81 Soul Food Mother’s Day Dinner Ideas
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Southern soul food Mother’s Day dinner ideas – Are you asking yourself, “What is a good menu for Mother’s Day?”
Or, how can you make your mom or wife feel special on Mother’s Day?
You’re in the right place for soul food Mother’s Day dinner ideas that don’t skimp on seasoning and flavor – because mom never skimps on you!
How can you make Mother’s Day special?
Prepare mom a special Mother’s Day dinner of Southern soul food dishes. You can make the best ever Mother’s Day recipes in minutes with help from these soul food Instant Pot recipes.
What food do you eat on Mother’s Day?
I’ve gotchu! With a soul food Mother’s Day menu list of the best soul food recipes, side dishes, and Southern desserts that are beautiful and delicious. Pleasing to mom’s eyes and her tummy!
And the best part about these recipes?
They’re mostly for the Instant Pot, so you’ll have a magical meal in minutes!
What’s the difference between soul food and Southern food?
Southern food can be described as down South, home-cooked comfort food recipes where you can taste the hospitality.
But soul food goes way beyond Southern cooking.
Soul food is all about seasoning to perfection. The flavor! A legacy of how African Americans prepare food. The Black way.
What is a traditional Southern meal?
A traditional Southern meal, the soul food way, might include a seasoned Southern turkey, baked chicken, or a brown sugar glazed ham with side dishes like soul food collard greens, Southern baked macaroni and cheese, a Black folks’ potato salad recipe, or candied yams.
What recipes do you wish your mom or grandmother had passed down to you?
If there’s a recipe you wish was passed down. You can start a new tradition and impress mom with any of these classic soul food recipes today. Step by step, quick and easy to make.
From Southern banana pudding the Black way to sweet potato pie. These soul food recipes are mom, grandma, and auntie approved!
Authentic soul food recipes so good. Mom will think you brought carry-out from her favorite soul food restaurant!
How can you get started making soul food at home for Mother’s Day?
Start here! With this list of my most popular and easy Mother’s Day recipes – easy enough for anyone to make. And every mother to love!
The best soul food Mother’s Day dinner ideas
Is gumbo considered soul food?
Yes, gumbo is a soul food-inspired New Orleans Cajun dish.
Mother’s Day soul food dinner sides
What are good soul food sides?
Any of these easy soul food Sunday dinner side dish recipes.
What is the most famous Southern dish?
The darling of the South. Collard greens!
What are the most popular soul food dishes?
Start here with this soul food family favorite – baked mac and cheese!
Why is mac and cheese considered soul food?
Enslaved African American chef, James Hemings’ legacy of baked mac and cheese continued long after the Emancipation Proclamation in the 1860s.
Today macaroni and cheese has significant cultural meanings and multiple identities in the Black community.
Soul food Mother’s Day dinner desserts
When you think of traditional soul food desserts, banana pudding is the first dish that comes to mind.
But how did a traditional English country dish become one of the most beloved soul food recipes and Southern dishes?
Pure bliss, and also known as soul food – banana pudding has a Southern identity that stretches back more than half a century.
This dish became quintessentially Southern, probably due to the source of where it was primarily being prepared, providing the South with a more extraordinary claim to the dish!
Black Southern banana pudding is an elevated version of the Americanized English trifle. This layered homemade custard dish was reimagined to perfection by African-American cooks in the South.
Soul food Mother’s Day brunch ideas
So why stop at dinner?
Surprise mom with her favorite Southern dishes from this soul food Mother’s Day brunch menu.
Is Cajun a Black food?
Cajun cuisine is a style of cooking developed by the Cajun–Acadians who were deported from Acadia to Louisiana during the 18th century. They incorporated West African, French, and Spanish cooking techniques into their original cuisine.
Cajuns today are commonly White, and Creoles are Black or mixed race. Creoles tend to come from New Orleans, while Cajuns populate the rural parts of South Louisiana.
So overall, Cajun food has soul food and Black people influences.
Does mom get excited for deviled eggs?
Don’t forget about happy hour on Mother’s Day!
Mother’s Day soul food sangria or a boozy Florida Dole Whip make for the perfect Sunday brunch beverage!
Soul food Mother’s Day dinner FAQs
What foods did African Americans invent?
Black folks didn’t invent chicken. We just perfected seasoning it!
But we are responsible for many favorite American recipes such as:
- soul food Hoppin John
- red velvet cake
- soul food banana pudding
- Southern tea cake
- soul food yock
- baked macaroni and cheese
Just to name a few. All soul food recipes created by Black people!
How did soul food start?
‘Soul’ is the word used to describe the swag and unique style of African-American cuisine. You know. The flavor.
The term “soul food” may have first been used in the 1960s during the civil rights movement.
