Bread Stuffing with Dried Cranberries and Pecans
Make your stuffing the star of Thanksgiving! This Bread Stuffing with Dried Cranberries and Pecans is my go to stuffing recipe. Your guests will love it!
Servings: 6 Servings
Calories: 460kcal
Equipment
- 9x9" Baking Dish or similar-sized casserole dish
- Aluminum foil only needed if your baking vessel doesn't have a lid
Ingredients
- 1 pound bread cut into 1/2 inch cubes (I like to use my homemade sourdough, but choose your favorite high quality bread - Use Gluten Free bread if you need your stuffing to be Gluten Free)
- 1 pound chicken wings optional (skip step 3 and cook the stuffing without chicken wings on top if not using)
- 1 teaspoon canola oil
- 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage casing removed
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter use a dairy-free butter alternative to make your stuffing dairy-free
- 1 small onion chopped fine
- 2 medium celery ribs chopped fine
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 1 Tablespoon minced fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage or 1 Tablespoon minced fresh sage
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 ¼ cups reduced sodium chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
- ½ cup dried cranberries
- ½ cup pecan halves toasted and coarsely chopped
Instructions
- Place oven rack in the middle position. Heat oven to 250°F. Spread bread cubes on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until the edges of the cubes are dry, but the insides are still soft, 45-60 minutes, stirring every 10-15 minutes. After removing the bread cubes from the oven, increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
- While the bread is drying, prepare the rest of the stuffing ingredients.
- Poke 5-10 holes in each chicken wing with a paring knife. Heat 1 teaspoon canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Place chicken wings in a single layer in the skillet and cook until golden brown, 5-6 minutes. Flip wings and cook until browned on the second side, 4-5 more minutes. Remove chicken wings from skillet with tongs and place into a bowl.
- Return the empty skillet to medium-high heat. Add 8 ounces sweet Italian sausage and cook until browned, 4-6 minutes, breaking it up into small pieces as it cooks. Remove from skillet with a slotted spoon and place on a paper towel lined plate.
- Reduce heat to medium and melt 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter in the skillet. Add the chopped onion, chopped celery and ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook until the vegetables are soft, 6-8 minutes. Add 1 teaspoon dried thyme, 1 teaspoon dried sage, and ½ teaspoon ground black pepper and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Slowly pour in ½ cups reduced sodium chicken broth, scraping the browned bits off the bottom of the skillet. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the remaining ¾ cups reduced sodium chicken broth, 2 large eggs, ½ teaspoon salt, and any accumulated juices from the chicken wings. Add the vegetable mixture, sausage, ½ cup dried cranberries, ½ cup pecan halves, and egg mixture to the bowl with the dried bread and toss to combine.
- Grease a 9x9-inch baking dish or similar-sized casserole dish. Transfer the bread mixture to the prepared dish and lightly press in. Arrange cooked chicken wings on top of the stuffing. Cover tightly with an oven-safe lid or aluminum foil.
- Place the dish on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes at 375°F. Remove chicken wings, and fluff with a fork before serving.
Notes
To prepare ahead of time:
Dry out the bread cubes anywhere from several days (or even weeks) before the meal to the day before the big meal. Keep the dried bread in a large zipper bag, and if you're storing them for more than a day or two, keep them in the freezer to prevent any mold growth.
One to two days before Thanksgiving, follow the recipe up to the end of step 7. Then simply place the baking dish into the fridge until you're ready to cook.
Place the baking dish or casserole on a rimmed baking sheet and bake at 375°F. Note that because you're cooking your stuffing from fridge-cold rather than warm (if you'd been preparing the recipe continuously), you will need to cook it for a little longer. Plan for 90 minutes, but check it after 1 hr, 15 minutes to see if it's hot all the way through (use an instant-read thermometer to ensure the temperature is at 165°F).
Nutrition
Calories: 460kcal | Carbohydrates: 55g | Protein: 19g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 1190mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g
