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Copycat Boxed Stuffing Mix (Chicken Flavor)

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apple pork chops

 

It’s funny how the simplest things when we were kids and teens were such a treat! The OLD versions of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese, Rice-a-Roni, Shake ‘n Bake, Jiffy Pop Popcorn, and even TV Dinners! Especially on nights that our parents actually went out and saw the latest movie playing in town!

I don’t know if it was a good thing, or a really bad thing, (most likely the latter), that convenience items really started taking over. But I know they sure were a huge help in the kitchen!! Unless you were lucky to stay home all day long, you just plain didn’t have the time to cook everything from scratch. Weeknight dinners were simple. But, oh so good!

But those convenience items that I used to love, have changed over the years.

Some so drastically  –  –  that I’d rather eat the box.

Flavorless, except for the handfuls of salt, and loads of crazy ingredients that you cannot even pronounce. Yuck.

So after the last box of instant stuffing mix that I bought years ago tasted like cardboard, I decided that it was time to just figure it all out.

How hard can it be. Right? 😉

The results were darn near close, if not spot-on. We both LOVED it and it was so simple it was ridiculous. No more boxes allowed in this house. 😉  It’s just too easy to make homemade.

 

texas bread cubes

 

I started with some thick-cut Texas Bread and tore the pieces into nice, big chunks. You can use regular bread if you’d like, but this held up really well. (If you’re going to use regular bread, you’ll need about 15 slices.)

I dried the chunks overnight until they were very hard, but you can take it a step further after drying, and toast them as well.

 

stovetop ingrdnts

 

Most of the ingredients that went in! The only thing missing from the photo was the butter, celery, ground rosemary and chicken bouillon base! 😀

*I highly recommend that you use ground rosemary powder. No one likes the roof of their mouth impaled with sharp needles. 😉

 

celery sauteing

 

Though the old stuffing mix used dehydrated celery, that’s where I drew the line. So I simply sautéed a little in some melted butter.

Then add all of the herbs and spices, the bouillon base, and the chicken broth and simmer it like we used to do years ago!

 

stuffing liquid

 

Then just add the dried bread cubes, toss, cover, and let it sit for awhile. Then just give it a fluff with a fork, and leave the lid off for a few minutes so that it doesn’t get too wet.

 

stovetop copycat

 

And wa-lah! Old-fashioned boxed stuffing just like it used to be, and just as easy homemade!

You can enjoy this just as it is, semi-soft, or you can pop it into a baking dish and bake it uncovered to crisp the top! But I didn’t do this because it was going on top of another dish and going to get baked all together later. 😉

 

stovetop copycat main 1

 

This is what it will look like after baking! I like to give a good sprinkle with coarse ground black pepper on top before baking! 😀

Tomorrow’s post!!  A revamped recipe from scratch! 😉 😀

 

apple pork chops

 

So if you’re longing for the boxed stuffing with all of the flavor like had when we were growing up, none of the additives and preservatives, and costs pennies to make, look no further! This is it!! It really came out delicious!! 😀

If you’re a bit sensitive to salt, just omit the garlic salt and add a small pinch more garlic powder if you’d like. We LOVED it this way, but I fear it may be a tad too salty for some palates. So just make small adjustments to suit your own family’s tastes. 😀

And that’s it folks! I hope you enjoy making this recipe for years to come! It’s quick, easy, and packed with flavor! *Be sure to come back tomorrow to see what I used this stuffing for! A wonderful dish that you’ll want to make soon! 😀

 

Update! You can swap out the bread for soft, store-bought cubes if you’d like and bake this. To make it old-fashioned style, that holds together like Grandma made, just add 2 beaten eggs and bake in a sprayed or buttered casserole dish, covered, for about 30 – 40 minutes at 350º).  Here are photos of what it looks like when done.

What I used:

*Since this was a 12 oz. bag, I also added an extra 1/4 cup chicken broth.

 

IMG_2418

 

Before baking:

 

IMG_2417

 

After baking:

 

IMG_2426

 

Served! (*Recipe for chops can be found {here}! )

 

garlic & brown sugar pork chops

 

 

Copycat Boxed Stuffing Mix (Chicken Flavor)
Yield: 4-6 servings

Copycat Boxed Stuffing Mix (Chicken Flavor)

Ingredients

  • 10 slices thick-cut Texas Bread, torn into ½" x ½" pieces, dried overnight (equals about 9 oz.)
  • 3 Tbl. butter
  • 1 rib celery, chopped small
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 1/2 - 2 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Chicken Base, to taste for saltiness
  • 1 Tbl. dried minced onion
  • ½ tsp. garlic powder
  • ½ tsp. onion powder
  • ½ tsp. dried thyme
  • ½ tsp. dried rubbed sage or poultry seasoning
  • ½ tsp.dried ground rosemary
  • ½ Tbl. dried parsley flakes
  • ½ tsp. celery salt
  • *⅛ tsp. garlic salt if you prefer a saltier taste
  • ¼ tsp. celery seed
  • ½ tsp. coarse ground black pepper
  • plus more coarse ground black pepper to sprinkle on top

Instructions

  • In large pan, melt butter and saute celery for 5 minutes. Add chicken broth and rest of ingredients except dried bread cubes. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to Med-Low, and simmer 5 minutes. Turn off heat.
  • Stir broth mixture, add in dried bread cubes, quickly fold well to mix, cover, and let sit for 8 minutes.
  • Gently fluff, and let sit with lid off for 5 minutes.
  • Place into a serving bowl and sprinkle with more pepper to taste.
  • *You can place this into a sprayed baking dish and bake at 375ºF, uncovered, for 15-20 minutes if desired, to crisp up the top. Just watch it closely, and bake to desired doneness on top.
  • Notes

    If using regular bread, you'll need about 14-15 slices depending on thickness and density of bread. (Extremely airy breads not recommended, as I would think that they will get very mushy, even dried and toasted.)


     

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