Stuffing! Thanksgiving’s Favorite Side Dish

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Stuffing! Thanksgiving’s Favorite Side Dish

By The Paula Deen Test Kitchen

What’s your favorite part of Thanksgiving? While some say family and friends, here at Paula’s Test Kitchen, we say our favorite part is the dressing! Forget the pies and turkey for now, and take a moment to find out how to make your best stuffing ever!

To stuff or not to stuff? That is the question.
Some families prefer to stuff their birds with the delicious bready filling, while other bake it off in a casserole dish. This is one of the biggest debates of the season (well, not really, I guess only if you’re a food nerd like us) and this debate even has a good ol’ North versus South argument. Traditionally, Southerners make dressing, which is cooked outside of the bird in a baking dish, while Northerners make stuffing, which is cooked inside of the bird. There are pros and cons of both. Some say that dressing isn’t as moist or doesn’t have as rich as a flavor as stuffing, which gets additional flavor from being cooked inside the bird. To that we say: you’re just not making it right!

In fact, the safest place to bake dressing (or stuffing) is outside of the bird in a baking dish. Juices that may carry bacteria such as salmonella can bake into the stuffing and it’s very hard to “cook out” the bacteria without completely overcooking and drying out your bird. (For those of you that cook the stuffing inside the bird, make sure you cook it until a thermometer reaches 165 degrees once stuck in the center of the stuffing).

Also, another point in the stuffing versus dressing debate, that you’ve probably even noticed yourself just from reading the last few paragraphs, is that these two terms are often used interchangeably. We read in our research that at some point in the 19th century, when the world was a pure and pious place, people started using the word dressing because the term stuffing was considered too vulgar. If they could only hear some of the words we use today!

Follow Paula’s Brilliant Tips for Success
One important lesson Paula has taught all of us here in the test kitchen is that Thanksgiving is not the day for kitchen shortcuts, especially when it comes to preparing Paula’s famous Southern Cornbread Stuffing. But not to worry, advanced planning and preparation will make the big day seem like a breeze and we promise, not one bead of sweat will form on your brow! Make the cornbread and stock the weekend before Thanksgiving, then you can prepare the dressing the night before the feast, and all that’s left is baking it off on Thanksgiving day.

Another essential “Paula-ism” is to always make your own cornbread. Sure, you can buy cornbread crumbles nowadays at almost every grocery store in town, but if you really want to wow your guests, start with this simple recipe.

Stock
The next most important step in making a fantastic dressing is making your own stock. Stock is considered the building block of great cooking. It imparts a beautiful and rich flavor that’s all natural. The water takes on the essence, flavor, and body of its ingredients. We promise that by making your own, it will take your dressing to a whole other level. The recipe below should make a big enough batch that you can use it to make your gravy as well.
And our final tip for the big day: good ingredients make for good food. Things are tight everywhere in our country right now but buy the best you can afford on Thanksgiving because your family and friends are worth it.

Here’s our Basic Chicken Stock Recipe:
Yields 2 quarts

4 1/2 pounds wings, backs, and necks from uncooked chickens
2 medium onions, peeled and chopped into quarters
2 medium carrots, peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
2 medium stalks of celery, chopped into 1 inch pieces
8 sprigs parsley
½ teaspoon whole black peppercorns
2 dried bay leaves
4 1/2 quarts cold water

Rinse chicken under cold water and add the chicken parts to a large heavy bottomed stockpot. Add cold water to cover chicken. Bring the water slowly to a boil then reduce to a bare simmer. There should be very few gentle bubbles bursting on the surface of the water. Skim the surface of the stock to get rid of the impurities.

Add the onions, carrots, celery, parsley, peppercorns, and bay leaves to the pot. Continue to simmer the stock for 3 hours, skimming occasionally.

Strain the stock through a paper towel lined colander into a large bowl. Carefully discard the hot solids. Let cool. Place in refrigerator for 12 hours to allow fat to rise to the top. Skim fat off and discard. Divide between freezer safe containers. Freeze for up to 3 months.

So, what do you call it, dressing or stuffing? Which will you make for your friends and family this year? Let us know below in the comments!

Get 6 Super Stuffing Recipes Here!

Read More From Holidays and Entertaining.

Read More From Thanksgiving.

Reader Comments:

Born a Northerner, I can only say I am completely converted! I much prefer to cook the stuffing outside now. I was also told that the bird doesn't get hot enough to cook the stuffing anyway so you are better off making it outside the bird, and you absolutely control the moisture. I'm not the groupie type, but I love you Paula - you are a true gift to us!

