The Best Wild Rice Stuffing Recipe

Prepare chicken broth or stock:
In a large pot, bring the water to a boil and stir in Better Than Bouillon roasted chicken base until dissolved. Remove from the heat and set aside. Alternatively, you can use store-bought or prepped homemade chicken stock.
12 cups water, ¼ cup Better than Bouillon roasted chicken base
Sauté the chopped veggies and meat:
In a large wide pot, sauté onions, celery, and carrots in olive oil over medium-low heat until softened and fragrant, about 10-15 minutes. Add in the ground beef and cook until fully browned ensuring the ground beef is broken down into small pieces.
3 cups onions, 2 cups celery, 2 cups carrots, ½ cup olive oil, 1 ½ pounds lean ground beef
Cook the chicken hearts: In a separate pan, season the chicken hearts with salt and pepper. Sauté over medium heat until browned on all sides. Once browned, deglaze the pan with white wine and a little bit of brandy. Continue cooking until the liquid has reduced and the hearts are tender. If you're using chicken livers instead, you would follow the same steps. Set aside once ready.
1 pound chicken hearts (optional), 1 cup white wine, 3 oz brandy, 1 tablespoon olive oil
Sauté the mushrooms: In another pan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the chopped mushrooms, such as portobello or oyster, and sauté until they release their moisture and become tender with a slightly golden colour. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
4 cups portobello or oyster mushrooms, 1 tablespoon butter
Combine all of the ingredients together: Add the sautéed mushrooms and cooked chicken hearts to the ground beef and vegetable mixture. Stir gently to combine the ingredients. Set the mixture aside while you prepare the rice.
Cook the rice: In a medium-sized saucepan, combine the prepared chicken broth with the rice. Bring to a boil, then cover with a tight-fitting lid and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. While the rice is cooking, spread the pine nuts and unsalted cashews on a baking sheet. Lightly bake them in the oven at 325°F until they become fragrant and golden brown. Cook the rice until the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender but still slightly firm, since the rice will cook more inside the turkey as well as in the baking dish.
1 ½ cups pine nuts, 1 ½ cups unsalted cashews, 4 cups Long grain 7 wild rice blend, pinch of salt
Finish the stuffing: In a large bowl, combine the cooked rice with the sautéed vegetables, ground beef, chicken hearts and mushrooms. Season to taste with salt and pepper, adjusting as needed. Stir in the cooked chestnuts, dried cranberries, roasted pine nuts and cashews, and a generous amount of fresh Italian parsley and tarragon. Gently mix to combine. Now the stuffing is ready for the turkey! Bake any extra stuffing separately in a large baking pan with 1 cup chicken stock and mix together so that the stuffing doesn't dry out. Cover the pan with aluminum foil and bake at 350°F for 20-25 minutes.
2 cups cooked chestnuts, 3 cups dried cranberries, 1 ½ cups Fresh Italian parsley, ¾ cup Fresh tarragon, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper
Prep the turkey: Preheat the oven to 400°F. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold water and pat it dry thoroughly. Rub the butter and the juice of one lemon all over the inside and outside of the turkey. Season the turkey inside and out generously with salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. In a large roasting pan, lay out a bed of carrots, celery and onions (for the turkey to go on top of).
1 Fresh Turkey (not frozen), 1 lemon, ½ cup melted or softened butter, 2 tablespoons poultry seasoning, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon pepper
Stuff and roast the turkey: Stuff the turkey with the prepared stuffing and sew to secure. Place the turkey breast-side down in a roasting pan on a bed of carrots, celery, and onions. Pour 2-3 cups of chicken broth into the pan to keep it moist as the turkey cooks in the oven. Wrap the top of the turkey with a few pieces of bacon and then cover the turkey tightly with aluminum foil so it retains moisture while roasting.
3 carrots, 3 celery stalks, 1 yellow or white onion, 2-3 cups chicken broth, 5-7 strips of bacon (optional)
Roast the turkey: On convection bake, roast the turkey at 400°F for 1 hour, then reduce the temperature to 350°F and continue baking for about 12-15 minutes per pound. Turn the turkey breast-side up during the final hour and remove the aluminum foil for the last 30 minutes to allow the skin to brown. To check if the turkey is cooked, the internal temperature of the turkey stuffing, breast and thigh must be at least 165°F (74°C). Once the turkey and all of the delicious sides are ready, it's time to slice the turkey!

The Best Wild Rice Stuffing Recipe

Equipment

Ingredients

Rice Stuffing

Turkey

Instructions

Nutrition