Stuffed Hen is considered the main dish for Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve in many Nicaraguan families.
In reality, it is a traditional dish popular in various Latin American countries, featuring:
• a whole hen (or sometimes free-range chicken), deboned or partially deboned.
• a flavorful stuffing and baked or boiled and then browned.
Recipes vary greatly from country to country, from family to family, so there isn’t a ‘universal and fixed’ version with always identical ingredients.
The recipe has its roots in Spanish colonial traditions, where stuffed animals (like capon or turkey) with complex sweet and savory fillings were prepared for major religious celebrations.
Spanish colonists brought these customs to Latin America, where they were adapted to local ingredients.
In the absence of turkey, it became common to use hen or chicken, which were more affordable and available.
It is a symbol of abundance, family, and sharing.
The rich stuffing, often with ground pork, or a mix of pork and beef, rice, vegetables, spices, boiled eggs, dried fruit, and raisins, represents the generosity of the Christmas table.
The slow cooking, elaborate stuffing, and presentation at the center of the table make it an important dish, often prepared only for very special occasions like Nochebuena (Christmas Eve).
It is a dish to share: after dinner, if a neighbor passes by, they are often offered a plate — generosity is part of the Christmas tradition.
- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 2 Hours
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 10People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Latin American
- Seasonality: New Year, Christmas
Ingredients
- 6.6 lbs hen
- to taste vegetable oil
- 1 cup citrus juice (or mojo criollo)
- 3 onions
- 2 leaves bay leaves
- 8 cloves garlic (crushed)
- to taste spices (cumin, pepper, paprika, coriander)
- to taste oregano
- to taste salt
- 100 g spring onion
- 2 cloves garlic (chopped)
- 50 g sweet pepper
- 1 carrot
- 1 chayote
- 30 g celery (chopped)
- 10.6 oz ground pork shoulder (or pork and beef mix)
- to taste cumin
- to taste oregano
- 100 g cooked rice (long grain)
- 1 leaf bay leaf
- 3.4 fl oz chicken broth
- 50 g pitted green olives
- to taste raisins
- to taste parsley
- to taste salt and pepper
- 3 hard-boiled eggs
Tools
- 1 Kitchen Twine
- 10 Skewers
Steps
1. Hen Marinade
In a mortar or blender, crush/garlic + onion + oregano + citrus juice and zest or mojo criollo + a little oil + salt and spices.
Clean the hen’s cavity, removing excess fat. Rub the marinade inside and out of the hen.
Place the hen in a large plastic bag (or a covered bowl) and let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.
2. Stuffing Preparation
In a large pan with oil, sauté the diced meat until golden. Set aside.
In the same pan, add more oil, sauté onion and garlic, then add carrot and chayote, diced sweet pepper (chiltoma), cumin, oregano, salt, and pepper. Cook for a few minutes, then add the cooked rice and bay leaf, finally the broth. Cook for 15 minutes.
Add olives, raisins (or dried fruit), and parsley. Mix well.
Let the stuffing cool to room temperature.
3. Filling and Cooking the Hen
Preheat the oven to about 356°F.
Fill the hen’s cavity with the prepared stuffing with the addition of crumbled boiled eggs; tie the legs and tuck the wings under the body (you can use kitchen twine or skewers).
Place the hen in a baking dish, cover with foil, and bake for about 2 hours.
After 2 hours, remove the foil, brush with butter or oil (optional), and bake for another 30 minutes until the skin is golden and crispy and the meat is well cooked (internal temperature at least 165°F).
Let rest 10 minutes before carving and serving.
Serve the hen cut into pieces, accompanied by white rice, salad, red beans (habichuelas), or potatoes — according to Nicaraguan Christmas tradition.
