Finally - authentic recipe (no eggs or milk)! Use roasted chicken or turkey pan drippings for deep down flavor instead of the chopped giblets, also can toast and crumb 6 slices white bread and add to cornbread crumble. Can add finely chopped carrot and/or parsley for more flavor. Can use chicken/turkey broth if you don't have giblets to make your own.

Depends on where you were raised. East Texas cooks add 3 or 4 eggs to this mix. Before health fears, 8 eggs were common, makes a rich delicious dressing too. But, No carrots. And, you MUST cook the cranberry relish. No canned on Thanksgiving. I never liked the giblets so that only went into the gravy which I never ate anyway. And, nobody stuffs a bird anymore. Too much bacteria danger. But, close recipe to Southern Style.

I add one or two eggs to help it hold together and I add bell peppers as well.

I am with the entire lot of you who insist that eggs be added to this dressing to make it "truly authentic". I was raised on cornbread stuffing for every holiday. Brings back awesome memories of my mom, grandma, and grannie!! They knew how to cook!!

Having spent over 40 years in the deep south I can tell you, it needs 4 eggs and a med size onion finely chopped (a can of cream of chicken soup keeps it from getting too dry).

I think this is the closest to my mom's recipe. No eggs! Believe she uses chicken or turkey stock instead of giblet juice.

Sounds good. I am going to add a few eggs just because mom and Grandma does. I think this is close to ours.

This is real close to the "Real Thing". We use an 8" cast iron skillet of corn bread, about a half loaf of stale bread and just the meat from the turkey neck. Puppies make out like a bandit on the cooked liver, heart and gizzard. (When cooking giblets, just cover with water, throw in the turkey tail and any excess skin you don't want to roast, salt and simmer an hour or two.) Longer the better. Saute your celery and onions in butter, dump into bread mixture, season with sage, S&P to taste, and moisten with the broth from the cooked giblets. Bake away and enjoy!

This is the real thing! I do add two eggs and I also use left over biscuits from the day before breakfast (this keeps the dressing from being dry). I also use canned broth when I mix the dressing but I use the drippings from the baking turkey to sprinkle over the dressing in a baking dish (with 4 kids and a large family we needs lots of dressing)!

Wanda, This was how my Moma would make her dressing, Good 'ol Cast Iron Skillet. This Recipe brings back Wonderful Memories. Thank you for sharing. Wishing you and your Family a wonderful Thanksgiving.

This is what I've been looking for. My mother used to make this stuffing every Thanksgiving and Christmas totally from memory. She never wrote it down, but from watching her from time to time I knew some of what went in it. This sounds so much like it I can't wait to try it.

This is pretty close to how all the women in my family have always made it. We make our giblet juice by simmering the turkey neck, heart, and giblets w/half an onion and a few stalks of celery, salt and pepper for about 30-45 minutes. We then strain the broth for use in the dressing and toss the rest. (I have to agree the dogs LOVE getting the meat from neck, the heart and giblets. It's their own little Thanksgiving! lol) We also add 3-4 eggs. Other than that, it's about the same. My family is from Houston, Tx.

Almost like my aunt.. She must have been busy... I just seen this recipe and it is almost like hers.. But I do remember the egg part. This is so delicious. What a life saver!

This sounds great so we will see how mine turns out. I cooked the giblets in some leftover brine (apple juice, turkey broth and veg broth with fresh rosemary, sage and thyme, garlic and onions) from doing my turkey. I added 1½ cups seasoned bread cubes and used fresh sage. Next time I will add some of the turkey drippings kept for gravy.

Love this recipe. I do however add a couple of chopped boiled eggs and some diced jalapenos when I'm in the mood for a spicy dressing. I usually make this recipe several times a year, not just the holidays either!

I have made this dressing recipe several times, the only change I make is adding chopped boiled eggs to the recipe just like my grandmas.

Just so you know... lived in Texas all my life, and you DO NOT need to add eggs to the dressing. There are already eggs in the cornbread, and if you let your cornbread dry for a day and then mix in enough broth, you do not need them to hold anything together. Oh, and for heavens sakes don't stump your toe when adding the sage. Just to taste is fine.

Marla, the egg isn't to hold the dressing together it is for taste only. If you want to hold the dressing together it can be cooked longer and cut into "brownie" squares. This is more of a spoon able dressing still moist. My Mom would use 1 1/2 tbsp of sage and 1 1/2 tbsp poultry seasoning.

This recipe is almost the exact one I have used for 40 years. I am from Houston, Texas and do not add eggs since they are already in the cornbread. Like Marla I let the cornbread dry out for a day and add a half loaf of stale bread along with a teaspoon of poultry seasoning. I use the giblets for the gravy.

Thank you for confirming no need for eggs. Native Texan! Happy Thanksgiving to All!

I make my dressing from scratch. I fry some pan cornbread with salt, sage, poultry seasoning crispy. I dry a half loaf bread or left over biscuits in the oven with the salt, sage, poultry seasoning, a little pepper. Then I mix them together add chopped celery, onion, giblets not the heart and some chopped drumsticks along with the stock from turkey or chicken, stick of butter or 1/2 cup oil and 2 eggs some black pepper and salt if needed. You can bake it longer for dryer and less for scooping. The eggs make it richer. Been making this 58 years. Live in central North Carolina.

This is very southern traditional - as a life long (50 years) Georgian - this is very close to both my grandmothers'. One side added day old biscuits crumbled. One did not. One was firmer and one was softer - richer. I loved them both. Yes to stirring in raw eggs. NO to boiled eggs and any veggies other than onion and celery. YES to nice dose of sage.

Thanks to all of you for your input. I had lost mom and granny's recipes so you helped me a lot. I do remember them both using raw eggs in the dressing before baking and it was so good! I use chicken broth to add to leftover dressing in case it gets too dry when heating it up.

I save the giblets for gravy. And I add an egg to help hold it together. I also add a drained can of water chestnut slices, chopped up, to give it crunch.

Agree that beaten eggs make better but do not use chopped boiled eggs though lots of southern cooks do. Use more broth and cream of chicken soup for added richness as well. Can be easily modified to suit your families tastes and preferences which means easy for everyone!

After reading all the recipes and comments from this page I am a thoroughly confused 71 year old novice cook. Guess I will just have to make about ten different recipes to find out which I like best. Used to buy Lucy's cafeterias dressing which I dearly loved but it keeps changing every year with new managers and cooks. All were interesting to read so thanks to everyone for advice.

We grew up in West Texas, but My Momma was from San Saba. We start with 1 1/2 iron skillets of not sweet corn bread cooked the night before and a few biscuits save from breakfast by a wooden spoon to the back of the hand. Celery & onion is right, but there should be 3 boiled eggs added. The juice from the bird is added with a little of the fat and a quart of good chicken stock. Salt, pepper & sage to taste (dressing will look a little green when right). Taste now to make sure it tastes good. Then add three raw eggs. Bake in 2 casseroles (My Momma said this is dressing, not stuffing). Stir 1/2 way thru cookin' to make sure it's cooked thru. Should setup up like a lumpy custard or quiche.

No chopped boiled eggs. Those are for giblet gravy.

I've made several pans in the past month testing which one I like best. I've decided:

1. Cornbread and Pepperidge Farm
2. 2 cans cream of chicken soup
3. No sage. Poultry seasoning
4. No raw eggs
5. Add 2 tbsp. Bojangles brown gravy. (I know! Right!)
6. Chicken stock over chicken broth
7. Use as much turkey drippings as possible