Turducken A Chicken In A Duck In A Turkey Recipes

THE TURDUCKEN: BONELESS TURKEY STUFFED WITH A BONELESS DUCK AND BONELESS CHICKEN "ONE BIG BIRD"

Steps:

• For the andouille sausage stuffing: In a large bowl, mix the pork, liquid smoke, garlic, salt paprika, black pepper, chili pepper flakes, mace, allspice, ground bay leaves, sage and cayenne pepper, if using, with some cold water. In a pan or on a flat-top, brown off the sausage mixture in about 3 teaspoons of bacon fat for flavor. Once the sausage mixture is browned, chill immediately.
• For the Spinach stuffing: Melt the butter in large skillet. Add the spinach, onion, fennel seed, salt and white pepper and saute for 5 minutes until hot. Set aside to cool.
• Preparation of the duck and chicken: It is wise to de-bone the duck and chicken first for practice. Place the fresh chicken breast-side down on large cutting board. Starting at the bird's neck, you will cut through the skin along the length of the spine. Using the tip of the knife and starting from the neck end, separate the meat from the rib cage on 1 side. Disjoint the wing from the shoulder blade and reserve for stock. Work towards the thigh bone, cut through the ball and socket joint and "pop" loose using upward pressure with your hand from under the bird. Using your thumbnail, loosen the "oyster meat" (the most tender part) from the frame. With the knife, remove the thigh and leg bone, but keep the leg attached to the bird. Repeat the process on other side of chicken. When both sides are finished, the bird will lay flat. Grab rib cage by the neck area and gently pull towards back to remove the entire carcass and breast bone cartilage. Repeat the same de-boning procedure for the duck. In a well ventilated area or with an exhaust fan on high, preheat a large cast-iron pan to very hot. Rub the boneless chicken and duck with olive oil. Generously sprinkle with blackening spice on both sides. Place skin-side down in the pan for 1 to 2 minutes then turn over and repeat. Refrigerate.
• De-bone the turkey using the same procedure as the chicken and duck with 2 exceptions: The turkey wings should be left attached to the meat and the bone-in drumstick should be disjointed from the boneless thigh meat and left attached to the meat. The final product should be a flat boneless turkey (except for the wings and drumsticks).
• To stuff the turducken: Place the turkey skin-side down on a flat surface. Rub the meat with 3 tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons chopped fresh garlic and 1 tablespoon blackening spice. Spread an even layer of cornbread dressing over the meat about 3/4 inch thick and pat down with hands. Spread 1/4-inch layer of spinach stuffing. Sprinkle with 2 cups of the andouille sausage stuffing. On top, place 6 to 8 slices of roasted red bell peppers. Place the chilled duck, skin-side down, on top of layered stuffing. Repeat the layered stuffing as above. Arrange the chilled chicken, skin-side down, on top of the stuffed duck. Spread the remainder of the stuffing on top of chicken. Press down gently with hands to compact all ingredients.
• To truss the turducken: This may take another person's help. Lift the sides of the turkey together. Have a helper hold the bird closed while sewing the back of the turkey together using butcher's twine, making the stitches about 1 inch apart, starting at the back of turkey and working towards the neck. Be careful since the Turducken has no boney frame. Roll over breast-side-up and finish sewing the neck portion of bird. Tie off and cut twine. Now sew up the opening at the leg section of turkey. Truss the legs together with twine. For extra support, tie butcher's twine around the bird's width every 3 inches down along the bird's length. Position your hands evenly under the turducken and lift into a large roasting pan with rack inside. The pan should be at least 3-inches deep to catch drippings during cooking. Rub the entire exposed skin of the bird with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, then sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of blackening spice and salt. Add 1/2 cup water to the bottom of the roasting pan. Wrap the drumsticks with aluminum foil. Place parchment paper over the entire bird. Loosely tent the roasting pan with aluminum foil. Bake at 200 degrees F for 12 hours or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees F. Remove all foil and parchment paper the last hour of roasting time and turn up temperature to 325 degrees F. Baste with the drippings. When done, remove from the oven and let set in the roasting pan for at least 1 hour. With 2 heavy duty spatulas, insert underneath and remove the turducken from the rack to place on carving platter. Remove all butcher twine, including pulling out the portion along the spine. To serve, cut the turducken in half lengthwise, then cut servings crosswise in approximately 1-inch thicknesses. Serve with gravy and enjoy.

