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A turducken is a dish consisting of a partially de-boned turkey stuffed with a de-boned duck, which itself is stuffed with a small de-boned chicken. The thoracic cavity of the chicken and the rest of the gaps are stuffed, sometimes with a highly seasoned breadcrumb mixture or sausage meat, although some versions have a different stuffing for each bird. The result is a fairly solid layered poultry dish, suitable for cooking by braising, roasting, grilling, or barbecuing. The turducken is not suitable for deep frying Cajun style (to deep fry poultry, the body cavity must be hollow to cook evenly). Claims that Cajun-creole fusion chef Paul Prudhomme created this dish as part of the festival Duvall Days in Duvall, Washington in 1983 are unverified. A November 2005 ''National Geographic'' article by Calvin Trillin traced the American origins of the dish to "Hebert's Specialty Meats" in Maurice, Louisiana. They have been commercially producing turduckens since 1985, when an unknown local farmer brought in his own birds and asked Hebert's to prepare them in the now-familiar style. The company prepares around 5,000 turduckens per week around Thanksgiving time.Hesser, Amanda. , ''The New York Times'', November 20, 2002. Accessed November 21, 2007. Turducken is often associated with the "do-it-yourself" outdoor food culture also associated with barbecueing and shrimp boils, although some people now serve it in place of the traditional roasted turkey at the Thanksgiving meal. As their popularity has spread from Louisiana to the rest of the Deep South and beyond, they have become available through specialty stores in urban areas or by mail order. The popularity of turducken is mostly limited to the United States and Eastern Canada.
[edit] Ingredients
2 ¾ |
cups prepared savory bread stuffing, at room temperature, divided use |
2 |
cups prepared cornbread stuffing, at room temperature, divided use |
¼ |
cup chopped pecans |
½ |
cup whole berry cranberry sauce |
10 |
pounds turkey, deboned |
4 |
pounds duck, deboned |
3 |
pounds chicken, deboned |
4 |
tablespoons butter |
3 |
cloves garlic, cut in quarters |
6 |
leaves fresh sage |
2 |
tablespoons fresh thyme leaves |
1 |
tablespoon browning sauce (such as Gravy Master® or Kitchen Bouquet®) |
1 |
tablespoon olive oil |
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste |
[edit] Preparation
Step 1 |
Have the turkey, duck, and chicken already deboned (save the bones for stock) before you begin to assemble the turducken. Keep all of the poultry refrigerated until you are ready to use it. Do not assemble turducken until you are ready to bake it in order to avoid foodborne illness from contaminated stuffing. |
Step 2 |
Measure out 2-1/4 cups of bread stuffing and set aside. Place remaining 1/2 cup of bread stuffing in another bowl and add 1/2 cup of the cornbread stuffing along with the whole berry cranberry sauce and pecans. Toss gently to combine. Place remaining 1-1/2 cups cornbread stuffing aside. You should have 3 separate stuffings. |
Step 3 |
In a food processor fitted with the metal blade, combine butter, garlic, sage, and thyme until herbs are finely chopped. |
Step 4 |
Rub the skin of the turkey with the browning sauce (promotes even browning but doesn't add flavor), then the olive oil. Sprinkle generously with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. |
Step 5 |
Flip the turkey over so it is open and skin-side down. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. |
Step 6 |
Run your hand under the skin to separate and make a pocket, but do not separate skin completely from the meat. Distribute the butter herb mixture evenly under the skin. |
Step 7 |
Spread bread stuffing evenly over turkey cavity. Place duck on top of bread stuffing, skin-side down. |
Step 8 |
Spread cornbread stuffing on top of 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 process with the turkey. Carefully turn the turducken over, so it is seam-side down and breast-side up. Remove all skewers except the last one holding the turkey together. |
Step 9 |
Preheat oven to 300 F. |
Step 10 |
Spread cranberry nut stuffing on top of open duck cavity. Top with chicken, skin-side down. |
Step 11 |
Place turducken in a heavy roaster. Roast 3 to 4 hours, until meat thermometer inserted in the very center of the chicken stuffing reaches 165 F. Baste once per hour ith pan juices. If turducken begins to get too brown, tent loosely with heavy-duty aluminum foil that has been coated with vegetable spray. |
Step 12 |
Let turducken rest 30 minutes before carving. To serve, slice turducken across the breast to show off each layer. |
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[edit] About Turducken
What is turducken? It is a chicken stuffed inside a duck which is then stuffed inside a turkey . The term turducken comes from the combination of tur (key), duck , and (chick)en . It's fast becoming a popular recipe for Thanksgiving. Each slice contains portions of chicken, duck, and turkey with stuffing in between the layers. Plan on adequate preparation time. Turducken is not difficult to make, but it is a little time-consuming. The end result is a worthy show-stopper.
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