How to Roast Stuffed Poultry

This article is aimed at the beginning cook. If you have never roasted stuffed poultry before, you may find it beneficial. You can apply the principals to roasting stuffed chicken, turkey, duck or goose.

Check the wrapper the bird came in for weight and approximate cooking time for stuffed birds. Write down the amount of cooking time, as required by weight, for your bird. Remove the bird from the plastic wrapper. Remove any poultry parts from the inside of the bird and rinse them. Set aside for later use. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out. Allow to drain. Pat the inside of the turkey with dry paper towels to remove excess moisture.

Sprinkle the inside of the bird with salt. Stuff just before planning to begin roasting. If stuffing is made in advance, be sure to store it separately in the refrigerator. Fill the body and neck cavities lightly with seasoned stuffing. Stuff lightly, making sure not to press stuffing into the bird too tightly. Allow about 1/2 cup of stuffing for each pound of poultry. Any extra stuffing may be baked in a separate pan during the last hour of cooking.

Fold neck skin over to the back of the bird and fasten with a skewer. This will help keep the stuffing moist while baking. Turn the wingtips to the back of the heavy wing bone, to rest against the neck skin. Close the body cavity by tucking the ends of the legs under the band of skin at the tail, or by fastening legs together close to the body with a string.

If you are roasting a whole turkey, insert a meat thermometer into center of inner thigh muscle, making sure the thermometer does not touch the bone. If you don't own a meat thermometer don't worry, it isn't required for satisfactory cooking of a turkey.

Place the bird breast side up in a shallow pan, or start a heavy bird, one that weighs 18 pounds or more, breast side down until half done. Then turn over and allow to finish cooking. This allows for more even cooking. Always cook a goose breast side up. To prevent over browning, cover the bird loosely with aluminum foil, or use a turkey bag purchased from a store. Do not cover pan and do not add any water or broth.

Salt the gibblets and neck that were removed from the bird and seal in aluminum foil. Roast along with the bird. If you prefer, you can simmer them in salted water until tender.

Baste a chicken or turkey several times with drippings while cooking. Ducks and geese are fat enough that they do not require any basting.

Near the halfway or two-thirds point of cooking, cut the string to release the legs of the bird. Also remove the aluminum foil, or tear open the cooking bag to allow the turkey to brown.

Cook until meat thermometer in thigh reaches 180 to 185 degrees F. If you are not using a meat thermometer, test for doneness by pressing the fleshy part of the drumstick with protected fingers. If the meat feels soft, the poultry is done. You can also test for doneness by moving the drumstick. If the drumstick moves up and down easily, and the leg joint breaks or gives easily, the bird is done.

Plan the roasting time for a large bird so it will be done about 30 minutes before serving. Allowing poultry to stand for a short time makes it much easier to carve.