Best Stuffed Turkey Recipes

EASY BEGINNER'S TURKEY WITH STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Rinse turkey, remove giblets and place in a shallow roasting pan.
• Prepare stuffing according to package directions. Mix in water.
• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, and slowly cook and stir the celery and onion until tender.
• Mix celery, onion, and toasted bread pieces into the stuffing, and season with salt and pepper. Loosely scoop stuffing into the turkey body cavity and neck cavity. Rub the exterior of the turkey with vegetable oil.
• Loosely cover turkey with aluminum foil, and roast 3 1/2 to 4 hours in the preheated oven, until the thickest part of the thigh reaches 180 degrees F (85 degrees C) and the interior of the stuffing reaches 165 degrees F (70 degrees C). Remove foil during the last half hour of cooking to brown the bird.

CLASSIC STUFFED TURKEY

Steps:

• In a large skillet, saute the onions, celery and mushrooms in butter until tender. Add broth and seasonings; mix well. Place bread cubes in a large bowl; add mushroom mixture and toss to coat. Stir in enough warm water to reach desired moistness. , Just before baking, loosely stuff turkey. Place any remaining stuffing in a greased baking dish; cover and refrigerate until ready to bake. Skewer turkey openings; tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush with melted butter., Bake turkey, uncovered, at 325° for 3-3/4 to 4-1/2 hours or until a thermometer reads 180° for the turkey and 165° for the stuffing, basting occasionally with pan drippings. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), Bake additional stuffing, covered, for 30-40 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes longer or until lightly browned. Cover turkey with foil and let stand for 20 minutes before removing stuffing and carving. If desired, thicken pan drippings for gravy.

TURKEY WITH STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Place the turkey into a deep, high-sided bowl on its end with the stuffing end up. Set aside.
• Heat the chicken broth in the microwave in a large microwave-proof container. Place mushrooms in a glass bowl and pour heated broth over them. Cover and allow to sit for 35 minutes.
• In a large mixing bowl toss the onion, celery, and green pepper with the oil and salt. Place the vegetables on a sheet pan and roast for 35 minutes. During the last 10 minutes of cooking, spread the cubed bread over the vegetables, return to the oven, and continue cooking.
• Drain mushrooms, reserving 1 cup of liquid. Chop the mushrooms and place in a large
• microwave-proof bowl with the vegetables and bread, reserved chicken stock, cherries, pecans, eggs, sage, parsley and black pepper. Stir well in order to break up pieces of bread. Use your hands to combine, if necessary. Heat the stuffing in a microwave on high power for 6 minutes.
• While the stuffing is heating, rub the bird with oil. Working quickly, place the stuffing into the cavity of the turkey to avoid losing heat. Place the turkey into a roasting pan, on a rack, and season with salt and pepper. Place the roasting pan on the middle rack of the oven. Roast for 45 minutes and then reduce the heat to 350 degrees F and cook for another 60 to 75 minutes or until the bird reaches an internal temperature of 170 degrees F. Serve immediately.

STUFFED TURKEY BREAST

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Add the butter to a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once melted and foaming, add the onion, celery, and garlic and saute until tender, about 3 minutes. Season the mixture with salt and pepper. Add the sausage to the pan and immediately begin breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon so it will cook down and crumble. Cook the sausage until it's browned, about 6 minutes, then add the cranberries, sage, rosemary and thyme and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes. Stir in the white wine and use your wooden spoon to scrape up the bottom of the pan for any stuck bits. Let cook for 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
• Add the bread cubes to a large bowl and add the chicken broth, beaten egg, sausage mixture, and chopped parsley and stir all together so all the bread is soft and moistened. Let cool as you prep the turkey.
• Lay the turkey breast skin-side-down on your work surface and season the meat with salt and pepper. Add a layer of the stuffing about 1/2-inch thick across the turkey breast, leaving a 1/2-inch border. The extra stuffing can be placed in an 8-inch-by-8-inch-buttered casserole dish and baked the last 40 minutes of cooking.
• Carefully roll the turkey up into a cylinder. Tie the roll with butcher's twine with about 1-inch between each knot. Trim the strings after tying. Place the turkey seam-side-down on a baking sheet covered with foil and fitted with a baking rack. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil, rub into the skin, then season well with salt and pepper.
• Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour 15 minutes, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the roll reads 155 degrees F. Remove the turkey from the oven and let rest, loosely tented with foil for 15 minutes. The turkey will rise in temperature as it rests to 165 degrees F. Snip the butcher's twine and slice the roll into 1-inch thick slices, place on a platter, and garnish with fresh rosemary and sage.

