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–+ servings
A Christmas rooster over a white platter.

Greek Christmas stuffed whole poultry: rooster, chicken, turkey

Sylia
Are you curious to know what is served as the main dish on a Greek Christmas table? Greek Christmas food is amazing! Meat is usually the perfect centerpiece of the table and Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without an impressive stuffed whole chicken or turkey or our favorite poultry.
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Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 4 hours
Course Main Course
Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean
Servings 10

Ingredients
  

  • 2 pounds 4 kilos poultry: Rooster (capon) or 2 chickens, turkey, duck, goose, giblets and neck removed, defrosted
  • 5-8 (750g-1kg) medium potatoes, cut into wedges or baby potatoes

FOR THE BRINE (optional)

  • Water to cover the poultry
  • 1 cup salt
  • 1 cup orange juice, fresh
  • ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine
  • A bunch of fresh thyme or oregano, or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme or dried oregano
  • A handful of peppercorns
  • A handful of allspice berries
  • 3 cloves of garlic, cut in half
  • 2 bay leaves

FOR THE STUFFING

  • 1 pound (450g) minced beef (or lamb)
  • ¼ cup (60ml) olive oil
  • 1 big onion, finely chopped
  • 3 leeks (only the white part), cut into rolls
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 10 chestnuts, boiled or roasted roughly chopped
  • 1 handful of raisins
  • 1 handful pine nuts
  • ½ cup (120ml) dry white wine  
  • 1 pinch of sweet paprika
  • 1 pinch of hot paprika
  • 1 pinch of ground cinnamon (optional)
  • 1 pinch of ground allspice (optional)
  • 1 cup (200gr) Greek kefalotyri or pecorino, cubed (optional)
  • 1 pinch of salt and pepper to taste (not too much salt because of the already salted cheese)

FOR BAKING

  • ½ cup (120ml) olive oil
  • ½ cup (120ml) water
  • Bunches of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
  • Sweet paprika to taste
  • Garlic powder to taste
  • Salt, black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

PREPARE THE POULTRY: BRINING

  • Place the poultry into a large pot with lid. Add enough water to cover the bird and remove it from the pot.
  • Add the orange juice, the wine, the herbs, the spices and the salt. Place the pot (without the bird) on the stove and boil for a couple of minutes. Let it cool completely before placing the bird inside the pot.
  • Cover the pot and refrigerate for about 24 hours.*1
  • One hour before roasting, remove the poultry from the fridge (or bring it into the house) and the poultry from the brine. Rinse well and pat dry. Discard the brine.
  • Preheat your oven to 356°F (180°C).

PREPARE THE POULTRY: WITHOUT BRINING

  • Remove the poultry from the fridge one hour before roasting. Rinse well and pat dry (inside-out) with paper towels.
  • Rub the poultry inside out with the salt and pepper and allow to come to room temperature.
  • Preheat your oven to 356°F (180°C).

PREPARE THE STUFFING

  • Meanwhile, in a big saucepan or pot over high heat, add the olive oil and the onion. In another smaller pot simmer the leeks in water for 2-3 minutes. Drain the leek and add them to the onion. Add the garlic and cook for about 5 minutes or until succulent. Reduce heat if needed.
  • Add the minced beef and the spices of your choice: sweet paprika and hot paprika (recommended), ground cinnamon and allspice (optional).
  • Season to taste but be careful with the extra salt.*2
  • Cook over high heat until browned, about 10 minutes. Stir constantly and reduce heat if needed.
  • Stir in the chestnuts, the raisins, and the pine nuts. Pour into the wine and let it evaporate stirring well. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed, about 5 minutes.
  • Remove from heat and add the cheese. Let the stuffing come to room temperature.

FILL THE POULTRY’S CAVITY

  • Use a spoon to fill the poultry’s cavity. Don’t overfill it because it is going to end up a mass.
  • Be careful with the spoon you used. In case of leftovers, keep in mind that the stuffing is half-cooked and to avoid cross-contamination from the spoon, you have to cook (bake it or simmer) it for at least 10 minutes*3.
  • Stitch with some wooden skewers to seal in the stuffing. Wrap the legs with kitchen twine to keep them closed.

BAKE

  • Place the poultry in a large roasting or oven pan or a large baking pot with lid or Dutch oven.
  • Add the olive oil and the water. Season it with thyme, salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, and garlic powder.
  • Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and bake with lid on. If there isn’t a lid, cover with parchment paper. Estimate that you need one baking hour for every 2 pounds (1kg) of meat. A 9-pound rooster takes 4 hours to bake!
  • Every 50 minutes, remove the poultry from the oven and coat with the juice using a big spoon.
  • In the last 50 minutes, add the potatoes. If it needs more liquid (probably not), add some more water or broth, preferably hot. For the last 30 minutes open the lid or remove the parchment paper.
  • When the desired browning has occurred and the thigh meat has reached 180°F (82.2°C) (using a thermometer) and 160°F (71°C) in the stuffing, remove from the heat. To check without a thermometer, stick a small sharp knife in the fattest part of the poultry (between the breast and the thigh). The juices should be clear and the meat should be white.
  • Transfer the poultry to a cutting board, and cover loosely with foil. Let rest for 20-30 minutes before slicing.

Notes

Note 1: If the pot is too big for the fridge, place it outside (covered of course) ONLY IF it is enough cold (fridge temperature). 
Note 2: After brining the meat is already seasoned. Plus, we will add cheese to the stuffing. 
Note 3: Transfer leftover stuffing to a saucepan or pot. Add vegetables, or mix it with pasta or rice. I like to mix it up with mushrooms and orzo and add some broth or water or add tomato paste/passata for liquid. Bake it in the oven along with the poultry or simmer it on the stove for 10-15 minutes.
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