Yield: 8 to 12 Servings
Scott Nowell, adapted from many
Don’t want to over-complicate the stuffing. I like a nice simple stuffing. It needs to have the vegetable equivalent of mirepoix, but it doesn’t need sausage, fruit, chestnuts or oysters. One noticeable flavor missing from a lot of stuffing is turkey. You only really get that if you put stuffing in the bird, but we don’t do that anymore, because it’s risky for not getting thoroughly cooked. To replace that we add some browned turkey wings on top of the stuffing dish. Wonderful turkey juices drain onto the stuffing and voila, almost stuffed flavor.
This is good to make a day ahead. It is about 2 hour total prep and cook.
- 1package cubed stuffing
- 3lb turkey wings, divided at joints (see photo) (see note)
- 2tsp vegetable oil
- 4TBS (½ stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for baking dish
- 1large onion, chopped fine (about 1½ cups)
- 2-3celery ribs, chopped fine (about 1 cups)
- 2-3carrots, chopped fine
- 2tsp table salt
- 2TBS minced fresh thyme leaves
- 2TBS minced fresh sage leaves
- 1tsp ground black pepper
- 2½cups chicken broth or Better than Bouillon equivalent
- 3large eggs
Grease a 9 by 13-inch baking dish with butter.
Prep wings: Separate the wing sections at the joints. Use a meat fork or the tip of a paring knife to poke 10 to 15 holes in each wing segment. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat until it begins to shimmer. Add wings in single layer and cook until golden-brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Flip wings and continue to cook until golden-brown on second side, 4 to 6 minutes longer. Transfer wings to medium bowl and set aside.
Prep vegetables: Chop the onion and carrot into 1- to 2-inch pieces. Transfer to a food processor and pulse until finely chopped, about ¼-inch pieces. You can do the celery the same way or slice it to ¼- to ½-inch diagonals or do some each way.
Note: Adjust butter and stock quantity to match directions on stuffing cube package.
Sweat vegetables: Heat butter with rendered fat in skillet over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add onion, celery, carrot and ½ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened but not browned, 7 to 9 minutes. Add thyme, sage, and pepper; cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add 1 cup broth and bring to simmer, using wooden spoon to scrape browned bits from bottom of pan.
Prepare stuffing: Add vegetable mixture to bowl with dried bread and toss to combine.
In medium bowl, whisk eggs, remaining 1½ cups broth, remaining 1½ tsp salt, and any accumulated juices from wings until combined. Add egg/broth mixture to stuffing cube mixture and gently toss to combine, transfer to greased baking dish. Arrange wings on top of stuffing, cover tightly with aluminum foil, and place baking dish on rimmed baking sheet.
Bake stuffing: Bake on lower-middle rack until thickest part of wings registers 175°F on instant-read thermometer, 60 to 75 minutes. Remove foil and transfer wings to dinner plate to reserve for another use. Let stuffing stand for a while, then fluff with fork and serve.
Option: You could remove meat from wing sections, shred and mix into the stuffing if desired. Return to oven uncovered for 15 to 20 minutes to crisp up the top. Serve.
Technique details:
Baking stuffing with browned turkey wings on top creates the same rich flavor of stuffing cooked inside the bird. Here is the basic formula:
Prep wings
Cut through the joint with a sharp chef’s knife. If the turkey wing comes with a tip, cut through this joint as well.
Brown Wings
Sear the turkey wings to trigger the flavor producing Maillard reaction. Remove them from the skillet.
Sauté Aromatics
Cook the chopped onions and celery in rendered fat and butter to develop a savory flavor base.
Deglaze with Broth
Deglaze the pan with broth to release the fond and capture every last bit of flavor. Add mixture to dried bread cubes.
Top, Cover, Bake
Top the stuffing with the browned wings, cover with aluminum foil to trap moisture, and bake.