EASY TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• In 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, celery and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender.
• In large bowl, mix bread cubes, parsley, poultry seasoning, salt and pepper. Add broth and butter-onion mixture, stirring until desired moistness (stuffing will become a little more moist during roasting because it will absorb juices from turkey).
• Use to stuff 1 (14- to 18-lb) turkey. After stuffing turkey, place any remaining stuffing in 1- or 2-quart casserole that has been sprayed with cooking spray; cover and refrigerate. Bake stuffing in casserole with turkey for last 35 to 40 minutes of roasting time or until thoroughly heated.

SIMPLE TURKEY STUFFING

Steps:

• In a large saute pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and fennel; season with salt and pepper. Add rosemary and sage. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft and golden, about 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook sausage in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes.
• Using your fingers, break chestnuts into large pieces. Stir chestnuts and sausage into the vegetables. Transfer mixture to a large bowl. Add bread cubes; toss well to combine.
• Drizzle 2 cups stock over mixture, tossing to moisten evenly. Use additional stock if necessary. (The mixture should feel quite moist when squeezed.) Season with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley.
• Place the stuffing in a buttered 2 1/2- to 3-quart shallow baking dish or in an ovenproof gratin dish.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake stuffing until heated through and top is browned and crusty, 35 to 45 minutes. Serve hot.

BEST STUFFED TURKEY

Steps:

• - Mix the brine together, use warm water to incorporate - Clean the Bird - Using a food safe large trash bag, put bird in meat crisper box of the refrigerator, breast side down - Pore brine mix into bag with bird and seal. - Let bird brine for 1 to 2 days Preparing the Stuffing: 1. Either dry the bread in the oven (300F for 10 min) or set out on counter over night. Cube with electric knife. 2. Saute' Onion and Celery in the butter for 10 min or until soft and onions are translucent. 3. Remove from heat and stir in dry ingredients 4. Put bread cubes in large stock pot or mixing bowl 5. Pore onion saute' over bread cubes and mix together. 6. If needed, add small amounts of Broth or water to moisten. Preparing the Bird: 1. Rinse the bird completely 2. Pat dry 3. Add small amount of stuffing in neck cavity the secure shut with stitching or skewers 4. Add stuffing to main body cavity and tuck drumsticks into skin flap at tail. 5. Remaining stuffing gets placed in casserole dish to cook separately 6. Coat bird with oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. 7. Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Place oiled, stuffed and seasoned bird in oven for 30 minutes. Reduce heat to finish the roast at 325 degrees F oven for 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees F (instant-read thermometer inserted into stuffing should register 165 degrees ). Uncover bird and cut band of skin or string between drumsticks after 2 hours. Uncover stuffing in casserole and add to oven the last 30 minutes of roasting. Remove bird from oven; cover. Let stand 15 minutes before carving. 8. If cooking stuffing separately, place stuffing in a 2-quart casserole dish. Bake, covered, for 30 to 45 minutes or until heated through.

THE BEST TURKEY DRESSING (STUFFING)

Steps:

• Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a large frying pan. Add onions. Cook over medium heat until onions are quite soft and tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer onions and butter to a large mixing bowl. Set aside. Melt another 6 tablespoons butter in the same frying pan. Add apple. Cook over medium heat, until lightly colored but not mushy. Transfer apples and butter to mixing bowl with onions.
• Crumble sausage into frying pan. Cook over medium heat, until lightly browned. With a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to mixing bowl. Reserve fat. Add remaining ingredients, except eggs and stock, to mixing bowl. Mix well. Add eggs. Mix. Add enough stock to bowl to make a moist, but not runny, mixture. Add fat to stuffing if desired. Stuff a 20-lb. turkey. If cooking dressing separately from turkey, pour fat over dressing in casserole. Bake at 325 degrees Fahrenheit for 45 minutes, or until nicely browned and cooked through.

