Weeknight Crispy Skillet Stuffing
A half-size, one-skillet stuffing for any night: baguette cubes toasted in a hot oven, soaked in broth and egg with browned onion, celery, sage and thyme, crisped on the stove and finished in the oven with a golden crust on top and bottom.
Stuffing does not need a turkey. America's Test Kitchen developed its extra-crispy skillet stuffing for people who love the crunchy edges best: a baguette for more crust, high-heat toasting for flavor, and a bottom crust built on the stove before the skillet goes into the oven. We halved it and trimmed the waiting so it fits a weeknight beside a roast chicken or pork chops.
🇺🇸 This one is American
A half-size, one-skillet stuffing for any night: baguette cubes toasted in a hot oven, soaked in broth and egg with browned onion, celery, sage and thyme, crisped on the stove and finished in the oven with a golden crust on top and bottom.
🇬🇧 The original
The English original is sage and onion bound with breadcrumbs and butter, cooked inside the bird or in a dish beside it. See the Sage and Onion Stuffing (Mrs Beeton, 1861) recipe.
📖 Myth check: Is It Safe to Cook Stuffing Inside the Turkey? →
Why it works the kitchen science
Baguette and high heat
A baguette has more crust than a sandwich loaf, and toasting at 450°F browns the cubes instead of only drying them, which adds flavor (ATK).
Two crusts
Pressing the stuffing into a buttered skillet on the stove builds a crisp bottom before the oven crisps the top.
Step by step
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the upper-middle position. Spread the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway, until light golden. Spread the cubes out on the sheet to cool.
- Step 2
Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp butter in a 10-inch ovensafe skillet (nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron) over medium heat, add the onion, celery and salt and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Stir in the thyme, sage, garlic and pepper and cook 30 seconds.
- Step 3
Whisk the broth and eggs in a large bowl. Add the bread and the vegetables and stir until evenly coated; let stand 5 minutes, stirring once.
- Step 4
Melt 1 1/2 tbsp butter in the empty skillet over low heat. Add the stuffing and press it into an even layer. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the bottom is browned at the edges when you lift a bit with a spatula.
- Step 5
Melt the last 1 1/2 tbsp butter and brush it over the top. Bake at 450°F 15 to 18 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center reads 165°F.
- Step 6
Rest 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve from the skillet.
Weeknight Crispy Skillet Stuffing
Serves 4 · one 10-inch skillet · 50 min total
Bread
- 12 oz baguette, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 9 cups)
- 1 3/4 cups chicken broth
- 2 large eggs
Vegetables and herbs
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter, divided
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 2 celery ribs, minced
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 2 tsp minced fresh thyme
- 2 tsp minced fresh sage
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
Method
- Heat the oven to 450°F with a rack in the upper-middle position. Spread the bread on a rimmed baking sheet and bake 10 to 12 minutes, stirring halfway, until light golden. Spread the cubes out on the sheet to cool.
- Meanwhile, melt 1 tbsp butter in a 10-inch ovensafe skillet (nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron) over medium heat, add the onion, celery and salt and cook 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Stir in the thyme, sage, garlic and pepper and cook 30 seconds.
- Whisk the broth and eggs in a large bowl. Add the bread and the vegetables and stir until evenly coated; let stand 5 minutes, stirring once.
- Melt 1 1/2 tbsp butter in the empty skillet over low heat. Add the stuffing and press it into an even layer. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until the bottom is browned at the edges when you lift a bit with a spatula.
- Melt the last 1 1/2 tbsp butter and brush it over the top. Bake at 450°F 15 to 18 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the center reads 165°F.
- Rest 5 minutes, then cut into wedges and serve from the skillet.
Adapted from America's Test Kitchen, "Extra-Crispy Skillet Stuffing" by Cristin Walsh (August 23, 2013), halved (ATK serves 8; ours serves 4) and moved to a 10-inch skillet. ATK cools the toasted bread completely; we spread it out to cool while the vegetables cook. The halved amounts, the shorter times and the 165°F check (USDA FSIS) are ours. America's Test Kitchen. Ingredient list follows the source; the method is in our own words.
