Homemade Chicken and Dressing Casserole is a Southern tradition to serve at Thanksgiving and Christmas. This old fashioned recipe is baked in a casserole dish with cornbread, green onions, and homemade chicken broth to make the most tenderly moist and deliciously savory holiday comfort food!

Cooked Chicken and Dressing Casserole laying on a white marble table with a celery stalk behind it.

Homemade Chicken and Dressing is the holiday dish I look forward to all year long! There's something about this traditional, savory goodness that warms your soul!

This is an old family recipe that is made in true Southern fashion with cornbread and baked in a casserole dish. This dressing is so moist and savory with a hint of sweetness!

I can remember visiting my grandmother the week before the holidays while she was cooking her famous dressing. The whole house would be full of delicious, mouth-watering aromas! She would always let me help no matter how big of a mess I made.

For more delicious holiday recipes, be sure to also try my Juicy Baked Turkey, Pumpkin Spice Cupcakes, Homemade Pumpkin Pie, and Red Chili Pork Tamales!

Also, my soft and fluffy Homemade Cinnamon Rolls are the perfect treat for both Thanksgiving and Christmas day morning!

Cooked Chicken and Dressing in a casserole dish.

Dressing vs Stuffing

It's very interesting how this classic holiday dish takes on different forms depending on where you live.

In the South, we call it dressing. It's traditionally made with crumbled-up day-old cornbread and baked in a casserole dish that's served beside the turkey.

Northerners, on the other hand, call it stuffing. Typically, it is made with bread (mostly white or sourdough) and stuffed inside the turkey's cavity...hence the word "stuffing".

No matter what you call it, I think we can all agree that the holidays just wouldn't be as yummy without it!

What You'll Need

Cornbread - The star of the show! For my dressing, I make cornbread muffins from Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix. I have made my cornbread from scratch in the past but I have to tell you, Jiffy is hard to beat! Plus, the brown crust of the muffin tops holds up better and adds more flavor to the dressing than cornbread that's been baked in a dish.
Chicken and Broth - In this recipe, I boil a whole chicken in order to have fresh meat and a rich, flavorful broth for my dressing. If you're running short on time, simply use a cooked rotisserie chicken and a box of chicken broth instead (I have had to do this a time or two).
Vegetables - Chopped celery and green onions are cooked in chicken broth and butter for a savory deliciousness like no other. The aromas that will fill your kitchen are mouth-watering! White onions just won't do. Green onions add a distinct flavor that will not be overpowered.
Seasonings - The secret ingredient to this recipe is poultry seasoning! It adds the perfect savory flavor without tasting "herby". No other seasonings are needed except for salt and pepper...simple enough!
Eggs - I'm fortunate enough to have fresh eggs from my chickens. However, if you buy your eggs from the store, I highly recommend brown eggs. The darker yolks add richer flavor!
Butter - Everything is better with butter! In this recipe, it's added to the chicken broth, vegetables, and drizzled on top of the dressing before baking. Yum!

How to Make Southern Chicken and Dressing

Start by cooking a whole chicken in a large stockpot full of boiling water. Then, remove and debone. Save the broth for later!

Boiling a whole chicken in a large stock pot of boiling water.

Shred the chicken in a bowl using two forks.

Now it's time to cook your cornbread muffins!

Allow to cool.

Baked cornbread muffins cooling on a towel.

Using your fingers, break cornbread muffins up into large chunks.

Breaking cornbread muffins up into large chucks in a large blue bowl.

Finely chop up celery and green onions. Then, place in a skillet with melted butter and fresh chicken broth. I can smell it now! Yum!

Chopped celery and onions cooking in a skillet.

Toss seasonings and vegetables into the cornbread chunks. Then, gently stir in eggs and broth until just incorporated. Don't over mix!

All ingredients of Chicken and Dressing mixed together in a large blue bowl.

Now pour the mixture into a 9 x 13-inch casserole dish.

All ingredients of Chicken and Dressing mixed together in a large casserole dish.

Drizzle melted butter on top and bake at 350°F for 45-60 minutes. The dressing is done when only the center jiggles when the casserole dish is lightly shaken.

Serve and enjoy!

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