KitchenAid Holiday Stuffed Turkey Breast with Sweet & Sticky Glaze

KitchenAid sent me this recipe to test with my own food processor for when I did the giveaway and I thought that as holiday cooking and feasting approaches, this would be a good time to share it with you. Not everyone has a household to feed with a giant turkey. This was a lovely treat for me and Reg and I am going to make it again on Christmas Eve.

Please note that when I made this I was in the height of feverish delirium so there are no pretty photos, just a basic foodie post. 

Tear 1/2 French baguette (5 oz) into large chunks and add it to the food processor with 1 small peeled and quartered onion (I used a shallot), 1 cup of cubed aged cheddar cheese, 1/2 cup dried apricots, 1/4 cup of raisins (I used dried cranberries), 1 tbsp of finely chopped fresh rosemary and 1 tsp of dried thyme (I used 1 tbsp of fresh thyme). Pulse until crumbly but still chunky.

Add I egg (it was supposed to be beaten, oh well) and 2 tbsp of melted butter. Pulse until the stuffing comes together uniformly.

I totally didn’t realize at the time (fever, remember?) that I was going to have to skin, debone and butterfly the turkey breast on my own. There was no way I could take photos with my hands shaking and covered in turkey goo. I did manage to do it by taking my time but if you can get this already done, I recommend it.

I also recommend once the chicken is butterflied to pound it out a bit to flatten it. I only managed to get half the stuffing inside after seasoning the center with salt and pepper. I ended up having to compost the rest which made me unhappy! I added the stuffing to one side, folded over the other side…

… and closed with butcher’s twine that ended up being too thick! It worked but was hard to remove later. Still, at least it worked.

Now the recipe does not say to season to outside of the turkey breast but I highly recommend you do so. It also says to use a mini food processor to make the glaze but you really don’t need one.

Blend 1/2 cup melted apricot jam, some finely chopped rosemary (which I forgot) with 2 tbsp each of the following: brown sugar, whole grain Dijon mustard and cider vinegar until smooth.

I divided the marinade. You are supposed to put 1/4 of it all over the completely raw turkey breast before putting it in the oven so, just for food safety’s sake, I did so with some separated marinade. I was just being extra cautious.

I put the turkey breast on a rack on top of a baking sheet covered with aluminum foil. I put it in a preheated 325F oven for 1 1/2 hours, basting here and there with the rest of the marinade throughout the cooking process to give it a nice thick coat.

Beautiful! You were supposed to check it with an instant-read thermometer until it was 165F but I have never had an instant-read thermometer I liked and trusted. Instead, after 1 1/2 hours I turned off the heat in the oven and let it sit for an additional half an hour, just to be sure and this way it kind of rested at the same time.

That thick butcher’s twine and not having a good carving knife does not do this dinner justice!

I served the stuffed turkey breast over rice pilaf and steamed carrots. A simple meal that took a very long time to make! It was not super difficult per se but considering how I was feeling, it did feel endless.

Now that I have done this once I will make it again with half the stuffing, season both sides of the turkey breast and use thinner butcher’s twine. Me and Reg really loved this and I think I will enjoy it more now that I am feeling much better.

If I could make this while fighting an outrageous fever, you can too! Just give yourself a heck of a lot of time not only for the cooking but for the entire process. It is the holidays! Don’t rush. Enjoy…

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