All sources (1)
Tips
- Day-old baguette toasts faster; start checking at 8 minutes.
- Add 4 oz browned breakfast sausage with the vegetables for a heartier side.
- Leftover wedges reheat crisp in a dry skillet over medium heat, 3 minutes per side.
The rules people argue about
What the sources agree on, what they don't, and what is just a good story.
- Stuffing is only for Thanksgiving. Folklore: Purdue says boxed stovetop stuffing made stuffing a more common everyday dish (our Stovetop-Style Stuffing recipe).
- The crispy edge is the best part. Folklore: ATK designed this recipe around it; moist-stuffing fans disagree.
- Stuffing should be moist, not dry. Documented as FSIS food safety advice (moist heat kills bacteria faster); crisp on the outside, moist in the middle fits both.
Every other stuffing
Sage and Onion Stuffing (Mrs Beeton, 1861)
The Victorian English stuffing for goose, duck and pork: onions simmered until mild, chopped fine with fresh sage, worked together with bread crumbs, butter and an egg yolk, and baked in its own dish until crisp on top.
Chestnut and Pork Stuffing (Farce aux Marrons)
Whole chestnuts simmered in broth until just tender, folded into seasoned ground pork with shallots, thyme and a splash of Cognac, and baked in its own dish: the classic French stuffing for a Christmas turkey.
Artusi's Roast Chicken with Sausage and Chestnut Stuffing (1891)
Pellegrino Artusi's family stuffing of Italian sausage, chicken liver, roasted chestnuts, dried mushrooms and nutmeg, bound with egg and a little bread soaked in broth, packed into a whole chicken and roasted until the stuffing itself reads 165°F.
Lebanese Hashweh (Spiced Rice and Beef Stuffing)
Ground beef and onion browned in olive oil, seasoned with Lebanese seven-spice, cooked with basmati rice in chicken broth and finished with toasted pine nuts and parsley: served on its own or as a stuffing for turkey.
Italian-American Sausage and Fennel Stuffing
Oven-dried white bread cubes tossed with browned sweet Italian sausage, onion and fennel cooked in butter, fresh thyme, marjoram and sage, chicken broth and eggs, baked covered and then uncovered until golden.
Chinese-American Sticky Rice Stuffing
Soaked and steamed glutinous rice tossed with lap cheong (sweet Chinese sausage), onion and caramelized shiitake, seasoned with light and dark soy sauce and chicken stock, then roasted in a cast-iron skillet until the top and bottom turn crisp.
New England Sage Bread Stuffing
Dried French bread cubes tossed with onion and celery cooked in butter, sage, thyme, marjoram and parsley, chicken broth and eggs, baked covered until fragrant and then uncovered until a golden crust forms.
Southern Cornbread Dressing
A pan of cornbread baked, crumbled while hot and mixed with sausage, onion, bell pepper and celery, poultry seasoning, broth, milk and eggs, then baked in ridges with butter brushed on top until crisp outside and almost creamy inside.
New Orleans Oyster Dressing (Leah Chase)
Leah Chase's holiday dressing: day-old bread soaked in oyster liquor, browned ground beef and the Creole trinity cooked in butter, chopped Gulf oysters, thyme and cayenne, bound with egg and baked under seasoned bread crumbs.
Wild Rice Dressing (Minnesota)
Nutty wild rice cooked in broth, mixed with toasted bread crumbs, onion, celery, garlic, sage and thyme and a light custard of cream, eggs and the rice's own cooking liquid, baked covered until set.
Pennsylvania Dutch Potato Filling
Half mashed potatoes, half stuffing: boiled potatoes beaten with milk, eggs and parsley, mixed with onion and celery cooked in butter and buttery toasted bread cubes, and baked until crusty on top.
Stovetop-Style Stuffing, Inspired by Stove Top
The boxed classic made from scratch: white and whole wheat bread cut into eraser-size crumbs and dried in the oven, then stirred into a simmering pot of broth, butter, dried onion, celery and poultry seasoning, covered and left to stand 5 minutes. Inspired by, not official.
Meatballs of the World
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