Stuffed Turkey with Prunes and Dried Fruit with homemade chicken stock

👨‍🍳 Method

For the homemade chicken stock ✓ Homemade · or skip – back to store-bought

1. 1
   Put the chicken, the onion, carrot, celery, parsley, bay leaves and peppercorns and the water in a pot and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam that rises during the first 15 minutes with a spoon.

   StovePot
2. 2
   Turn down and simmer gently 2.5–3 hours.

   Stove

   💡A gentle simmer, not a boil: a hard boil dries the food out and clouds it, a slow simmer cooks it evenly.
3. 3
   Strain the stock.

   Colander

To assemble

1. 4
   Remove the bag of giblets from the cavity and rinse the chicken inside and out.
2. 5
   Pat the chicken dry with paper towels. Mix the oil, garlic, paprika, orange juice, honey, cinnamon, salt and black pepper and rub the mixture into the chicken inside and out, including under the skin.

   💡Dry the chicken before seasoning so the mixture clings to the skin; a longer marinade gives deeper color and flavor.
3. 6
   Cover and marinate the chicken in the fridge overnight. Take it out of the fridge 1 hour before baking.
4. 7
   Preheat the oven to 170°C (340°F).

   Oven

   💡Put things in the oven only once it's reached temperature, after the heating light has gone off: an oven that hasn't reached temperature changes baking times, and the bake burns outside or stays underbaked.
5. 8
   Heat the oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

   StoveFrying pan
6. 9
   Add the onion and fry for 8 minutes, stirring, until the onion is soft and deep golden.

   Stove

   💡Add by cooking time: what needs long (onion, carrot, meat) goes in first, and what burns fast (garlic, dry spices) goes in last, only until fragrant.
7. 10
   Raise the heat to medium-high and add the meat. Press it flat over the bottom and leave it for 2–3 minutes without stirring, until a brown crust forms.

   Stove

   💡Brown ground beef in the pot without pressing it: leave it as one 'cake' for a few minutes until a brown crust forms, then break it into chunks. Deep browning = deep flavor.
8. 11
   Break it up with a wooden spoon and fry for 5–7 more minutes, stirring, until no pink is left and the meat browns.

   StoveWooden spoon
9. 12
   Add the rice, allspice and salt to the meat in the skillet and stir for a minute.

   Stove
10. 13
    Add the stock, bring to a boil, lower the heat and cook covered 10 minutes. The rice will be half-cooked: it will keep cooking inside the chicken.

    Stove
11. 14
    Stir in the prunes, apricots, raisins and chestnuts and cool completely: hot stuffing doesn't go into a cold chicken.
12. 15
    Fill the cavity of the chicken with the stuffing without packing it, because the rice swells. Spread the rest of the stuffing on the bottom of a large, deep pan.

    Baking pan
13. 16
    Arrange the potatoes in the pan.

    Baking pan
14. 17
    Place the chicken on the rest of the filling, breast side up.
15. 18
    Pour the chicken stock into the bottom of the pan and scatter the prunes.
16. 19
    Bake tightly covered with foil 180 minutes, until the chicken starts to cook. Every hour, baste the chicken with the pan juices.

    OvenAluminum foilBaking pan

    💡Bake covered so the chicken steams and stays juicy, then finish uncovered: only then does the skin brown and caramelize.

    💡Check by the cue (until…), not just the clock: every oven bakes a little differently.
17. 20
    Bake uncovered, after raising the heat to 200°C (390°F), 30–40 minutes, until the skin is dark and glossy.

    OvenBaking pan
18. 21
    The chicken is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 74°C (165°F) and the juices run clear.

    Meat thermometer
19. 22
    Take out the chicken and let it rest 30 minutes, loosely covered with foil, and only then carve.

    KnifeCutting board