A million times better than boxed stuffing, this simple homemade stuffing is so delicious. With fresh ingredients, you'll taste the difference in the flavor and the texture soft and crispy (not soggy at all).
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F. Grease a large baking sheet with cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Scatter bread evenly on baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes until bread is crispy and dry. Let bread cool completely before using. This step can be made up to 1 week ahead of time (once cooled, store in a sealed container).
Add the dried, cooled bread cubes to a large bowl. Set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a large sauté pan, melt ¾ cup salted butter over medium-high heat. Add diced onions and celery and cook about 10 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables start to brown.
Add the softened vegetables to bowl with the bread and then stir in sage, rosemary, thyme, coarse salt, and black pepper. Stir well. Then drizzle over 1 ¼ cups chicken broth and stir gently.
In a small bowl, whisk together remaining 1 ¼ cups chicken broth and 2 large eggs. Add to the bread mixture and fold gently until combined.
Spray a 9x13-inch baking pan with cooking spray and transfer bread mixture to it. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees F or until instant read thermometer reads 160 degrees F.
If making ahead of time: uncover, let cool completely. Then cover and refrigerate for up to 24 hours. If baking immediately, skip this step.
Remove cover and bake at 350 degrees F for an additional 40-45 minutes (plus 10-15 minutes if chilled) until stuffing is set and top is browned and crisp.
1. For the bread make sure to use a hearty bread. Usually bread that is a few days old works better than fresh. I usually use a French Baguette or 7 French baguette rolls, a rustic loaf, sour dough, or even good quality day old sandwich bread will work.
2. For the chicken broth I often use 2 ½ cups water + 1 ½ teaspoons chicken bouillon substitute.