Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Recipe of the Week: Cranberry and Rice Stuffed Turkey Breast

I have been getting a lot of requests for some of my favorite recipes, so I thought I would do a featured recipe of the week.

This week's recipe is both easy and elegant enough to serve the in-laws. The flavors are great and as a bonus- its gluten free! Several of my friends have had to go the gluten free route lately for various reasons, so it always makes me happy to see really good and easy gluten free recipes.Cranberry and Rice Stuffed Turkey breast was really fast to put together and tasted great. We had it with steamed garlic asparagus and tossed green salad. If I would just remember to get those slow cooker liners the cleanup would have taken less than 5 minutes!


One of the things I like about this recipe is that it can be easily adapted to your families tastes. You can replace the white rice with brown, cherries for cranberries and use peach or plum preserves to change up the flavor slightly.

You will start with a 3-4 pound fresh or frozen boneless turkey breast. I used a cajun seasoned Butterball all white meat turkey breast.


The first thing to do is remove the skin from the turkey breast. It should peel off really easily.



After skinning the turkey breast, cut several slits about 3/4 of the way through and 1/2 inch apart.



Take the stuffing mixture and press it into the cuts



Place the stuffed turkey breast in the slow cooker and cover.



Cook on low for 5-6 hours. Unless of course you have a blazing hot slow cooker like idea that cooks at warp speed. My turkey breast was overdone in 3 hours. :(  The flavor was great, but it was just a bit dry. I need to remember to adjust the cook times in my flame cooker.



You can also add an additional glaze of more preserves and worcestershire sauce.

The flavor was slightly sweet with a bit of heat from the cajun flavoring. I will definitely be going to the store to stock up on frozen turkey breasts before they disappear after the holidays. 

Let me know if you try it and what variations you attempt! Next time I am thinking possibly blueberry?







Cranberry and Rice Stuffed Turkey Breast

3-4 lb turkey breast
2 cups cooked rice
1/3 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1 tsp poultry seasoning
¼ cup apricot preserves
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce

Stir together rice, pecans, cranberries, poultry seasoning, apricot preserves, Worcestershire sauce,
Cut slices ¾ way through the turkey. Stuff rice mixture between the slices and place in slow cooker. Cover and cook on Low 5 to 6 hours or until turkey registers 165 on meat thermometer.

Slow Cooker

4 comments:

Danielle said...

Yum! And made in the crock pot too? I'm sold. Thanks for sharing this. I can't wait to make it.

Jodi said...

Thank you so much!! I use my slow cooker OFTEN and am always looking for new recipes. Can't wait!

Carolyn said...

Looks really yummy! And like something my husband would really enjoy any time of year.

Two caveats:

1) Worcestershire sauce is not always gluten free. Lea and Perrins is gluten free. If you're picking a different brand, make sure it does not contain malt vinegar or soy sauce as these are both made from wheat.

If you're cooking this for someone who has a gluten sensitivity and you're not sure if your sauce is gluten free, call the manufacturer and they can give you a definitive answer.

2) I would also be careful of using a flavored turkey breast because the flavoring or spices used may contain gluten. Again, if in doubt, call the manufacturer to be sure.

Spices and sauces are the biggest problems with eating gluten free. Wheat gluten is often used as a binder, and it's not always easy to tell from the label that it's wheat. It's often listed as "natural flavors" or just "spices."

Elizabeth said...

Thanks for the heads up Carolyn! I had no idea. The more I learn about avoiding gluten, the more difficult it seems like it is.