While store-bought boxed stuffing mixes offer a convenient quick-fix addition to any holiday meal, elevating them with a few simple ingredients can help transform them into a mouthwatering side dish your entire family will look forward to. With the addition of whiskey-soaked golden raisins, dried parsley, dried minced onion, finely ground black pepper, and crunchy diced celery, you’re sure to impress your guests with this easy and delicious baked stuffing side dish this holiday season.
When it comes to Thanksgiving meal side dishes, I’m all about the stuffing. I mean, let’s be real. I can eat mashed potatoes any ol’ day of the year, but how often am I going to get stuffing as a side dish if it’s not on a holiday? And, when it comes to stuffing, I’ll admit to preferring the store-bought version best. It’s classic, has just the right amount of seasoning, and goes well with just about any meal, be it chicken, turkey, or pork. And, when that boxed stuffing is all gussied up with whiskey-soaked golden raisins, dried parsley, dried minced onion, finely ground black pepper, and crunchy diced celery, well hello, bring it on. Chances are that I’ll eat at least half of the dish by myself. For breakfast. Because let’s just be honest, stuffing for breakfast is pretty much the greatest meal ever.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Golden Raisins
- 1/4 Cup Whiskey (Approximately)
- 1 1/2 Cups Cold Water
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Parsley
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Minced Onion
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
- 1 (6-oz.) Box Chicken Stove Top Stuffing Mix
Directions:
- Place the raisins in a small bowl and pour enough whiskey over them to cover the raisins completely. Allow the raisins to soak for at least 4 hours.
- Drain the raisins after soaking them for at least 4 hours; set aside.
- Place the water, butter, parsley, and minced onions into a large bowl. Microwave the mixture for 3 minutes, or until the butter completely melts.
- Add the pepper to the water mixture; mix to combine.
- Add the drained raisins, celery, and stuffing mix to the water mixture. Stir to combine. Allow the stuffing to rest while the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- When the oven is preheated, use an ice cream scoop to scoop the stuffing out into mounds and place the mounds in an 8×8 glass baking dish.
- Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the stuffing for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake the stuffing for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly toasted.
Suggestions:
- You can use either traditional raisins or golden raisins in this recipe. I prefer golden raisins.
- There’s no reason to use an expensive whiskey for this recipe. I used Jack Daniels.
- If you don’t have dried minced onion on hand, you can omit it from the recipe or swap in a tablespoon of very finely mined white or yellow raw onion.
- Allow the stuffing to rest while preheating the oven. This gives the stuffing mix time to absorb the seasoned water mixture.
- I did not add any salt to this recipe because of the amount of salt in the stuffing mix. If you prefer more salt, you can use salted butter or add additional salt to the water mixture.
- This stuffing can easily be made ahead of time. Instead of baking the stuffing immediately, cover the baking dish tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate it for up to one day. You will need to pull the glass baking dish out of the refrigerator at least an hour before baking to ensure that the glass does not crack or break in the hot oven.
Improvements:
- Replace the water in this recipe with low-sodium chicken broth or low-sodium vegetable broth.
- Use sweetened dried cranberries instead of raisins.
- This recipe can be made with any 6-oz. flavor of Stove Stop Stuffing Mix. Try using turkey, cornbread, or savory herbs.
- Add 1/4 cup finely chopped pecans to the stuffing.
- Serve this stuffing with these Autumn Inspired Braised Boneless Chicken Thighs or these Pork Chops with Lemon Caper Butternut Squash.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Golden Raisins
- 1/4 Cup Whiskey (Approximately)
- 1 1/2 Cups Cold Water
- 4 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 2 Teaspoons Dried Parsley
- 1 Teaspoon Dried Minced Onion
- 1/4 Teaspoon Finely Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Cup Celery, Finely Chopped
- 1 (6-oz.) Box Chicken Stove Top Stuffing Mix
Directions:
- Place the raisins in a small bowl and pour enough whiskey over them to cover the raisins completely. Allow the raisins to soak for at least 4 hours.
- Drain the raisins after soaking them for at least 4 hours; set aside.
- Place the water, butter, parsley, and minced onions into a large bowl. Microwave the mixture for 3 minutes, or until the butter completely melts.
- Add the pepper to the water mixture; mix to combine.
- Add the drained raisins, celery, and stuffing mix to the water mixture. Stir to combine. Allow the stuffing to rest while the oven preheats.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- When the oven is preheated, use an ice cream scoop to scoop the stuffing out into mounds and place the mounds in an 8x8 glass baking dish.
- Tightly cover the baking dish with foil and bake the stuffing for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake the stuffing for an additional 10 to 15 minutes or until lightly toasted.
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In 2024, we’ll be cooking and baking our way through the alphabet with several of our food blogger friends. Every other Wednesday, for the 2024 Alphabet Challenge, we’ll be sharing a new recipe featuring a consecutive letter of the alphabet, starting with A in January and ending with Z in December.
“A” – Dried Apple & Bourbon Oven-Baked Sauerkraut
“B” – Spicy Barbecue Seasoned Rice Chex Mix
“C” – Dove Dark Chocolate Chunk Cakey Muffins
“D” – Italian Deviled Eggs with Heart-Shaped Tomatoes
“E” – Buttery Everything Bagel Seasoning Biscuits
“F” – Butternut Squash Soup with French Herbes
“G” – Creamy Simple Stovetop Gouda Mac & Cheese
“H” – Sweet Honey Deviled Eggs with Fennel Fronds
“I” – Orange & Feta Italian Orzo Pasta Salad
“J” – Brown Sugar Caribbean Jerk Seasoning
“K” – Kalamata, Mozzarella, & Tomato Couscous Salad
“L” – Fresh Dill Deviled Eggs with a Hint of Lemon
“M” – Chocolate Chunk Cookies with Fresh Mint
“N” – Great Northern Bean Summer Caprese Salad
“O” – Firecracker Oatmeal Peanut Butter Blossoms
“P” – Creamy Potato Salad with Crunchy Fennel
“Q” – Butternut Squash Taco Ravioli with Queso Fresco
“R” – Cheeseburger Broccoli Rice Soup Casserole
“S” – Sweet Whiskey Skillet Teriyaki Chicken
“T” – Baked Chicken Tenders with Crushed Fritos
“U” – Unsweetened Coconut Oatmeal Peach Crisp
“V” – Sweet & Spicy Balsamic Vinegar Deviled Eggs
“W” – Whiskey-Soaked Raisin Baked Stove Top Stuffing
“X” – X’s & O’s (Hugs & Kisses) Brown Sugar Cookies
Please make sure to check out the other great “W” recipes below. A huge thanks to A Day in the Life on the Farm for hosting this 2024 Alphabet Challenge event.
- Cheesy Wafer Pav by Sneha’s Recipe
- Homemade Wonton Soup by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
- Honey Walnut Brittle by Food Lust People Love
- Roasted Watermelon Radish with Maple-Kissed Tahini Sauce by Culinary Cam
- Salted Caramel Whiskey Espresso Cocktail by A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Slow Cooker Ham and White Bean Soup by Blogghetti
- Walnut Chocolate Tartlets by Mayuri’s Jikoni
- Whiskey-Soaked Raisin Baked Stove Top Stuffing by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
- Whiskey Sriracha Caramel Corn by A Messy Kitchen
- Whole Wheat Waffles by Jolene’s Recipe Journal
- Wintermelon Whole Wheat Parantha by Magical Ingredients
