Christmas stuffed chicken: step by step recipe

Stuffed chicken, along with roast turkey, is a Christmas classic. A very special recipe (especially because of the dried apricots and raisins) that we can accompany with delicious side dishes. Although it is true that we tend to prepare too many aperitifs at gatherings with family and friends, it is worth telling your guests to leave room for Christmas stuffed chicken. They won’t regret it! Mark our words!

To make the Christmas chicken, you will need to buy a whole chicken. Ideally, you should ask the butcher to remove all of the bones (including the legs and wings) and leave it completely clean. That way, you can avoid having to do this step at home, which is usually more unpleasant and tedious, and you will be able to get straight to the good bit.

When it comes to stuffing it, you can choose to make a cross sectional cut on the bottom and add all of the stuffing through it, or cut it completely in half. In either case, you will need to stitch it afterwards with a needle and some cooking string. However, in the latter case, you will need to do more stitches and therefore run a higher risk of it breaking apart in the oven.  

In terms of the Christmas stuffing for the chicken, there are lots of options available. Some people prefer minced pork; others prefer breast....and then there are people who don’t want to do without anything and choose to incorporate different meats to add a rounder and more complete flavour. In our case, let’s take a look at the recipe!

Ingredients for the stuffed chicken

For our stuffed chicken recipe for Christmas you will need the following:

• 1 boneless chicken
• 500 g chopped chicken breast
• 500 g chopped pork loin
• 250 g chopped Serrano ham
• 35 g breadcrumbs
• 2 eggs
• 1 chicken stock cube
• 50 g chopped dried apricots
• 50 g sultanas
• 30 ml Pedro Ximénez
• 3 g ground cinnamon
• 20 g butter (melted)
• 200 ml cava
• Salt
• Ground black pepper

How to make stuffed chicken for Christmas

Once you know what ingredients you need for the stuffed chicken, you can start with the steps. First, mix all of the minced meat in a bowl to make the stuffing. This is: minced chicken breast, minced pork loin and minced Serrano ham. Add the breadcrumbs, whisked eggs, chopped dried apricots, sultanas, chicken stock cube (crumbled), the Pedro Ximénez, ground cinnamon, a pinch of ground black pepper and a teaspoon of salt. Mix everything thoroughly so that all of the ingredients are fully integrated and evenly distributed.

Open the chicken up at the bottom using a cross-sectional cut and gradually insert the stuffing, taking care not to tear the meat or skin. Fill the chicken, even into the cavities of the wings and legs. Once all of the stuffing has been inserted, stitch the chicken using the needle and cooking string, and spread melted butter on the entire surface. Next, season generously with salt and pepper and place on the oven tray that has been lined with tin foil and greased.

With the oven preheated to 200 degrees, place the oven tray inside. Cover with a sheet of tin foil, and then leave to roast for 2 hours. After the first hour, bathe with cava and remove the tin foil. For the last hour, keep an eye on the chicken to make sure it doesn’t become too golden and, if so, cover again with tin foil.

After two hours, remove the chicken and leave to rest for at least one hour. Then you can carve and serve it. If you want to make use of the juices from the roast, which might be interesting to add strength to the recipe, you can heat them on a low heat. In this case, stir them with a spoon and add a teaspoon of corn flour to thicken them.

And... voila! You can accompany this recipe with many options: sautéed potato slices, creamy mashed potatoes, apple purée, chestnut purée, roast carrots or sweet potato...or even green options like wild asparagus or green beans. Now you have seen how to make stuffed chicken, a dish your guests will love this Christmas. Enjoy!