Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish Carrot sambar Yoghurt kebab served in pita with yoghurt sauce and fresh parsley Yoghurt kebab Spicy Pho served in a bowl, spicy rice noodle soup with fresh coriander and lime slices Spicy pho Smoked BBQ wild boar leg served Smoked BBQ Wild Boar Leg Chocolate and orange cake served Chocolate & orange cake Omurice bowl served with miso soup, omelette and miso soup Omurice bowl with traditional miso soup Freshly baked peach strudel Peach Strudel Momo with curry sauce steamed and served Momos with curry sauce Apple pie ravioli served Apple Pie Ravioli Kibbeh Nayyeh raw meat appetiser Middle Eastern style served Kibbeh nayyeh Chestnut tangsuyuk, crispy chicken with roasted chestnuts and sesame seeds Chestnut tangsuyuk Falukorv stuffed with mustard and onion, served with fresh coriander Baked Falukorv with mustard and onion Risi e Bisi served Risi e bisi Pav Bhaji with classic vegetables, served with fresh coriander and toasted rolls Mumbai street style pav bhaji Boiled sweet potato with chilli, spicy vegetable dish with coriander Boiled Sweet Potato with Chilli and Coriander Kebab in pita served Kebab in pita Freshly baked ciabatta rolls Homemade Italian ciabatta rolls Sacher waffles served Sacher waffles Golden baked cornmeal squares with visible chunks of white feta cheese Cheesy Cornbread (Proja) with Feta Misozuke, with fresh vegetables, in a miso paste marinade Misozuke Sambar served with carrots, spicy and mouth-watering Indian dish Carrot sambar Yoghurt kebab served in pita with yoghurt sauce and fresh parsley Yoghurt kebab Spicy Pho served in a bowl, spicy rice noodle soup with fresh coriander and lime slices Spicy pho Smoked BBQ wild boar leg served Smoked BBQ Wild Boar Leg Chocolate and orange cake served Chocolate & orange cake Omurice bowl served with miso soup, omelette and miso soup Omurice bowl with traditional miso soup Freshly baked peach strudel Peach Strudel Momo with curry sauce steamed and served Momos with curry sauce Apple pie ravioli served Apple Pie Ravioli Kibbeh Nayyeh raw meat appetiser Middle Eastern style served Kibbeh nayyeh Chestnut tangsuyuk, crispy chicken with roasted chestnuts and sesame seeds Chestnut tangsuyuk Falukorv stuffed with mustard and onion, served with fresh coriander Baked Falukorv with mustard and onion Risi e Bisi served Risi e bisi Pav Bhaji with classic vegetables, served with fresh coriander and toasted rolls Mumbai street style pav bhaji Boiled sweet potato with chilli, spicy vegetable dish with coriander Boiled Sweet Potato with Chilli and Coriander Kebab in pita served Kebab in pita Freshly baked ciabatta rolls Homemade Italian ciabatta rolls Sacher waffles served Sacher waffles Golden baked cornmeal squares with visible chunks of white feta cheese Cheesy Cornbread (Proja) with Feta Misozuke, with fresh vegetables, in a miso paste marinade Misozuke
Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing served on a platter with vegetables.
Mouth-watering roast turkey with chestnut stuffing

Roast turkey with chestnut stuffing

Author: Flavelo
Recipes Main Courses
Roasting a turkey is a serious thermal engineering task: the breast (white meat) dries out at 74°C, whilst the leg (dark meat) needs a higher temperature and more time to break down collagen. The chestnut stuffing not only flavours but also steams the bird from the inside. The key to the recipe is maintaining heat balance and patience: resting is at least as important as roasting itself.
🕒 Prep Time 1 hr
🍳 Cook Time 4 hrs
⌛ Total Time 5 hrs 30 mins
🍽️ Servings 8 servings
🔥 Calories 720 kcal
🌍 Cuisine Anglo-Saxon

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

  • Large roasting tin with rack
  • Kitchen string
  • Meat thermometer (MANDATORY)
  • Aluminium foil

Allergen Information

⚠️ Cereals containing gluten
⚠️ Milk
⚠️ Nuts (Chestnuts)
⚠️ Celery

Instructions

1 ✓

Prepare the stuffing: sauté the onion and celery in 50g butter. Mix with the bread cubes, chopped chestnuts, thyme and enough stock to bind, but not soak.

Tip: The moisture of the stuffing produces steam, softening the meat from the inside.
2 ✓

Pat the turkey dry. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity (loosely!), then tie the legs together.

Tip: Do not stuff too tightly, because the stuffing must also cook through (it must reach 74°C for safety reasons).
3 ✓

Loosen the skin at the breast, and stuff the remaining butter (mixed with herbs) under the skin. Massage it in.

Tip: This layer of butter lubricates the dry breast meat directly.
4 ✓

Place the bird on the roughly chopped vegetables (carrot, onion) in the tin. Pour the remaining stock underneath. Cover with foil.

Tip: The vegetable bed elevates the meat for better airflow (convection).
5 ✓

Roast at 180°C for approx. 3 - 3.5 hours. Remove the foil for the last 45 minutes to brown. Baste with its fat.

Tip: Use the meat thermometer! Target is 80-82°C for the leg, 74°C for the breast.
6 ✓

Remove, cover loosely with foil, and rest for AT LEAST 30-40 minutes before carving.

Tip: If carved immediately, juices run onto the plate and the meat remains dry.

Recipe FAQ

Why is the breast dry?
You overcooked it. The internal temperature of the turkey breast must not exceed 74°C. Since the leg needs more time, it's worth protecting the breast with foil during a phase of cooking, or starting roasting the bird upside down.
The turkey went cold whilst resting!
A 4-5 kilo bird has huge heat retention (thermal inertia). If you cover loosely with foil, it stays hot inside for 40-50 minutes while juices settle.

Ingredients

  • 4-5 kg Whole turkey
  • 300 g Cooked chestnuts (peeled)
  • 200 g Stale bread cubes or breadcrumbs
  • 2 whole Red onions
  • 3 cloves Garlic
  • 150 g Butter (room temperature)
  • 1 bunch Fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp Salt
  • 1 tsp Pepper
  • 300 ml Stock
  • 2 stalks Celery
  • 2 whole Carrots