This old fashioned Cajun Cornbread Dressing recipe has been handed down generations. It's perfectly moist, full of meaty flavor and ideal cornbread dressing for next to a Thanksgiving turkey.
The ingredients are pretty basic, however, due to the cooking technique (which is a very Cajun inspired method) there is so much flavor.
The combination of chicken, pork and smoked sausage being cooked together then using that stock for the dressing is genius.
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❤️ Why you'll love it
- It might be time consuming, but a good Cajun cornbread dressing is a labor of love. Most Louisiana folk will tell you that the dressing is the most important part of a Thanksgiving feast. You can't skimp on that.
- This recipe actually gives you enough for two casserole dishes full. Perfect for a large gathering, or to freeze the other for Christmas dinner.
- Of all the Cajun dressing recipes (and there's a few) - this is my favorite.
- Having this on your Thanksgiving Tables really makes for a wonderful Thanksgiving dinner.
🧅 Ingredients
- Whole Chicken
- Pork Chops
- Smoked Sausage
- Onions
- Green Onions
- Garlic
- Green Bell Pepper
- Unsalted Butter
- Poultry Seasoning
- Thyme
- Bay Leaves
- Salt and Black Pepper
- Cooked Cornbread
See recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities.
🥣 Instructions
- Step 1: Add the chicken, pork chops and smoked sausage to a large pot. Pour enough water to cover all the meat then cook on a slow boil for about 90 minutes (until the meat is tender).
- Step 2: Debone the meat and set aside in a large mixing bowl. Strain the broth and keep for later. Quickly clean that pot because we'll use it again.
- Step 3: Add the onion, bell pepper and green onions to a food processor and chop until finely diced. (Don't overdo it though, you don't want it too mushy).
- Step 4: Melt butter in the cleaned pot and add the chopped onions, garlic and bell pepper. Add the poultry seasoning and thyme and give a good stir. Cook on low-medium heat for about 15 minutes until soft.
- Step 5: While the onions are cooking add half of the meat to the food processor and grind up. Add to the pot with the onions and repeat with the remaining meat.
- Step 6: Add the reserved broth, bay leaves and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook, covered on medium heat for about 30 minutes.
- Step 7: Add the crumbled cornbread to the pot and stir to combine.
- Step 8: Pour into two greased 8x11" casserole dish and bake in a preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- Step 9: Remove and allow to sit for about 15-20 minutes before serving.
Hint: Take one of the dishes and once cooled completely freeze it and serve for Christmas dinner too.
🔄 Substitutions and Variations
- Andouille Sausage - instead of regular smoked sausage.
- Chicken Broth - if you need to add any more fluids and you're out of the homemade broth feel free to use Chicken broth.
- White Bread - if you need to bulk up the cornbread.
- Cajun Seasoning - add some Cajun seasoning mix to your dish.
- Cayenne Pepper - for a little heat.
- Red Bell Pepper - instead of green bell pepper, for sweetness.
- White Pepper - just a pinch, for a little something different.
- Ground Beef - instead of ground pork chops.
- Homemade cornbread - I used two box mixes of Southern cornbread and cooked them combined in a 12" large skillet.
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🔌 Equipment
The following are affiliate links. We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
I like to use a food processor to get the onions and bell peppers nice and finely diced so that they melt into the dressing. It's also needed to grind up the meat.
I use a Dutch oven for all the cooking, it maintains a wonderful even heat.
There are some affiliate links in the recipe card below if you want more information on this equipment.
📘 Related Recipes
- Emeril's Baked Oyster Dressing Recipe
- Cajun Rice Dressing
- Dried Cranberry Sauce
- Cajun Turkey Breast
- Jiffy Corn Casserole in the Crock Pot
- Air Fryer Green Bean Casserole
- Apple Cranberry Salad
- Cracker Barrel Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Cranberry Apple Rice Pilaf
- Cracker Barrel Sweet Potato Casserole
- Leftover Turkey Roll Ups
🧊 Storage
Once cooled completely cover the dish with aluminum foil and store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
This recipe does freeze well. Store in a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months.
💡 Tips
Expert Tip: If you can age your cornbread so that it is nice and dry/stale it will be better for this recipe.
👩🍳 FAQs
There's not much difference. Stuffing tends to be a mixture (just like this recipe) that is stuffed inside the cavity of poultry. Dressing is usually cooked on its own in a dish.
Yes! A southern cornbread dressing is savory, not sweet. It is full of earthy spices and a Cajun cornbread dressing is full of meat too.
If you’ve tried this Cajun Cornbread Dressing Recipe or any other great recipe on my site, let me know in the comment section below, how it turned out, we love hearing from our readers!
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Cajun Cornbread Dressing Recipe
An old fashioned recipe for Cajun Cornbread Dressing that has been used for generations as a Thanksgiving dressing.
Ingredients
- 1 Whole Chicken, skin removed, cut into pieces
- 4 Pork Chops
- 1 Link (16oz) Smoked Sausage, cut into sections
- Water
- 2 Large Onions, finely diced
- 6 Green Bell Peppers, finely diced
- 1 Green Bell Pepper, finely diced
- 6 Cloves Garlic, chopped
- 4 Tablespoons Butter, unsalted
- ½ Teaspoon Ground Thyme
- ½ Teaspoon Poultry Seasoning
- 4 Large Bay Leaves
- Salt and Pepper to taste
- 10 Cups Cornbread, cooked and crumbled
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the whole chicken and cut into quarters, or pieces (it's not important, it just needs to fit into the pot).
- Add to a large pot with the pork chops and smoked sausage and pour enough water to cover all the meat. Cook on a slow boil, covered, for about 90 minutes.
- Remove the meat and set aside in a bowl, allow to cool. Strain and keep the broth for later. Wash the pot to use again.
- Chop the onions, garlic and bell pepper in a food processor until very finely chopped (but not mush).
- Add to the large pot you just washed along with the butter and cook over medium-high heat. Add the thyme and poultry seasoning and stir well then cook for 15 minutes.
- While that's cooking add half the meat to the food processor and grind it up. Do the same with the remaining meat so it's all ground up.
- Add the ground meat, the reserved broth, bay leaves and salt and pepper to taste.
- Cover and cook on medium heat for 30-45 minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- Remove the bay leaves from the pot then add the crumbled cornbread to the pot. Stir to combine.
- Pour into 2 greased 8x11" casserole dishes. Bake uncovered for 30 minues.
- Allow to sit for 15 mintues before serving.
Notes
Write additional notesI usually make two dishes of this recipe because I have some family members who don't like sage. I use poultry seasoning which does contain sage but it's not strong. After I have poured half the cornbread dressing into the first dish I add some extra sage to the other batch, give a good stir then pour into the other dish.
You can easily half this recipe if you don't want to make two dishes of dressing, or save one dish to freeze for a later date. E.g. if you eat cornbread dressing for Thanksgiving AND Christmas - you already have the other made. Just freeze it.
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Nutrition Information
Yield 24 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 407Total Fat 16gSaturated Fat 5gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 9gCholesterol 89mgSodium 694mgCarbohydrates 45gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 21g
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