TURDUCKEN (A CHICKEN IN A DUCK IN A TURKEY)

Steps:

• Debone the birds:.
• If it is your first time deboning a fowl, you might want to practice first on the chicken rather than the turkey since mistakes will be hidden inside the bigger birds.
• Rinse the turkey and remove the neck and any giblets.
• Place the turkey, breast side down, on a clean flat surface.
• Cut through the skin along the length of the spine.
• Using the tip of a knife and starting from the neck end, gently separate meat from rib cage on one side.
• Toward neck end, cut through the meat to expose the shoulder blade; cut meat away from and around the bone, severing bone at the joint to remove shoulder blade.
• Disjoint wing between second and third joints. Leave the wing bones and keep the wing attached to the meat.
• Continue separating meat from frame, working toward the thighbone and being careful to keep the "oyster" (pocket of meat on back) attached to skin, rather than leaving it with the bone.
• Cut through ball-and-socket joint to release the thighbone from the carcass (bird will be open on one side). Keep the leg attached to the meat.
• Repeat boning procedure on the other side of the bird.
• Carefully remove the carcass and use it to make stock for your gravy and stuffing. To make stock, put the turkey carcass in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat. You can also place it in a large crock pot.
• You should end up with a flat boneless (except for wings and legs) turkey with the skin intact in one large piece. Put the boned turkey in a large dish or bowl and cover with plastic wrap to keep it from drying out. Place it in the refrigerator.
• Repeat the deboning process on the duckling and the chicken, but debone both stumps of wings and leg drumsticks. Cut through flesh at the thinnest point and trim around these bones with a knife until they can be removed. (Since they have little meat, you can cut off the entire wings and add them to the stock pot.) Both the chicken and duck will be stuffed inside the turkey and need not be kept "perfectly" intact.
• Trim excess skin and fat from the birds. Ducks, in particular, have a lot of excess fatty skin that should be saved to render fat to be used later for making gravy. You can completely remove the skin from the chicken, but keep some duck skin which adds flavor.
• At least 10 to 11 hours before dinner, assemble the Turducken.
• Mix together the seasonings in a small dish.
• Spread the turkey, skin down, on flat surface, exposing as much meat as possible.
• Rub 3 tablespoons of seasoning mix evenly on meat.
• Spread some of stuffing over the turkey in an even layer approximately 3/4 inch thick.
• Place duck, skin down, on top of stuffing.
• Season exposed duck meat with about 1 tablespoons of seasoning mix.
• Spread more stuffing in an even layer (about 1/2 inch thick) over the duck.
• Arrange the chicken, skin down, evenly on top of the stuffing.
• Season chicken meat with seasoning mix.
• Spread remainder of your stuffing on top of chicken.
• With another person's help, carefully lift the sides of the layered birds, folding the sides of the turkey together.
• Have a helper hold the bird while sewing the opening down the back of the turkey together using cotton thread. The bird may not close perfectly, and a strip of cheese cloth can be used to help close the "crack" in the back of the turkey so stuffing will not leak out when the bird is turned over.
• Since the turducken has no skeleton, it must be trussed up or it may fall apart in cooking.
• Tie 4-5 pieces of cotton string around the bird, widthwise to act as skeletal support.
• Turn the bird over and place in a roasting rack inside a large roasting pan so it is breast side up and looks like a "normal" turkey.
• Tie the legs together just above the tip bones.
• Cooking:.
• Heat oven to 225 degrees F.
• Place the bird in the center of the oven and bake until a meat thermometer inserted through to center reads 165 degrees, approximately 9 hours, though cooking times will vary depending on the size of the birds and amount of stuffing used. Rely on temperature and not time cooked for doneness.
• There will be no need to baste, but accumulated drippings may need to be removed from the pan every few hours so that the lower portion does not deep fry in the hot oil. Save pan drippings for gravy.
• Remove the turducken from the oven and let cool in the pan for an hour before serving. Make gravy according to your favorite recipe.
• To serve cut bird in half. Carve crosswise so each slice reveals all 3 meats and stuffings.

