Dad’s skillet dressing starts with classic cornbread dressing ingredients, with layers of flavor built the way Cajun cooks do best: bold seasoning, tender chicken, and a skillet that never left the stovetop. Moist, savory, and full of family memories, this dressing carries the spirit of his kitchen straight to the table.
Dad's Cajun Skillet Chicken and Cornbread Dressing
In the season of classic dressing recipes, there are so many different ways out there to make this coveted dish, but I thought I would share one with you that you likely haven't seen before or even ever thought of!
My in-laws are gone now, but when Dad wasn't traveling with the oil business, which he did a lot to all sort of places I'll never see, he did a lot of the cooking at home. He actually enjoyed it, but I think it was something that he naturally picked up as a kid growing up with folks from Cajun Country.
I'm sure my mother-in-law didn't mind one bit. Wish my husband had picked up on that!
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Said husband, aka "The Cajun," used to bring home a dish that I later learned was "Dad's dressing," which was texturally different than anything I'd had before. One day when we were visiting with him, I asked him about it.
He told me that it was basically just a chicken and cornbread dressing, but that my mother-in-law didn't like the texture of baked dressing. She wanted it cooked of course but not baked so Dad prepared his dressing in a skillet. It's what my husband grew up on and frankly, loved!
Dressing as most of us know it, is traditionally baked in the oven, but Dad's skillet version was cooked entirely in a skillet on the stovetop, making it not only faster, but fully moist and flavorful!
Here's what you'll need to make my version of Dad's Skillet Cajun Chicken and Dressing:
- 1 (8-inch) pan baked cornbread
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 rib celery, chopped
- 3 cups cooked, shredded chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper, or to taste
- 1-2 teaspoons Creole or Cajun seasoning, or to taste, optional
- 1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 2 to 3 cups chicken stock/broth
You'll need an 8-inch square pan or skillet of savory, baked cornbread. Make this at least an hour before you need it, or prior day, even better.
Melt butter in skillet over medium heat. Sauté onion and celery until tender. You can also add some chopped green bell pepper here as well. I was out or I would have!
Break up the cornbread and add to skillet.
Combine seasonings. I'm using salt, pepper, poultry seasoning and Creole or Cajun seasoning.
Add chicken and seasonings.
Stir in stock or broth a cup at a time initially.
Continue stirring in remaining stock as needed, until chicken and cornbread break down and mixture is moist, but not overly soupy.
Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until desired texture is reached.
Uncover and fluff before serving. To brown top, pass under the broiler for a few minutes.
For more of my favorite dressing recipes, check out the collection on my Pinterest page!
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