ABSOLUTELY THE BEST STUFFING... EVER!

Steps:

• In a large bowl place the bread cubes; set aside. In large skillet, melt butter. Add bacon and sauté until bacon is cooked but not crisp.
• Add onion and celery, cook until the onions are almost translucent and bacon starts to crisp. Do not drain. Remove skillet from stove; allow 10 minutes or so to cool.
• Pour over bread cubes (with optional gizzards) and toss. It should be cool enough now to mix with hands (squishing like making a meatloaf). Stuff and tie turkey or chickens.
• Cook as directed for STUFFED turkey or chicken.

THANKSGIVING STUFFED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Reserve turkey giblets and neck; cover and refrigerate. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Melt 1/4 cup butter; brush over turkey. Sprinkle with seasonings., Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 4 to 4-1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes after the first hour. (Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly.), In a large skillet, heat remaining butter over medium heat; saute vegetables until tender. In a large bowl, combine bread cubes, parsley and onion mixture; stir in broth and egg substitute. Divide mixture between two greased 2-qt. baking dishes. Bake, covered, until a thermometer reads 165°, about 30 minutes. Uncover; bake 10 minutes., For gravy, place vegetables, seasonings, 4 cups water and reserved giblets and neck in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, covered, until giblets are tender, about 1 hour. Strain stock; return to pan., Remove turkey from oven; tent with foil. Let stand 20 minutes before carving. Skim fat from pan drippings; add remaining drippings and loosened browned bits from roasting pan to stock., Mix flour and remaining water until smooth; stir into stock mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve with turkey and stuffing.

CLASSIC ROAST TURKEY WITH HERBED STUFFING AND OLD-FASHIONED GRAVY

Steps:

