The perfect stuffed turkey for your Thanksgiving: authentic flavors, tradition, and togetherness.
Thanksgiving is much more than just a dinner: it’s a moment of sharing, gratitude, and aromas that warm the heart.
If you also want to serve a dish that tells a story, this stuffed turkey recipe is what you need.
Prepared with simple yet flavorful ingredients, this main course is the beating heart of Thanksgiving.
Stuffed Turkey: Thanksgiving Inspiration, is a dish that can be served on special occasions, Sunday meals, Christmas feasts, or for a special dinner. This stuffed turkey will captivate everyone at first taste.
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- Difficulty: Medium
- Cost: Medium
- Rest time: 1 Day
- Preparation time: 1 Hour
- Portions: 6 People
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: American
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients
- 6.6 lbs whole turkey
- 3 quarts water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 yellow onion
- 1 clove garlic
- 5 leaves bay leaves
- 3 sprigs thyme
- 1 tablespoon whole peppercorns
- 3 carrots
- 1/2 cup coarse salt
- to taste fine salt
- 1 stalk celery
- 7 juniper berries
- 3 sprigs rosemary
- 6 leaves sage
- to taste fresh ground pepper
- 7 cups bread crumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1 celery, carrot, onion
- 1 Renetta apple
- 10 chestnuts, boiled
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries (dehydrated)
- to taste thyme and sage
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 cup smoked bacon (cubed)
- to taste salt
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- to taste pepper
- 8 dried plums (pitted)
- 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
- to taste sage, bay leaves, rosemary, thyme (mixed herbs)
- to taste salt
- to taste pepper
- to taste turkey drippings
- to taste marinated vegetables
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- to taste cold butter
- to taste cranberry sauce
- 2
Tools
- 1 Wooden Spoon 4x Kitchen Spoons
- 1 Baking Tray paderno
- 1 Mixer braun
Preparation
For the marinade, dissolve in water, salt, sugar, herbs, garlic, whole peppercorns, juniper berries;
Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes until the salt and sugar are dissolved;
Remove the pot from heat and let cool;
Place the turkey in a large container and pour in the cooled marinade;
Cover with plastic wrap, refrigerate for 24 hours,
The next day, drain the turkey and set aside the herbs to use in cooking;
Pat the turkey dry with paper towels, then season inside and out with salt and pepper;
FOR THE STUFFING: in a pan, brown the bacon in 2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil;
After 1 minute, add thinly sliced celery, carrot, and onion, and cook slowly for 10 minutes;
Add the dried cranberries, prunes, and apple, all diced small, and cook for another 5 minutes on low heat;
Mix well with the wooden spoon;
Soak the bread, squeeze it well;
Place the softened stuffing in a bowl, add the squeezed bread, and mix in the eggs and grated cheese;
Finally, add chopped thyme and sage, salt, and mix carefully;
Place the stuffing inside the turkey using a spoon to reach down to the bottom;
Once filled, sew the opening with a kitchen needle and thread;
For the butter topping: in a bowl, place cubed butter, herbs, salt, and pepper. Mix with a spatula to obtain a creamy and homogeneous mixture;
In a baking dish, arrange the marinated vegetables and drizzle with some oil;
Place a rack over the vegetable tray and place the turkey on it, then massage the skin with the previously prepared butter cream;
Cook at 320°F for 3 hours, basting the turkey occasionally with the drippings and a couple of ladles of vegetable broth;
After 3 hours, cover the turkey with aluminum foil and cook for another 1.5 hours at 356°F;
Turn off and leave the turkey in the slightly open oven;
To prepare the Gravy: place the vegetables with the drippings in a mixer cup and blend;
Transfer the obtained liquid to a saucepan and add 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, and thicken by stirring, over low heat;
Turn off and incorporate a knob of butter;
Serve on a platter with Gravy sauce, cranberries, or as a side with potatoes.
If you like, you can replace the bacon with sausage;
The leftover turkey can be stored in the fridge in a well-sealed container for at least 2 days.
