemade cornbread
- 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 gizzard 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 chopped gizzards to the simmering mixture along with the chicken stock, salt, and pepper, stirring to combine.
- Remove the gizzards 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 gizzards 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 gizzards 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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Happy Thanksgiving! This recipe was a hit! My favorite dressing and for years the only dressing I would eat was my mother’s and she was heavy on the sage! She did not have a written recipe so say…she verbally told me and I was her sous chef but I can never get it quite right! So I am always trying different dressing recipes…this one caught my attention although nothing like my mother’s or any dressing I have ever seen! It has all the parts and ingredients just assembled different for a whole other workd taste experience! Just follow the recipe and trust the process! You will wonder if you are doing ot right but KEEP GOING! And make sure you tenderize your gizzards! The cubes of sweet cornbread and the savory gizzards in every bite is so unique and delicious! Will be using this recipe over and over!