• Place oven rack in lowest position and preheat oven to 325°F. Butter 8-inch square baking dish or 2-quart casserole. Lightly brush roasting rack with vegetable oil and place in roasting pan.
• Remove plastic or paper packet of giblets from turkey (usually in small cavity). Remove from packaging and rinse; reserve gizzard and heart; discard floppy, dark purple liver. Remove neck from large cavity. Remove from packaging, rinse, and reserve. Using tweezers or needlenose pliers, remove any feathers and quills still attached to skin (kosher turkeys tend to require this more than others). Pull off and reserve any visible pale yellow knobs of fat from either side of tail (not found on all birds).
• Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Loosely fill small (neck) cavity with stuffing. Fold neck skin under body and fasten with metal skewer. Loosely fill large body cavity with stuffing. Transfer remaining stuffing to buttered dish and drizzle with 1/4 cup stock. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
• Transfer turkey, breast-side up, to rack in roasting pan. Tuck wing tips under breast and tie drumsticks loosely together with kitchen string. Rub turkey all over with softened butter and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Tightly cover breast area with foil, leaving wings, thighs, and drumsticks exposed.
• Transfer gizzard, heart, neck, and reserved turkey fat to roasting pan around rack. Pour 2 cups stock into pan.
• Roast turkey 45 minutes. Baste with pan juices (lift up foil to reach breast area) and continue roasting, basting every 45 minutes, 1 1/2 hours more (2 1/4 hours total). Baste again and, if pan juices have evaporated into glaze, add 1 cup stock to pan. Roast another 45 minutes (3 hours total). Remove foil from breast area, baste, and add stock if necessary, until instant-read thermometer inserted into fleshy part of thigh (close to but not touching bone) registers 180°F, about 1 hour more (4 hours total).
• Insert instant-read thermometer into center of stuffing in body cavity. If thermometer does not read 165°F, transfer stuffing to microwave-safe baking dish and microwave on high until 165°F, about 3 minutes for 10 degrees. Cover and keep warm. Using turkey holders (or by inserting large metal serving spoon into body cavity), transfer turkey to large serving platter. Let stand 30 minutes before carving.
• Meanwhile, bake extra stuffing and make gravy: Raise oven temperature to 350°F. Remove giblets and neck from roasting pan and discard. Pour pan juices into measuring cup or gravy separator. Let stand until fat rises to top, 1 to 2 minutes, then skim off and reserve fat or, if using separator, carefully pour juices into measuring cup, reserving fat left in separator.
• Transfer foil-covered dish of extra stuffing to oven and bake 10 minutes. Meanwhile, add enough remaining stock to pan juices to total 4 cups. Measure turkey fat, adding melted butter if necessary to total 6 tablespoons. Straddle roasting pan across 2 burners on moderate heat and add fat. Whisk in flour, scraping up browned bits on bottom of pan, then cook, whisking constantly, 1 minute. Whisk in pan juice-stock mixture and bring to a boil, whisking often. Reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, whisking occasionally, until gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Whisk in remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and keep warm. (Gravy can be kept warm over very low heat, covered, up to 20 minutes. If it thickens, thin with additional stock before serving. If skin forms on top, whisk well to dissolve.)
• When extra stuffing has baked 10 minutes, remove foil and bake, uncovered, until heated through, about 10 minutes. Pour gravy through fine-mesh sieve into large bowl, then transfer to gravy boat. Carve turkey and serve gravy and stuffing alongside.
• Test-Kitchen Tips:
• •To combat dryness, most frozen turkeys and some fresh are injected with a saline solution. This is not a good thing, though: Injected birds generally lack flavor and can have a mushy texture. For this reason, we recommend buying a fresh turkey and checking the label to be sure there aren't any additives. (Look for the words "all natural.") Don't be too concerned, though, with the many other terms that can be applied to turkeys, such as free-range, organic, or heritage. All can be excellent.
• •When buying a fresh bird, be sure to purchase it no more than two days before Thanksgiving. If you must get a frozen bird, defrost it in the refrigerator in a pan to catch drips, allowing a full 24 hours for each 5 pounds.
• •Warm, moist stuffing is an optimal environment for bacteria such as salmonella or E. coli to multiply, so it's important to follow safe procedures. Be sure to make the stuffing at the last minute so it can go into the bird warm. This helps it move above the "danger zone" (the optimal temperature range for bacteria growth) more quickly during roasting. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the middle of the stuffing to make sure it's 165°F, the temperature at which bacteria will be killed. If it's not 165°F, scoop it out of the cavity and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
• •More stuffing tips: Be sure not to overpack the cavities, as the stuffing will expand during cooking. Loosely fill the turkey, then spread the extra in a casserole dish (no more than 2 inches deep) and bake it after the turkey comes out (be sure to refrigerate it until then to impede bacteria growth). Drizzle the portion in the casserole dish with extra stock to make up for the juices it won't get from the turkey. If you want the stuffing that's cooked inside the turkey to be extra-moist (as opposed to having a crisp crust where it's exposed), cover the exposed portion with a small piece of aluminum foil.
• •Opinions vary on whether or not to stuff the bird-some people think it can cause uneven cooking. If you prefer not to stuff your bird, fill the cavities with a chopped vegetable and herb mixture that will impart its flavor to the meat and pan juices: Chop 1 onion, 1 celery rib with leaves, 1 carrot, and 3 tablespoons fresh parsley. Mix this with 1 teaspoon each dried rosemary, sage, and thyme. Sprinkle the cavities with salt and freshly ground black pepper and place the mixture inside. An unstuffed bird will take about 15 minutes to a half hour less to cook than a stuffed bird. When the turkey is cooked, tilt it to allow any juices that have collected in the cavity to drain into the pan. Do not serve the vegetable mixture, as it may not have cooked to a safe temperature.
• •This recipe can easily be scaled up to serve more people. Estimate about 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person. Cooking times (for a stuffed bird, cooked at 325°F to an internal temperature of 180°F) will be as follows: 8 to 12 pounds: 3 to 3 1/2 hours 12 to 14 pounds: 3 1/2 to 4 hours 14 to 18 pounds: 4 to 4 1/4 hours 18 to 20 pounds: 4 1/4 to 4 3/4 hours 20 to 24 pounds: 4 3/4 to 5 1/4 hours
• •Some experts prefer to cook their turkeys to an internal temperature of 170°F (rather than 180°F, as in this recipe). If you don't mind having the meat slightly pink, this is perfectly safe and makes it more moist. However, Rick Rodgers, who created this recipe, believes that the dark meat in particular does not achieve its optimum flavor and texture until it reaches 180°F. If you choose to stuff your turkey and cook it to only 170°F, its stuffing will almost definitely not reach the safe temperature of 165°F. When you remove the turkey from the oven, be sure to check the temperature in the center of the stuffing, and if necessary remove it and microwave it as directed in the recipe.
• •Letting the turkey stand for half an hour after it comes out of the oven is an essential part of the roasting process. When meat roasts, its juices move to the outer edge of the flesh. Letting it rest gives the juices time to redistribute, making for a moister turkey. An added bonus: The resting time provides an excellent window of opportunity to make the gravy and reheat the side dishes. There's no need to cover the bird-it'll stay warm enough, and covering it would only soften the crispy skin.