TURDUCKEN RECIPE

Steps:

• Gather the ingredients.
• Place 2 1/4 cups of the bread stuffing in a bowl. Place 1 1/2 cups of the cornbread stuffing in another bowl.
• Place the remaining 1/2 cup of bread stuffing in a third bowl and add the remaining 1/2 cup of the cornbread stuffing. Add the whole berry cranberry sauce and pecans and toss gently to combine. You should now have 3 separate bowls of stuffings.
• In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine the butter, garlic, sage, and thyme until the herbs are finely chopped.
• Gently run your hand under the turkey skin to make sort of a pocket, but do not separate the skin completely from the meat. Distribute the herb butter mixture evenly under the skin.
• Rub the skin with the browning sauce, then the olive oil. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.
• Preheat the oven to 300 F. Flip the deboned turkey over so it is open and skin-side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread bread stuffing evenly over the turkey cavity.
• Place the duck on top of the bread stuffing, skin-side down. Spread the cranberry nut stuffing on top of the open duck cavity.
• Top with the chicken, skin-side down. Spread cornbread stuffing on top of the open chicken cavity. Skewer the back of the chicken closed.
• Bring up the sides of the duck to cover the chicken. Skewer the back of the duck closed.
• Repeat the process with the turkey.
• Carefully turn the turducken over so it is seam-side down and breast-side up. If possible, remove all skewers except the last one holding the turkey together.
• Place the turducken in a heavy roaster. Roast 3 to 4 hours, or until a meat thermometer inserted in the very center of the chicken stuffing reaches 165 F. Baste once per hour with pan juices. If turducken begins to get too brown, tent loosely with heavy-duty aluminum foil that has been coated with vegetable spray.
• Let the turducken rest 30 minutes before carving . Slice the turducken across the breast to show off each layer.

TURDUCKEN

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lay the boned chicken skin-side down on a platter and season liberally with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Lay the boned duck skin-side down on top of the chicken and season liberally with salt, pepper and Creole seasoning. Cover and refrigerate.
• Lay the boned turkey skin-side down on a flat surface. Cover with a layer of cold Sausage and Oyster Dressing and push the dressing into the leg and wing cavities so they will look as if they still have bones in them.
• Lay the duck on top of the turkey skin-side down and cover it with a layer of cold dressing. Lay the chicken on top of the duck skin-side down and cover it with a layer of cold dressing.
• With the help of an assistant, bring the edges of the turkey skin up and fasten them together with toothpicks. Use the kitchen string to lace around the toothpicks to help hold the stuffed turkey together. Carefully place the turducken, breast up in a large roasting pan.
• Roast covered for 4 hours or until the turducken is golden brown. Continue to roast uncovered for 1 hour or until a meat thermometer inserted through the thigh registers 180 degrees F. and a thermometer inserted through the stuffing registers 165 degrees F. Check the turducken every few hours to baste and remove excess liquid. There will be enough pan juices for a gallon of gravy. Carve and serve.

TURDUCKEN

Steps:

• For pesto, place the sage, parsley, Parmesan cheese, garlic and salt in a food processor; cover and process until blended. While processing, gradually add oil in a steady stream; set aside., In a large skillet, saute fennel and onion in butter until tender. Add garlic; cook 1 minute longer. Stir in salt and pepper. In a large bowl, combine the bread cubes, pears, hazelnuts, fennel mixture and 1/2 cup reserved pesto. In another bowl, whisk broth and egg substitute. Pour over bread mixture; stir until moistened. Cover and refrigerate until assembly., Place turkey skin side down on a work surface; press 5 cups stuffing mixture over turkey. Layer with duck skin side down and 4 cups stuffing. Top with chicken skin side down and remaining stuffing., Carefully pull turkey skin over filling. Truss turkey skin at 1-in. intervals with a large needle and kitchen string. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together. Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Brush with oil., Bake, uncovered, at 325° for 5-1/4 to 5-3/4 hours or until a thermometer reads 180° in the center of turducken, basting occasionally with pan drippings. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly. During the last 30 minutes of cooking, brush remaining pesto over turducken. Cover and let stand for 20 minutes before slicing.