Simple Chestnut Stuffing or Dressing
You will love this easy and flavorful chestnut stuffing, whether you stuff it into a Thanksgiving turkey or bake it as a dressing to serve on the side. Bursting with savory flavors, this deliciously moist stuffing will be the perfect addition to your holiday table – or any time you’re craving some comfort food.
This recipe is loosely based on the one in the “Nourishing Traditions” cookbook. It is my hope that you will use this as a launching pad to create your own family’s new favorite stuffing recipe, just like I did!
Best of all, it is very easy to make. That is always a winner in my book!
What makes this recipe special
Ingredient notes and substitutions
- Roasted chestnuts: You can either buy roasted chestnuts that are shelled and ready to use, or buy them fresh and roast them yourself.
- Bread cubes: At my house, we use homemade sourdough bread, but honestly, any type of sturdy or crusty bread works well. You can even use sourdough cornbread!
- For flavoring, you’ll need basic vegetables- onions, carrots, and celery. A good helping of butter and bone broth will add even more flavor. Feel free to use any type of broth or stock that you like.
- For seasoning, you will need fresh thyme, fresh sage, sea salt, and black pepper. If you can’t find fresh thyme and sage, you can substitute with dried herbs. *See the recipe card for ingredient amounts.
Chestnut stuffing recipe video
If you’re the type of person who finds it easier to learn things visually, watch this recipe video to see me make this delicious dish!
How to make chestnut stuffing
- Prepare the ingredients. If you bought them fresh, you will need to roast, peel, and chop the chestnuts. You’ll also need to peel and dice or chop the onion, carrots, and celery.
PRO TIP: Keep the vegetable scraps in a freezer-safe storage bag or other container for making bone broth.
How to roast chestnuts
To roast chestnuts, use a sharp knife to cut an X pattern into each of the skins. Arrange the nuts on a sheet pan and roast them in the oven at 375FĀ° for 25-30 minutes.
When they are completely roasted, the skins will burst open, making them easy to peel. I recommend testing one chestnut for doneness before pulling them all out of the oven. Let them cool down a bit before you peel and chop them.
- Cut the bread into cubes. The “Nourishing Traditions” recipe calls for breadcrumbs. We, however, like the texture of bread cubes, so that is what we use.
- SautƩ the carrots, onion, and celery in melted butter until they are soft and the onion is translucent.
- Combine all of the ingredients, cover the dish, and bake. When the vegetables are soft and the onion is translucent, stir in the chopped chestnuts, herbs, and broth.
Now add the bread cubes to the vegetables and mix until all the ingredients are well-combined. The stuffing mixture should be moist but not soggy. If it seems too dry, add some more broth or stock.
To use the chestnut stuffing in a turkey or roast goose, spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the bird. Then follow the directions of your recipe for proper cooking temp and time.
To make it a side dish, cover the cast iron skillet or baking dish with its lid, or use aluminum foil.
Bake the dressing for 25-30 minutes covered, then uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. The bread cubes should be golden-brown and crunchy.
Helpful Recipe Tips
- For a deeper flavor, you can also roast the bread cubes in the oven until golden brown.
- When you sautƩ the vegetables, stir them every couple of minutes as they cook. This prevents them from browning too much on the bottom of the skillet.
- Refrigerate any leftover chestnut stuffing and use it within 4 days after making it.
- If you’ll be using the stuffing inside of a bird, here’s a guideline on how long to roast a stuffed turkey. The USDA recommendation is to not cook stuffing inside of the turkey.
Useful tools and equipment
Cast iron skillet or baking dish with a lid: For a number of reasons, I like to make the chestnut dressing in a 12 inch cast iron skillet. Using a pan with a lid lets you control how crisp and brown the top of the stuffing gets.
But you can use any casserole or baking dish that you have. If you don’t have a lid or cover for your dish, use aluminum foil.
Making chestnut stuffing ahead of time
Depending on your timing and schedule, you can make this roasted chestnut stuffing ahead of time and simply reheat it before dinner.
In my make-ahead stuffing recipe post, I explain 5 different ways to prepare the dish ahead of time. Those methods apply to any stuffing recipe, so be sure to check it out!
Should you stuff your turkey or not?
That is a very good question and really depends on who you ask. I will give you some pros and cons so that you can decide what method works best for you:
Stuffing inside the turkey: This is the traditional way to do it. It keeps the stuffing moist while also infusing it with turkey flavor.
However, turkey with stuffing takes longer to roast than an unstuffed turkey. Also, consider the size of the bird, your oven’s capacity, the number of people you are feeding, and other dishes that have to bake in the oven.
Bake the stuffing in a casserole dish: There are many upsides to this method. Both the turkey and the dressing will cook more quickly. You also have a little bit more control over the stuffing as you can test it as you bake it. And you can make the stuffing ahead of time to take the stress out of the holidays.
Other Easy Thanksgiving Dishes
- Easy Cranberry Compote
- Artisan No-Knead Sourdough Bread
- Skillet Sourdough Cornbread
- Pumpkin Sourdough Bread Pudding
Simple Chestnut Stuffing or Dressing
Ingredients
- 2 cups chopped roasted chestnuts
- 6 cups bread cubes
- Ā½ cup butter
- 1 whole onion peeled and diced
- 2-3 whole carrots peeled and diced
- 1 bunch celery diced
- 1 Ā½ cups bone broth stock, or bullion
- 2 TBSP chopped fresh sage
- 2 TBSP chopped thyme leaves
- 1 tsp salt or more/less, as desired
- Ā½ tsp fresh ground black pepper or more/less, as desired
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350ĖF.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Add chopped onions, carrots, and celery to the skillet. Cook until soft and translucent, stirring to keep from browning.
- Add chestnuts, herbs, and bone broth. Stir well with a spoon to combine the ingredients.
- Add bread cubes and stir well to incorporate. If the stuffing is too dry, add more broth, however, it should not be soggy.
- If stuffing a turkey or goose: Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the bird and roast for the time and temperature stated on your recipe.
- To serve as a dressing: Add stuffing to a large cast-iron skillet with lid or any other baking dish with lid (or cover with aluminum foil). Bake in 350ā. preheated oven for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, remove lid or foil and bake uncovered for another 10 minutes.
- Pro tip: if you are baking the stuffing separately you can drizzle turkey drippings over it to get a better flavor.
Notes
- To substitute dried herbs for fresh, use 2 teaspoons of dried sage and 2 teaspoons of dried thyme.
- Refrigerate any leftover stuffing in an airtight container and use within 4 days.
Video
Nutrition
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Looks super delicious and easy to make. I’ll definitely add this to my menu. Thank you for sharing!
I hope your family will love it as much as ours ~ Anja
This looks delicious! Will be trying this soon! Thank you for sharing!
I am so glad you like this recipe! Happy baking ~ Anja