ROAST STUFFED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Stuff turkey cavity with about 5 cups of stuffing. Place folded piece of aluminum foil inside cavity opening to hold stuffing in place. Fill neck opening with remaining stuffing and fold over skin to enclose. Truss turkey with string.
• Place turkey in large roasting pan. Rub all over with oil, salt and pepper. Scatter onions and turkey neck around it. Put in oven and roast about 45 minutes or until golden brown. Baste and cover breast loosely with aluminum foil.
• Reduce oven heat to 400 degrees.
• Roast turkey about 50 minutes and pour chicken broth and water around it. Replace foil and continue baking, basting often, at least every 15 minutes. Cook about 2 hours longer. Total cooking time is 3 hours and 30 minutes. The cooking time is 11 or 12 minutes per pound. When done, joint between leg and thigh bone will move easily when touched. If skin is pierced at that joint, the juices that run out will be clear. A meat thermometer inserted into the stuffing or breast meat will register 160 degrees.
• Remove turkey from roasting pan and pour off the basting liquid. Strain it. Skim off the fat. Pour skimmed juices into the giblet gravy. Bring to the boil and skim off any additional fat. There should be about 3 cups of gravy.

TURKEY WITH STUFFING

Steps:

• Remove turkey from refrigerator and let stand for 2 hours at room temperature.
• Place rack on lowest level in oven. Heat oven to 450 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine melted butter and white wine. Fold a large piece of cheesecloth into quarters; cut it into a 17-inch, four-layer square. Immerse cheesecloth in the butter-and-wine mixture, and let soak.
• Working on a large piece of parchment paper, fold wing tips under turkey. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper inside turkey. Fill large cavity and neck cavity loosely with as much stuffing as they hold comfortably -- do not pack tightly. (Cook remaining stuffing in a buttered baking dish for 45 minutes at 375 degrees.) Fold neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Tie legs together loosely with kitchen string (a bow is easy to undo later; it is not necessary to make a tight knot). Rub turkey all over with the softened butter.
• In a heavy, metal roasting pan (sides should be 2 to 3 inches high), place parsnip, onion, celery, carrots, celeriac, and white turnip. Place roasting rack on top of vegetables, then place turkey, breast side up, on roasting rack. Sprinkle turkey with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and pepper.
• Lift cheesecloth out of liquid, and gently squeeze it, leaving it very damp. Spread folded square of cheesecloth evenly over breast and about halfway down sides of turkey; it can cover some of leg area. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste cheesecloth and all exposed parts of turkey with butter-and-wine mixture. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Cook 2 1/2 more hours, basting with pastry brush every 30 minutes and watching the pan juices; if pan is getting too full, spoon out juices so level remains below the rack.
• After this third hour of cooking, remove and discard cheesecloth. Turn roasting pan so the breast faces back of oven. Baste turkey with juices that have collected in bottom of pan. If there are not enough juices, continue to use the butter-and-wine mixture. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully, particularly over the breast. Cook another hour, basting every 30 minutes. If some areas of the bird start getting too brown, cover those areas loosely with aluminum foil.
• After fourth hour of cooking, insert an instant-read thermometer into thickest part of thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The thermometer should reach at least 180 degrees and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If turkey is not golden brown or the thigh meat does not register 180 degrees, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes. Insert the instant-read thermometer into the center of the stuffing. Temperature should read from 140 degrees to 160 degrees.
• When fully cooked, transfer the turkey to a serving platter, and let rest for 20 to 30 minutes. Make gravy using the vegetables while the turkey rests.