{"id":49891,"date":"2018-01-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-09T00:20:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/origin-www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/chestnut-dressing\/"},"modified":"2025-02-18T14:06:42","modified_gmt":"2025-02-18T20:06:42","slug":"chestnut-dressing","status":"publish","type":"recipe","link":"https:\/\/www.tasteofhome.com\/recipes\/chestnut-dressing\/","title":{"rendered":"Chestnut Stuffing"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost cooking chestnut stuffing on the stove. …<\/em><\/p>\n

Okay, so maybe those aren’t exactly the right lyrics, but when someone says “chestnuts,” it’s the first thing we think of\u2014and for good reason! This chestnut dressing is one of our very favorite stuffing recipes<\/a> ever.<\/p>\n

Long associated with Thanksgiving dinners<\/a>, the first chestnut stuffing recipe appeared in a publication back in 1772. The recipe was the gold standard for holiday stuffing until the early 20th century when chestnut blight wiped out a large majority of American chestnut trees. This singular event caused chestnuts to become increasingly scarce and expensive, so the recipe lost favor to others (like this cornbread dressing<\/a>) in modern times.<\/p>\n

Luckily, global trade has stepped in. Today, chestnuts imported from Italy and Asia can be found in most major supermarkets or online.<\/p>\n

What are chestnuts?<\/h2>\n

Chestnuts are edible nuts from deciduous trees in the genus Castanea and are part of the same family as oak and beech trees. The nuts come housed in a smooth shell (like hazelnuts) and are almost always boiled or roasted before being eaten. Raw chestnuts have a starchy, potato-like texture. In fact, due to their low-fat, high-carb composition, many describe chestnuts as a grain that grows on a tree. In terms of taste, chestnuts have a sweet flavor that pairs nicely with poultry, wild game or pork.<\/p>\n

Ingredients for Chestnut Stuffing<\/h2>\n