A favorite and easy recipe these Southern Collard Greens take minimal ingredients and cook low and slow making a delicious and tasty side dish.
These Collard Greens are by far better than anything you can get at a restaurant. Or, any restaurant that I have had them at, that is.
Normally when I order them they end up coming out flavorless. Even at one of my favorite southern restaurants, Cracker Barrel where you would think they would nail this one.
Now, no offense to any of you that like this sort of thing, it just isn’t what I fancy. So here I have a flavorful Southern staple my way!
Call me picky, but trust me once you try my Southern Collard Greens you will never want to make them any other way again!
I love how super simple they are and how you really just have to let everything simmer with minimal work but you have an amazing dish at the end.
Some of my other favorite southern type recipes I have on my site include Fried Chicken, Southern Style Green Beans and Mini Banana Puddings.
WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS:
- Minimal ingredients are all it takes for this recipe.
- It cooks low and slow to create that delicious flavor you’re looking for.
- You can use fresh or bagged and chopped collards for ease.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED (FULL RECIPE BELOW):
- Ham hocks
- Vegetable oil
- Unsalted chicken stock
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Collard greens
- Seasoned salt
- Pepper
- Unsalted butter
HOW TO MAKE SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS:
- Score the ham hocks in a diamond pattern, cutting through the skin to expose the meat.
- In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and sear the ham hocks on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
- Add the chicken stock, garlic powder, and onion powder, stir in the seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Take the ham hocks out and place them on a plate to cool.
- While the ham hocks cool, add the collards to the pot. Stir in the seasoned salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once the ham hocks are cool to the touch, pick the meat off the bone. Discard the bone, skin, and gristle. Add the meat to the pot with the collards at any time then add in the butter.
- Stir everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
WHAT ARE COLLARD GREENS?
If you aren’t familiar with collard greens, collards are a member of the cabbage family and are traditionally used in southern cooking.
They contain dark green leaves with hard stems that are broken off before cooking or consuming. They have a flavor that is reminiscent of kale or Swiss chard.
IS FRESH OR BAGGED BETTER?
Either is perfectly fine for this recipe. Bagged is so much easier as everything is broken down for you and cuts down on the prep work. Bagged collard greens are still fresh, just cut up and ready to go!
But if you would rather use fresh or whole leaves, that is perfectly fine, we have used both for this recipe many times as it is a staple and sometimes we can find one and not the other.
WHERE CAN I FIND HAM HOCKS?
Usually, these are easy to find at your local grocer next to the ham steaks. If they are not there you can check at the butcher counter.
HOW TO STORE:
Store any leftovers in an airtight container and place them in the refrigerator and they should keep for up to 3-4 days for maximum flavor.
These can also be frozen! Let them completely cool then place them into an airtight container and place them in the freezer
Collard greens will last in the freezer for up to three months.
TIPS AND TRICKS:
- We used bagged and chopped collard greens for convenience, you can use fresh as well.
- Do not forget to score your ham hock, this will help your meat come loose when removing.
- Use unsalted stock and butter, this will be salty enough with the ham and seasonings added.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- These are cooked low and slow, do not try to rush this recipe.
Looking for an easy and delicious side dish then you absolutely have to make these Southern Collard Greens! You won’t be disappointed.
If you like this recipe you might also like:
- Italian Stuffed Mushrooms Recipe (Stuffed with Meatballs)
-
Oven Roasted Brussel Sprouts - Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
If you’ve tried these SOUTHERN COLLARD GREENS let me know in the comments how it turned out! You can follow me over on PINTEREST, INSTAGRAM OR FACEBOOK to find some more of our mouthwatering recipes!
Southern Collard Greens
Ingredients
- 2 ham hocks
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 64 ounces unsalted chicken stock
- 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
- 2 Tablespoons onion powder
- 2 pounds collard greens bagged already chopped and rinsed for you or fresh if desired.
- 1 Tablespoon seasoned salt
- 1 teaspoon fresh black pepper
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
Instructions
- Score the ham hocks in a diamond pattern, cutting through the skin to expose the meat.
