My favorite stuffing recipe! Made from scratch and 100 times better than what you get in a box! It includes hearty bread, lots of butter, a flavorful blend of aromatics including fresh herbs and vegetables, and it's finished with nicely seasoned chicken broth to soak it all up.
Servings: 16
Prep25 minutesminutes
Cook1 hourhour30 minutesminutes
Ready in: 1 hourhour55 minutesminutes
Ingredients
2lbshearty french bread or hearty sandwich bread*,cut into 3/4-inch cubes
Dry bread cubes: preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spread bread cubes out evenly onto two 18 by 13-inch rimmed baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven, tossing bread 3 times and rotating pans throughout baking, until bread cubes are almost fully dried through, about 45 - 60 minutes. Set aside to cool. Increase oven temperature to 375 degrees, move oven rack to center.
Mix liquids: in a liquid measuring cup whisk together 2 1/2 cups chicken broth with eggs, salt and pepper until well blended. Set aside.
Saute veggies until tender: melt butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium heat. Add celery and onion, saute until tender, about 10 - 12 minutes. Add garlic and saute 1 minute longer.
Mix stuffing ingredients: Place dried bread cubes in an extra large mixing bowl. Add in parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary and marjoram. Pour in sautéed vegetable mixture and drizzle over chicken broth mixture then immediately toss.
Moisten as needed: Slowly pour in more chicken broth while tossing until bread pieces are just barely soaked through.
Bake: Pour mixture into a greased 13 by 9-inch baking dish. Spread into an even layer. Cover with foil and bake in 375 degree oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake until cooked through, about 15 - 25 minutes longer. For a further browning on top you can broil just briefly (don't walk away!).
Notes
Don't use super fluffy French or sandwich bread, it won't hold up very well and it wont absorb as well. Bread should be fairly dense.
I personally think stuffing tastes best with fresh cut and dried bread but 15 cups store-bought unseasoned dried bread cubes can be substituted if desired to simplify the recipe.