Roasted Chestnut Dressing is a rich and buttery stuffing recipe using roasted chestnuts, apples and raisins. The perfect holiday side dish!
Ingredients
You only need a handful if simple ingredients to make this delicious chestnut dressing recipe.
- Chestnuts – You want these to be roasted. Some stores will even roast them for you or sell them pre-roasted. You’ll lose the aroma, but gain tons of time.
- Herb stuffing mix – You can easily buy a bag of this at the grocery store. Or if you have a homemade mix you like, you can use that.
- Raisins – To add both texture and an element of sweet, I like to throw in a handful of raisins.
- Celery – A staple in nearly any stuffing recipe, celery adds a little texture and flavor that complements the other ingredients.
- Red apple – Make this this is cored and diced. You can peel it first, or leave the peel on for texture.
- Onion – I like to use a yellow onion, but you can use a red onion or white onion instead.
- Salt and pepper – I like to use a simple blend of fine sea salt black pepper to season this chestnut dressing.
- Vegetable stock – I like to aim for low sodium so that I can control the salt content in the dressing.
- Butter – I always prefer to use unsalted butter when cooking. It also allows me to control the salt content.
- Heavy cream – The heavy cream helps to add a silky texture to this chestnut stuffing recipe.
Variations
There are plenty of ways you can make this chestnut dressing recipe your own. Here are a few suggestions.
- Stuff a turkey – This recipe can be used as a turkey stuffing, but cut in half and do not stuff the bird to the brim. Make sure the internal temperature of the turkey is correct.
- Meat – This is a vegetarian stuffing recipe, but you could certainly add meat. Ground pork sausage or chicken sausage would be great additions.
- Fruit – Instead of regular raisins, try using golden raisins. And instead of a red apples, you could use granny smith apples or whichever type you prefer.
- Herbs and Aromatics – Add other fresh herbs like thyme or rosemary. Or, sprinkle in some shallots or green onions.
How to Make Chestnut Dressing
Follow these steps to making your new favorite Thanksgiving stuffing recipe.
- Prepare oven and baking dish. Preheat oven and coat a 9×13 baking dish or casserole with cooking spray.
- Mix chestnuts through pepper. In a large mixing bowl, mix chestnuts, stuffing mix, celery, raisins, apple, onion, salt and black pepper.
- Add stock, butter and cream. Pour in the chicken stock, butter and cream and mix until evenly moistened.
- Bake. Spread into baking dish. Bake for one hour. Remove and serve! It is very tasty with Cumberland Sauce!
What to Serve with Chestnut Dressing
Chestnut stuffing can be served with a juicy turkey or even better, alongside a Sweet Roasted Goose with Cumberland Sauce!
I like to serve it for Thanksgiving with other traditional sides like green bean casserole, sweet potatoes, cranberry sauce, and mashed potatoes.
Storage and Freezing
How to Store Leftover Chestnut Dressing
Any leftovers can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for three to four days.
How to Freeze Chestnut Dressing
This dish can also be frozen. Leave in the fridge overnight to thaw and reheat for 10-15 minutes, uncovered, at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
Common Questions About Chestnuts
They are sweet and earthy. The texture isn’t hard like other nuts, in fact, it has a similar texture to a chickpea.
They can, but they don’t taste as good. You’ll also find it difficult to get the woody exterior off to even get to the inside without cooking them.
Yes! Score the bottom with an “X” just like you would if you were roasting them, place them on a microwave safe plate and nuke em for 3-4 minutes. Times may very given the power of your microwave and size of your nuts. The exterior will start to peel away when done.
There are 9 different types of chestnuts, those that are sweet and those known as “horse chestnuts,” which are indeed poisonous. To avoid this, buy your chestnuts from a quality vendor or get expert foraging advice. I am not the foraging type…. I am the “buy at the store type”.
There is an old wives tale that the gases emitted from chestnuts will kill spiders, however there is no scientific evidence of this according to the internet and I am not about to give this a whirl at home. Spiders give me the creepy crawlies.
As far as I know, chestnuts were widely popular year round until the song “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” made them to be associated with Christmas. It is also a crop that can be harvested in the winter months and tastes delicious in stuffing and dressing recipes, making it ideal for Thanksgiving and Christmas.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
The holidays are filled with delicious food, and these are some of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes.
Chestnut Dressing Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups chestnuts roasted, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 14 ounce bag herb stuffing mix
- 1 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1 red apple cored and diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 3/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 3/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup heavy cream
- Cooking Spray
- Cumberland Sauce
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 9×13 baking dish or casserole with cooking spray. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, mix the chestnuts, stuffing mix, celery, raisins, apple, onion, salt and pepper. Pour in the chicken stock, butter and cream and mix until evenly moistened.
- Spread the stuffing mixture into the prepared baking dish. Bake for 1 hour.
- Remove and allow to rest for at least 20 minutes. Serve with Cumberland sauce.
- If you've tried this recipe, come back and let us know how it was in the comments or star ratings.
Notes
Nutrition
Loved how flavorful this chestnut dressing was. Will definitely be making it again this Thanksgiving!
Chestnuts are one of my favorite foods. Unfortunately, I can only find them here at certain times of the year. I don’t know why I have never thought to use them in stuffing, but they worked perfectly. The velvety chestnut texture made for an amazing stuffing.
The perfect holiday stuffing recipe, although I could eat this any time of the year! Fabulous flavors, thank you!
Your Roasted Chestnut Dressing is a must-make holiday side! Easy to prep and so delicious, thank you!
What marvelous Fall flavors in this fabulous chestnut dressing. A perfect accompaniment to any Holiday meal.
All of your recipes are incredible! You are my favourite find in months! Many thanks!
Thank you, Missy! That is very kind!