Sometimes Thanksgiving seems too predictable, right? We know that Grandma’s going to make her sweet potatoes, Aunt Joan is bringing her notorious green beans, and dad is serving up the cranberries. It’s all tradition, but it can quickly become repetitive.
Turkey is the centerpiece of the festivities meaning the meat doesn’t allot much area for change. That is, until the turducken came around.
So, what is a turducken anyway? The hybrid name tells it all: turkey, duck, and chicken. Actually to clarify, it’s a chicken stuffed into a duck, which is then stuffed into a turkey. We’re talking poultry, served up with a side of poultry, over a bed of poultry. Watch college grads from different countries attempt to pronounce the dish here.
Intrigued yet? Here’s the basics on how to create the turducken in all its glory. First step is deboning the chicken and duck. This has been declared the most difficult step by some. Here’s a pictured guide on how to accomplish it.
Once deboned, a stuffing is spread onto the chicken. Any stuffing will do. Sausage is suggested to add the most flavor to all of the poultry. Roll up the chicken over the sausage and poach, then wrap the roast up with the stuffing coated duck and poach all together.
After you’ve completed all that, it’s time to feed the beast—aka insert the duck-chicken roast into the turkey and prep it for roasting (or however you would normally cook your turkey). Ideally, if done correctly, your guests won’t even be able to tell there is much more to the turkey than meets the eye.
It sounds like turducken is the ideal main course for any family looking to amp up their Thanksgiving meal this year and push traditions to their limits. Relationships may be tested and fingers may take some cuts, but nothing that you can’t handle. Try the beast out and, as always, eat your heart out.