By Linda on November 22, 2011

Living in the Northeast, our traditional stuffing recipe comes from my grandmother, and maybe farther back. It's a simple bread stuffing with onions, celery, seasonings, etc. Dry bread cubes, not croutons, are used for the bread and we take the turkey neck and giblets and a bit of onion, celery etc., put in a saucepan and make a small batch of turkey stock. This turkey stock is then used to make the stuffing, and the meaty portions with remaining stock used for giblet gravy OR the neck meat is just added to the stuffing. And we do stuff our turkey. In the past then leftover stuffing would be baked off in a casserole dish. However, I NEVER LIKED that very much, I liked what came out of the turkey. It was so much moister! SO...if there are others like me out there I found a great little trick... Take a large sheet of foil, give it a spray with some non-stick, then pile and pack your leftover stuffing mixture onto it. Pack it as tightly there as you would in the turkey. Fold and seal up all the edges and put into oven about a half hour or so before the turkey is done. (Baking times would very depending on how much and how you pack it. A large thick mound would take longer than the same amount packed and spread out a bit) Just check the temperature of it before taking it out to serve. If it needs a bit longer, it can cook at a higher temp while the turkey is resting... You will find that this looks and tastes just like the stuffing that was removed from the bird.

By Sue on November 20, 2011

Dear Paula, Recently I saw a recipe for home made bread on your site....I didn't copy it at the time.....Now, I can't find it and I 'want' it!!! It was a very wholesome sounding bread. All of the ingredients were 'on hand'. It had cornmeal in the ingredients...This sounded interesting....Does anyone know the recipe I am trying to find? Help would be appreciated.... Sincerely, Phyllis on Nov. 16,2011

By Phyllis Hamilton on November 16, 2011

Important note to include for quickbreads: I like the Southern Dressing recipe. It's very similar to mine that I make for my very large family. Here's something important that I have noticed after having shared my recipe with many of them: I think they 'do' the cornbread incorrectly. Most modern cooks have no idea what a quickbread is, and when the recipe says to 'mix well', they beat and beat thinking that more is better. I have learned to add a simple insert into my recipe sharing: "Mix completely but do not over-mix as this is a quickbread and should make it's way into that hot oven very soon." Many of my friends and family say they had no idea. They share that they are now making good cornbread for their families. Thanks for the recipes and tips. Lynn

By Lynn Hinton on November 16, 2011

When are you going to have your cornbread dressing on sale at QVC again. Or can we order it from your store?

By Barbara Arant on November 15, 2011

I just have a question, If a recipe calls for "butter"and doesn't specify salted or unsalted and I use salted, do I need to omit the salt called for in the recipe?

By Karen Hamby on November 15, 2011

just a quick note to thank you....I lost my husband (ole fart) of stage 4 lung cancer last October...well im just lost during the holidays cause we ALWAYS cooked together...your receipe of course....so while I was feeling sorry for myself I just started to laugh thinking of the salty comments he use to make while in the kitchen...about how pretty you always look in the kitchen and I always have my pj'S on while cooking to be comfortable....then I spit out besides their easier to slide out of then all that stuff you wear and from that point on not even Chemo would hold him back....Thanks for the memories Paula....I just LOVE YA DARLIN... p.s. everything in my kitchen is Paulas...love it

By kathie mcdonald on November 15, 2011

We've been using the same recipe since I can remember. In the old days, I would have to call Mother to tell me what the ingredients were! Finally, I was the one being called for reminders...It has been passed down from Grandmother-Mother-Daughter for generations and you could put mine against any of my cousins and it would taste the same. In a rut or tradition? I prefer tradition!

By Debby on November 15, 2011

I just wanted to say that i admire you and what you do and you are part of my inspirations to want to be a chef. i will be 20 years old in december of this year and it has been my dream since i was 11 to meet you. i will get to one day, im currently enrolled in the Arkansas Culinary School at Pulaski Technical College-South Campus! i enjoy watching you on television cooking out of your cookbook. i only have one of your cookbooks right now but it happens to be my favorite one. im sorry to be bugging you and taking up your time i just thought you would like to know a little bit about this fan of yours. Love Always, -Labon-

By Labon Gilbert on November 10, 2011

I actually have a recipe for you to try! Its a cheese dip that i think you will like. Cream Cheese Dip: 1 lb. Sausage, cooked and crumbled 1 can rotel 1 pkg. cream cheese, softened Cook Sausage and drain.In a crockpot place the rotel and the cheese, cook til melted together. Add sausage. Once its hot serve with chips! i know its not a holiday recipe but i thought you might like it anyways! -Labon- p.s. im currently going to culinary school at pulaski technical college south campus in Little Rock Arkansas, i would love to meet you one day. Thanks for being such a joy to my life and being a great chef with excellent recipes.

By Labon Gilbert on November 10, 2011

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Stuffing! Thanksgiving’s Favorite Side Dish