Stuffed Christmas Turkey — Juicy Homemade Pavo Navideño Relleno Recipe

Versión en Español

Stuffed Christmas turkey, or pavo navideño relleno, is a whole turkey of about 4 kg injected with sweet wine, filled with couscous, broth soaked bread, sautéed onion, raisins, almonds, and olives, sewn closed, and roasted at 200°C (392°F) for 3 hours. It takes 60 minutes of preparation and serves 8.

A traditional Christmas recipe enjoyed around the world, juicy and tender, with the advantage that the stuffing cooks inside the turkey rather than separately.

How to Make Stuffed Christmas Turkey?

Buy a turkey of the right size, ideally fresh. If frozen, move it from the freezer to the fridge ahead of time, allowing about 24 hours for every 2 kg. Then measure out all the ingredients, prepare the stuffing, fill and sew the turkey, and roast it first uncovered and then covered with foil.

Nutritional Information

Each serving of stuffed turkey contains approximately 450 kcal, 25 g of protein, 20 g of fat, 85 mg of cholesterol, 45 g of carbohydrates, 12 g of sugars, 4 g of fiber, and 500 mg of sodium. These values are estimates and may vary depending on ingredients and portion sizes.

Homemade Stuffed Christmas Turkey Recipe

Preparation: 60 minutes
Cooking: 180 minutes
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Turkey

• 1 whole turkey of about 4 kg (9 lb)
• 50 ml (3½ tablespoons) of sweet wine
• 4 tablespoons of olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper

Stuffing

• 2 cups of couscous
• 4 slices of bread
• 1 cup of chicken broth
• 1 onion
• 1 cup of raisins
• ¾ cup of olives
• ½ cup of almonds

To decorate

• 1 head of lettuce
• 1 bunch of grapes
• 1 orange
• 1 apple

Instructions

1. Wash and clean the turkey well, removing any remaining pin feathers with tweezers and singeing it with a kitchen torch to remove any traces.
2. With a syringe, inject the 50 ml of sweet wine into different points of the breast and legs, season with salt and pepper inside and out, and rub it with the olive oil. Preheat the oven to 200°C (392°F) for at least 10 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, soak the bread in the broth and let it rest. Chop the olives and sauté the onion in a skillet with a little olive oil.
4. Place the couscous in a medium bowl and pour 2 cups of hot water over it, let it rest, then mix it with the soaked bread, onion, raisins, chopped almonds, and olives.

5. Fill the turkey with the stuffing and sew the opening with kitchen twine to keep everything inside. Place it on a roasting pan.
6. Roast the stuffed turkey for 90 minutes, then cover it with aluminum foil and cook for 90 minutes more. As a rule, allow about 45 minutes of roasting per kg of turkey.
7. Place the whole turkey on a serving platter, decorate with the lettuce, orange, apple, and grapes, and serve right away, separating the legs and carving the breast into slices.

Additional Tips

Check the temperature

The thickest part of the thigh and the center of the stuffing should reach 74°C (165°F) for the turkey to be safely cooked.

Rest before carving

Let the turkey rest covered with foil for 20 to 30 minutes before carving so the juices settle and the meat stays moist.

Baste regularly

Spoon the pan juices over the turkey every 30 minutes during the uncovered stage for a golden, flavorful skin.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. How long do you roast a stuffed turkey?

Allow about 45 minutes per kilo. In this recipe, the turkey roasts at 200°C (392°F) for 90 minutes uncovered and then another 90 minutes covered with foil, which keeps the skin from burning while the inside and stuffing finish cooking.

2. How do you thaw a frozen turkey?

Move it from the freezer to the fridge ahead of time, allowing about 24 hours for every 2 kg, so it thaws in the cold and cooks evenly in the oven.

3. Is the stuffing cooked separately?

No, the stuffing cooks inside the turkey. It is made with couscous, broth soaked bread, sautéed onion, raisins, almonds, and chopped olives, and the opening is sewn closed so it does not spill out.

4. Why inject sweet wine into the turkey?

The sweet wine injected into the breast and legs adds flavor and moisture to the inside of the meat, the part most likely to dry out.

Origin of the Christmas Turkey

In medieval England, poultry was a popular choice for Christmas feasts, and King Henry VIII is believed to have been one of the first to serve roast turkey at Christmas during his reign.

Benefits of Turkey

Turkey meat is rich in protein, at 20 to 25%, contains vitamin B12, and is low in fat, with breast meat providing only about 96 kcal per 100 grams.

Did You Know?

The turkey is native to the Americas and reached Europe from Mexico in the early sixteenth century. Hernán Cortés encountered it when the Aztecs offered him the bird they called huexólotl, the origin of the Mexican word guajolote.

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