southern dressing and giblet gravy

🍞 Southern Cornbread Dressing

Ingredients

• 1 pan cornbread, crumbled (day-old is best)

• 4–6 slices white bread, torn & dried

• 1 stick (½ cup) butter

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped

• 2–3 celery stalks, finely chopped

• 2 tsp poultry seasoning

• 1 tsp sage (or to taste)

• ½ tsp black pepper

• Salt to taste

• 2–3 cups chicken broth

• 2 large eggs, beaten

Instructions

1. Prep

   • Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

   • Grease a 9×13 baking dish.

2. Sauté the veggies

   • Melt butter in a skillet.

   • Add onion & celery. Cook until soft and fragrant.

3. Mix

   • In a large bowl, combine cornbread and white bread.

   • Add sautéed veggies, poultry seasoning, sage, pepper, and salt.

   • Stir in beaten eggs.

   • Gradually add broth until mixture is very moist but not soupy.

4. Bake

   • Spread into baking dish.

   • Bake 40–45 minutes, until golden on top and set in the middle.

🥄 Southern Giblet Gravy

Ingredients

• Giblets (neck, liver, heart, gizzard)

• 4 cups water or chicken broth

• Salt & black pepper

• 3–4 tbsp butter

• 3–4 tbsp flour

Instructions

1. Cook the giblets

   • Place giblets in a saucepan with water or broth.

   • Simmer 45–60 minutes until tender.

   • Remove giblets, reserve broth.

   • Finely chop giblets (discard liver if you don’t like strong flavor).

2. Make the roux

   • Melt butter in skillet.

   • Whisk in flour and cook 2–3 minutes until lightly golden.

3. Build the gravy

   • Slowly whisk in reserved giblet broth.

   • Simmer until thickened.

4. Finish

   • Stir in chopped giblets.

   • Season generously with salt and black pepper.

Old-School Tips

• Dressing should be very moist before baking—it dries as it cooks.

• Giblet gravy should be pepper-forward, not bland.

• Some folks add a boiled egg to the gravy (very Southern, very optional).

If you want, I can:

• Make it extra-sagey church-potluck style

• Add chicken or turkey drippings

• Or give you a make-ahead plan for holidays