- In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the oil and sear the ham hocks on all sides, about 5 minutes total.
- Add the chicken stock, garlic powder, and onion powder, stir in the seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 2 hours. Take the ham hocks out and place them on a plate to cool.
- While the ham hocks cool, add the collards to the pot. Stir in the seasoned salt and black pepper. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Once the ham hocks are cool to the touch, pick the meat off the bone. Discard the bone, skin, and gristle. Add the meat to the pot with the collards at any time then add in the butter.
- Stir everything together. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.
Video
Notes
- We used bagged and chopped collard greens for convenience, you can use fresh as well.
- Do not forget to score your ham hock, this will help your meat come loose when removing
- Use unsalted stock and butter, this will be salty enough with the ham and seasonings added.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
- These are cooked low and slow, do not try to rush this recipe.
Nutrition
Comments & Reviews
Liz says
I had my first collard greens this spring in Savannah…so yummy! I’m glad I now have a tried and true recipe so I can prepare my own 🙂
Dana DeVolk says
Ooh, I love Savannah! Thanks!
Dale says
They look yummy!! I know it’s not a smell from food, but whenever I smell freshly cut grass I think of my grandparents summer house on the Fox River in Haeger’s Bend, Illinois!
Dana DeVolk says
I love that smell, too!
Ashley says
I want to make these for new years’s tomorrow! How many servings does this recipe make??
Dana DeVolk says
The whole batch will easily feed 8 people.
T'onna says
I love collard greens, especially with my holiday meals! Yummy! I’ve cooked mine with ham or bacon. I haven’t tried ham hocks yet.
Jennifer says
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Can you specify how many cups of chicken broth you use? Or what size containers? Thanks.
Dana DeVolk says
Two 32 oz boxes, make sure they are low sodium! Thanks!
Denny says
I made greens once using the “pre-cut & bagged” to save time. I had an old southern cook as a mentor and let her try some. She said to never use the pre-cut because there is too much stem left. The leaf is cut horizontally by machine instead of the old fashioned way of peeling the leaf off vertically from the base. It is time consuming but makes a better bunch of greens with no stem!
Melody Boyd says
I tried it for the first time, I didn’t have 2 hours (more like 20 minutes) so I used my pressure cooker. It was AMAZING! So yummy! hubba liked it too.
Maggie says
If I were to make a head of time, say 2/3 days, how would you suggest I warm it back up?
Dana DeVolk says
Whenever I make these, I usually make them ahead as well. I just keep them in the pot I cooked them in in the fridge until I’m ready to heat them back up. Put the pot back on the stove and slowly bring it back up to a simmer. That’s it!
Daryl Pauley says
I made up my own recipe because I had no idea how to make collard greens. I used bacon, 1/4 lb. chopped to small pieces. Fried the bacon. Added olive oil and after cutting up the greens, fried/cooked them in bacon grease and olive oil. ( I had access to collards, mustard, and turnip greens priced at .28 cents a bunch. This store gets a lot of produce refused by larger stores. Always fresh. ) I used the same spices you used since those sounded natural and I like and use them in numerous dishes. I didn’t use butter or chicken stock. I figured the bacon didn’t need any help clogging my arteries. Minimum of seasoned salt again because of salt in bacon. I use plenty of pepper cause I like it. I did both the onion and garlic powder. I am willing to try real garlic and onion, though I don’t know if that will create a negative effect. I cooked in a big black skillet with a lid to capture condensed moisture for a while, 2/3 hours, I guess. With an hour, half-hour left I added a capful of apple cider vinegar, a hint of vinegary taste only. It took 2 days of 4 meals total to finish the whole batch. Um um, good.
LaWanna Reece says
I have finally got to grow collards in my garden, raised in Oklahoma what what I considered southern, I’m really excited. But my question is I would like to do this in a roaster and then can a bunch as well as have some for the table. I’ve canned spinach and Swiss chard with great results adding other spices when reheating. Can I do the same with the collards after all the ingredients are added
Dana DeVolk says
I’ve never canned these so I can’t say for certain, but I don’t think there would be an issue.