A classic Southern collard greens recipe flavored with smoky bacon and sweet onion!
Table of Contents
If you’re looking for even more classic Southern side dish recipes, be sure to try Grandma’s old-fashioned corn sticks, this popular squash casserole, our favorite okra and tomatoes, a pot of Southern-style green beans, a dump-and-bake vegetable casserole, and this Charleston red rice, too!
Loved these greens! So flavorful! I only did half the recipe for my little family and used leftover ham, and it was perfect.
– Cassie
Southerners love their greens — from turnip greens and mustard greens to kale, cabbage, and collards! While every home cook has her favorite version, this Southern collard greens recipe is definitely one of the best. It stays true to the classic flavors, ingredients, and preparation, as the tough greens are slowly braised in a rich pot liquor (or “pot likker”) that’s flavored with smoky meat. We love bacon, but a smoked ham hock is also a great option!
What to Know Before You Get Started
- It’s important to clean greens really well before using, since dirt, grit, sand, and soil can get trapped in them. To clean them, fill a sink or large bowl with cold water. Add the greens and swish them around so that any dirt falls to the bottom of the sink. Pull out the greens, rinse out the sink, and repeat the process until the greens are completely clean. Remove any large stems, and chop the dark green leaves.
- Buy pre-washed and pre-chopped collard greens for a shortcut.
- Braising the collard greens slowly over low heat until they’re incredibly tender takes some of the bitterness out of the vegetable. Adding salt, acid (in this case, vinegar), and a touch of sugar also helps to eliminate that bitter taste, giving the dish a more balanced, complex flavor.
- Hickory smoked bacon lends a rich, smoky flavor to the pot. You can substitute with a smoked ham hock or other smoked meat if you prefer.
How to Cook Collard Greens in Chicken Broth
These Southern style collard greens are so simple to prepare, and then the stovetop does the work! You’ll find detailed instructions in the recipe card below, but here’s the quick version for one of our favorite Southern cuisine staples:
- Cook the bacon in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat for 10-12 minutes (or until almost crisp).
- Add the onion, and sauté in the bacon grease for 7-8 more minutes.
- Stir in the garlic, and sauté for 1 more minute.
- Add chicken broth, collard greens, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
- Simmer the liquid for about 90 minutes, or until the collards reach the desired level of tenderness. Adjust the total cooking time to suit you preferences. An hour might be sufficient if you like slightly more crisp greens, while a full 2 hours might be necessary for really tender, broken-down collards. That’s the beauty of using a Dutch oven (rather than a slow cooker or Instant pot) — you have full control and can easily take them off of the heat when necessary.
- For a spicy “kick,” garnish the greens with crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
Serving Suggestions
Serve your greens as a main dish with a skillet of Southern cornbread or this 3-ingredient biscuit recipe for soaking up the pot like, ham and cheese casserole or scalloped potatoes and ham after the holidays, or pair them with black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day as a traditional “lucky” food for prosperity in the year ahead. They’re great year-round alongside southern shrimp and grits, fried shrimp, this easy chicken pot pie with biscuits, old fashioned chicken pot pie, chicken and biscuits, Bisquick chicken and dumplings, chicken cornbread casserole, Crock Pot beer pulled pork with maple bbq sauce, pan fried pork chops, Dr. Pepper pulled pork, grilled beef tenderloin, fried chicken, baked bbq chicken breast, oven bbq chicken thighs, Cajun chicken pasta, this New Orleans BBQ shrimp recipe, oven fried fish, Dijon mustard salmon, or on a holiday table with your Thanksgiving turkey, baked Christmas ham, or oven baked ham. However you enjoy it, don’t forget to add a glass of sweet tea, too!
Preparation and Storage Tips
- Make Ahead: Prepare these collard greens at least 1-2 days in advance. Keep them in the refrigerator and just reheat over low heat on the stovetop when you’re ready to serve them.
- How to Store: Leftover cooked collards will keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 4-5 days. You can also freeze the collard greens with the pot liquor in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months.
- How to Reheat: Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat gently on the stovetop. You can also reheat individual servings in the microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until warm.
Made a half batch of this to go with your black eyed peas for New Year’s dinner. Loved how simple this is, especially since I used the already prepped collards. Flavor is spot on…
– Norma
Did you make this recipe?
