My Mother’s Sage Stuffing
Chef Ouita Michel
Holly Hill, Midway, Kentucky
We couldn’t be more tickled to speak to the woman behind some of Kentucky’s finest dining, Chef Ouita Michel. Of her mother’s sage stuffing, she tells us, “I make this recipe every year for our Thanksgiving table. My daughter, Willa, will not let me try another recipe — it’s her favorite. She’s learning to make it, too! I was taught this recipe by my mother, Pam Papka Sexton. I watched and listened while Mom used a little of this, a little of that. I cannot find the written recipe, either in my grandmother’s recipe box or my files, so our development chef Sara Gibbs helped me get it on paper.”
My Mother’s Sage Stuffing | Imag: Sara Gibbs
My Mother's Sage Stuffing
Author: Ouita Michel
Serves: 6-8
Ingredients
- 8 cups cubed toasted bread, white or wheat or mix of both, cubes are cut small (store-bought unseasoned cubed stuffing can be substituted)
- 1½ sticks unsalted butter
- 2 cups diced onion
- 1 cup diced celery
- 1½ cups peeled, diced Granny Smith apple (1 large apple)
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 2 tbsp. rubbed sage or ¼, cup fresh chopped sage
- 2 to 2½ cups homemade chicken stock or low-sodium canned chicken broth
- 1 tsp. kosher salt to taste
- ½ tsp. freshly ground pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a large casserole dish. Set aside.
- Place toasted bread into a large bowl. Add apple, parsley and sage. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a large skillet, add onion and celery and sauté over medium heat until translucent, with no color. Add to the bread mix and combine well. Add the chicken broth, ½ cup at a time, until the stuffing is moist but not soggy. Mound in the prepared casserole dish.
- Bake stuffing in a casserole dish 30-45 minutes, until bubbling and crusty brown on top.
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