In 1962, Sylvia Woods opened her iconic soul food restaurant Sylvia’s in Harlem, NY. Sylvia is known by many people today as “the queen of soul food.”
What do you eat for Black history month?
Honor Black culture with African American recipes and cuisine!
What’s a good side dish for fried chicken?
Several soul food recipes are favorites when serving Southern fried chicken:
Are grits considered Southern food?
Yes! Made from ground corn, grits are as Southern as cornbread and collard greens!
What are the top 10 comfort foods?
Looking for Southern comfort food recipes and ideas as part of your soul food Mother’s Day dinner?
Then you’ll love these warm and cozy soul food meal ideas for the week. Instant Pot quick and easy meals anyone can make and everyone will love!– Start here!
What do you think about these soul food Mother’s Day dinner ideas?
Have you had a soul food Mother’s Day dinner?
Would you make it?
Comment below and lemme know. Then subscribe HERE for all the soul food!
What is a typical African American meal?
Want more African American soul food meals? Then you may also like these favorite Black folks’ recipes:
Like this post? Pin the below image to your Pinterest “Soul Food Recipes” board!
Equipment
- Instant Pot electric pressure cooker
Ingredients
Ingredients for the buttermilk chicken brine
- 3 cups buttermilk (Buttermilk = 3 cups of milk & 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar)
- 1 teaspoon salt
Ingredients for Black folks soul food buttermilk fried chicken
- 6-8 pieces chicken or one 3-pound chicken cut into pieces
- 48 oz peanut oil or vegetable oil
- 2 cups all-purpose flour divided
- 1 ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon onion powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon red pepper
- ¾ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 egg
- ½ cup buttermilk (½ cup of buttermilk = ½ cup of milk & ½ tablespoon of apple cider vinegar)
Instructions
Instructions for buttermilk marinade chicken brine
- To make homemade buttermilk, use 3 cups of milk and 3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. In a medium-sized bowl, stir the two ingredients together and let them sit for 5 minutes.
- Open the Instant Pot lid and add the buttermilk and 1 teaspoon of salt to the stainless steel inner pot.
- Add the chicken pieces, skin-side up, to the pot with the buttermilk. (No Instant Pot? No problem! – allow the chicken to marinate in the buttermilk for 4 hours to overnight.)
- Close the Instant Pot lid (make sure the valve is in the sealing position – up) and pressure cook on high for 10 minutes.
- When the cooking time is finished, allow a natural pressure release for at least 10 minutes.
- To open the Instant Pot lid, move the valve to ‘venting’ and manually release any remaining pressure, if applicable.
- Remove the chicken from the Instant Pot (you can discard the buttermilk) and set the chicken pieces aside on a rimmed baking sheet to cool off to the touch.
Instructions for soul food buttermilk Southern fried chicken
- Pour the peanut oil (preferred) or vegetable oil into a deep fryer, 6-quart skillet, or Dutch oven until the oil is 1-inch deep.
- Heat the oil over medium heat or until it reaches 350 degrees F.
- While you’re waiting for the oil to heat up. Place 1 cup of the divided flour, garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and red pepper in a medium-size mixing bowl (or 1-gallon resealable food storage bag).
- Shake (or mix) the sealed bag to combine the ingredients for a homemade poultry seasoning, and set the flour mixture aside.
- Pour the second cup of flour into a second resealable bag (or medium-sized mixing bowl) and set it aside.
- Whisk together ½ a cup of buttermilk and egg in another medium-sized bowl, and set that mixture aside too.
- Sprinkle the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.
- The chicken will go through a 3-step process from here.
- First, place the chicken in the bag (or bowl) of seasoned flour and shake or toss to coat the chicken evenly.
- Second, shake off the excess flour and dip the chicken into the buttermilk mixture.
- Third, transfer the chicken to the last bag (or bowl) of flour and shake or toss until it’s very well coated.
- Place the coated chicken into the pre-heated oil, skin-side down, and be careful not to overcrowd the chicken in the oil. You can fry a second batch if need be to avoid overcrowding by frying all the chicken at once. Just make sure the hot oil remains at 350 degrees F.
- Cook the chicken pieces for 10 to 12 minutes, occasionally turning to prevent excessive browning.
- As the chicken batter turns golden brown, remove it from the hot oil.
- Allow the chicken to drain in a closed container (to keep the fried chicken warm) with a paper towel under the chicken.
- Serve soul food Southern buttermilk fried chicken right away, and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Some Southern cooks like to use a rimmed baking sheet or a large bowl to separate the dark meat and white meat. They dredge the dark meat first, fry, and then dredge the remaining chicken (the white meat) and fry.
- What else can you use to season the flour? Other Southern fried chicken recipes even call for cornstarch to thicken the batter for extra crunch or hot sauce for more heat!
Nutrition