I have been obsessing over turkey and stuffing probably since the Canadian Thanksgiving which was in October and now that the American Thanksgiving is upon us I decided I couldn’t take it anymore! I would do my own bird and stuffing, Baked Chicken Pieces and Stuffing.
For the first 15 years of my life in Italy I could never find a turkey in any grocery store and now these past few years that I can find a turkey in the grocery store, the Italian has decided he doesn’t like turkey. Whatever!
Baked Chicken Pieces and Stuffing
What to do? Why not chicken or better yet Baked Chicken Pieces and Stuffing. To tell the truth and I won’t tell my husband, but I prefer chicken over turkey. Although I look so forward to celebrating a Christmas in Canada one of these years, needless to say, I would never say no to the turkey and all the trimmings.
I think a lot of us would agree on one thing, that probably the best part of the whole Turkey thing is really, in fact, the stuffing. So I decided to use my mother’s delicious stuffing recipe and substitute chicken instead. Worked perfectly.
I placed most of the stuffing mixture on the bottom of the baking dish, with the chicken pieces on top. The stuffing that was covered stayed moist from the drippings and the stuffing that was uncovered was deliciously crunchy. Perfect, now there was a choice of stuffing. The Chicken I covered with a brown paper bag after I brushed it with some olive oil, just like my Mom did with the turkey. It was moist and delicious. So if you are like me and get a mad desire for a festive dish but without the big bird this could be a perfect solution. Buon Appetito!
Baked Chicken Pieces and Stuffing
Ingredients
- FOR THE CHICKEN
- 4-5 pieces chicken or 2 leg and breast attached
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- FOR THE STUFFING
- 3 1/2 cups chopped day old bread stuffing bread
- 1/4 cup butter soft
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- dash pepper
- 1/4 cup chopped onion
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 1/4 teaspoon ginger optional / helps prevent repeating
Instructions
- Pre-heat oven to 350°.
- FOR THE STUFFING
- In a large bowl stir gently together bread, poultry seasoning, salt, pepper, chopped onion and celery, then stir in softened butter. Place 2/3 of the stuffing mixture on the bottom of a 10 x 8 inch baking dish, slice the chicken pieces (cleaned and towel dried) along the top but not all the way through (see photo), place some stuffing inside and secure with a toothpick or two. Place prepared chicken on top of stuffing, brush chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with a little salt and pepper, cover chicken with brown paper and bake for approximately 20 -25 minutes**, remove paper bag and bake approximately 10-15 minutes more, (temperature of chicken when done is 165°, chicken juices should run clear and the meat should never be pink). Remove paper bag and place under broiler for approximately 5 - 8 minutes to brown and crisp. Enjoy!
- ** If you use bigger pieces of chicken baking time will increase.
Nutrition
Sharon says
Can i use parchment paper or a lid instead of brown paper?
Rosemary says
Hi Sharon, I would probably use parchment paper (waxed paper) instead of a lid. Let me know how it goes.
Mary says
For the brown bag…do we use as is or do we went it before putting in the oven???
Rosemary says
Hi Mary, no the brown bag is as is, you could actually brush it with a little olive oil if you wish. Hope that helps.
Sylvia says
Thanks for the great recipe – would never have thought to stuff chicken pieces. Made it with mashed potatoes and gravy – the family loved this!
Rosemary says
Thanks Sylvia, so glad everyone enjoyed it. 🙂
Eri says
I love your stuffing recipe! So good!
Ann says
I don’t care for turkey either. I do, however, eat chicken all the time. I never thought about covering it with a brown bag. I have to try this the next time I bake it. Thanks for sharing.
Rosemary says
Hi Ann, thanks it was one of my Mom’s tricks. Enjoy.