Dolly Parton's culinary preferences leaned heavily into the rich traditions of Southern cooking, with favorites like chicken and dumplings, biscuits and gravy, and chess pie reflecting her Tennessee roots. Parton, who grew up as one of 12 children in a family where the kitchen was central to life, often spoke of learning to cook from relatives and embraced the use of ingredients that defined soulful, homemade fare.
"We were born cooking, as they say," Parton told Food Network. "All of my life, I remember being in the kitchen with somebody because life just centered around the kitchen."
She noted her fondness for using butter and a bit of grease, particularly bacon grease, to achieve the authentic flavors she loved. "If I were giving you tips, I'd probably get a notice from the health department because I like to use a lot of butter," she said. "You've got to use a little bit of the things that really make things taste good if you're going after that soul food, so to speak. You've gotta use some grease — bacon grease, mainly."
Parton, who described herself as a good, though not gourmet, cook, published two cookbooks: "Dolly's Dixie Fixin's" in 2006 and "Good Lookin' Cookin'" in 2024 with her sister Rachel Parton George. She also leant her name to various food products, including cake mixes and frozen meals.
Chicken and dumplings was a dish Parton associated deeply with her mother. "When I think about my mama, I think about some chicken and dumplings," she told Country Living. While she acknowledged it could take all day to prepare her version, she attributed its success to a secret ingredient: love. A recipe associated with her from a 1989 publication involved simmering a whole chicken with aromatics.
Biscuits and gravy were another staple, particularly for breakfast. Parton expressed a particular fondness for buttermilk biscuits, a Southern specialty. "I love it all. I eat gravy and biscuits at least once a week for breakfast with sausage or whatever," she said, also noting that she enjoyed biscuits with apple butter, jam, or jelly.
Though she considered herself more of a cook than a baker, banana pudding was a cherished dessert. "Everybody loves banana pudding," Parton remarked. "That was always one of my favorite things, a big old bowl of banana puddin'." Her mother's method inspired a recipe in "Dolly's Dixie Fixin's."
Potatoes, in any form—french fries, mashed, or baked—were admitted to be a weakness. Parton recalled mayonnaise-based potato salad as a go-to dish for barbecues and a highlight of childhood Sunday meals with fried chicken.
Roast pork, especially the fattier cuts, was another favorite, as Parton told The New York Times in 1992 that she enjoyed serving it with sides like green beans, turnip greens, and fried okra.
Her favorite pie was chess pie, a classic Southern custard dessert. "I don't eat much cake," she stated. "I usually have pie on my birthday. My favorite pie is chess pie. That is 'chess,' not 'chest,' pie."