The Best Stuffing Recipe Of All Time

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Maybe I’m exaggerating… but I genuinely think this is the most delicious stuffing I’ve ever had. Please keep in mind that I refer to it as “stuffing” but I do not “stuff” it in the bird. I like to let it crisp up independently in the baking dish instead.

Stuffing has always been mu favorite Thanksgiving food, probably because its literally just butter and bread and delicious herbs. My parents were born and raised in Malaysia so Thanksgiving was something we just had to wing - order a turkey from Safeway, buy mashed potatoes from KFC (yup, we did that), and make Stovetop Stuffing. It was the best we could piece together as an Asian family from Malaysia trying to celebrate a holiday that was brand new to us.

As the years have gone by, I've assumed the responsibility of cooking Thanksgiving for two reasons:

  1. I went to culinary school in New York and became the most qualified

  2. I am a type-A control freak who wants everything to taste perfectly and be timed perfectly so it can be served hot on the table at the same time

Since I love the act of cooking, I wanted to find a stuffing recipe that was an homage to my Stovetop days but was made from scratch and simple ingredients.

WELL, I FOUND HER.

This the “Simple Is Best” stuffing from Epicurious and it’s exactly that - simple. No sausage. No fancy sauces. No truffles. Just plain old but DELICIOUS PERFECTLY TEXTURED STUFFING. It’s perfect.

Just a small note - this calls for nice quality white bread. I like using the Oroweat breads you can find in most grocery stores. You can either get the plain white bread but I like getting the buttermilk bread - it will ensure your stuffing stays extra moist but crisps up nicely on the top layer.

I hope you guys enjoy this as much as I do and leave me a comment if you end up making this and if you liked it!

Simple Is Best Stuffing

Yield: 8-10 Servings

INGREDIENTS:

  • 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter plus more for baking dish

  • 1 pound good-quality day-old white bread, torn into 1" pieces (about 10 cups)

  • 2 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions

  • 1 1/2 cups 1/4" slices celery

  • 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

  • 2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  • 2 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, divided

  • 2 large eggs

DIRECTIONS:

  1. Preheat oven to 250°F. Butter a 13x9x2" baking dish and set aside. Scatter bread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until dried out, about 1 hour. Let cool; transfer to a very large bowl.

  2. Meanwhile, melt 3/4 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat; add onion and celery. Stir often until just beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add to bowl with bread; stir in herbs, salt, and pepper. Drizzle in 1 1/4 cups broth and toss gently. Let cool.

  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk 1 1/4 cups broth and eggs in a small bowl. Add to bread mixture; fold gently until thoroughly combined. Transfer to prepared dish, cover with foil, and bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of dressing registers 160°F, about 40 minutes. DO AHEAD: Dressing can be made 1 day ahead. Uncover; let cool. Cover; chill.

  4. Bake dressing, uncovered, until set and top is browned and crisp, 40-45 minutes longer (if chilled, add 10-15 minutes).

Cooks Note: use veggie broth instead of chicken to make this dish vegetarian

Carmen KiewBlog, Recipe, ThanksgivingComment