If you enjoyed this recipe, please leave a comment with a 5-star review at the bottom of the post. Thank you!
Southern Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 8 ounces hickory smoked bacon, chopped
- 1 medium sweet onion, diced
- 1 ½ tablespoons minced garlic (about 3-4 large cloves garlic)
- 48 ounces chicken broth
- 2 lbs. fresh collard greens, trimmed and washed
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- Optional garnish: crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce
Instructions
- Cook bacon in a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium heat for 10-12 minutes, or until almost crisp. Add onion, and sauté until translucent, about 7-8 minutes.
- Stir in garlic and sauté 1 more minute. Add broth, collard greens, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Use a wooden spoon to stir, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
- Simmer (uncovered) over low heat for about 1 ½ hours, stirring occasionally (or until collards reach desired level of tenderness). Taste and season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary. Garnish with crushed red pepper flakes or hot sauce.
Notes
- Buy pre-washed and pre-chopped collard greens for a shortcut. If you choose to wash and trim your own greens, be sure that you rinse them really well to get out any sand or sediment in the leaves.
- Adjust the total cooking time to suit you preferences. An hour might be sufficient if you like slightly more crisp greens, while a full 2 hours might be necessary for really tender, broken-down collards. That’s the beauty of using a Dutch oven (rather than a slow cooker or Instant pot) — you have full control and can easily take them off of the heat when necessary.
- Recipe adapted from Southern Living
Nutrition
Southern Collard Greens Recipe Variations
- Instead of a bacon, add flavor to the collards with a different smoked meat, such as a smoked ham hock, ham bone, smoked sausage, smoked turkey wings, a smoked turkey leg, or smoked pork neck bones.
- Give the greens even more smoky flavor by adding a dash of smoked paprika to the broth.
- Brown sugar is a fine substitute for the white sugar.
- Herbs: add some fresh (or dried) herbs to the pot of beans, such as thyme, oregano, or rosemary.
- Instead of vinegar, add a squeeze of lemon juice to the pot for an acidic touch.
- Swap out the chicken broth and use vegetable broth instead.
More Southern Collard Greens Recipes
Southern Baked Bean Casserole (One-Pan)
30 minutes mins
Southern Black Eyed Pea Soup
10 hours hrs 45 minutes mins
Sweet and Spicy Collard Greens with Bacon
1 hour hr 10 minutes mins
This recipe was originally published in January, 2019. It was updated in November, 2024.
Made a half batch of this to go with your black eyed peas for New Year’s dinner. Loved how simple this is, especially since I used the already prepped collards. Flavor is spot on. One thing I really like about collards is you can cook them for a shorter time or a longer time and while the flavor is mostly the same the texture is a little different. I love it both ways, so I cook the first meal so it’s still got a freshness to it; when I have it leftover I cook it longer and it starts getting softer. Very good!!! I think next time I might try cooking in the slow cooker or Instant Pot to see how it comes out and also so I can just get it in a pot and then walk away. Thanks, Blair!
Awesome! I love these greens, and I’m so happy that you enjoyed them too, Norma. Thanks for your kind note!
I LOVE collard greens and your recipe looks spot on all except for one thing. Instead of adding any sugar or vinegar we cut up a head of cabbage into bite sized pieces. The cabbage adds just the right amount of sweetness to take away any bitterness from the greens. Try it, I’m sure you will like it.
Oh, wow — I love cabbage, but I’ve never heard of using it in this way. Sounds great, Denise! 🙂
thank you i have been looking for a good way to fix collard greens it took me a very long time to even try them now i love them i’m 72 years young lol thank you for sharing this recipe stay safe and may god bless you and all you love have a blessed day
Wonderful, Jean! I hope you love them! 🙂
I am sure going to try
Excellent! Hope you enjoy!
love greens of any sort. this sounds great thanks
Thanks, Jean!
Loved these greens! So flavorful! I only did half the recipe for my little family and used leftover ham, and it was perfect.
Thanks, Cassie! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it, and that it worked with what you had on hand. Thanks for your note!
Excellent collards recipe!!! I use smoked turkey wings and collards from my garden. My husband says these are the best collards he’s ever had, and he is 81 yrs old, so you know he’s had ALOT of collards!
We’re so happy to hear this, Lynnie! Thank you for trying them out and taking the time to leave a review.