How to make Anthony Bourdain’s delicious ‘mushroom and chestnut stuffing’ for Thanksgiving

“Thanksgiving is not the time for innovation," late celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain wrote in Appetites: A Cookbook (2016).

He added: “Give the people what they want, and make sure it’s consistent with what they remember."

The American autumnal feast festivities are only a week away, so take the chef’s advice and don’t make it complicated. In his cookbook, he said the holiday should be centered around the main dishes including turkey with gravy and stuffing, and side dishes like mashed potatoes, mac and cheese, candied sweet potatoes, brussel sprouts, carrot vichy, and cranberry sauce.

His delicious mushroom and chestnut stuffing recipe is a great addition for your Thanksgiving table. It only requires one-and-a-half hours of prep and approximately two hours of cooking, which will create the perfect autumnal aroma throughout your home for the casual football-watching holiday. However, he does recommend prepping the stuffing a day in advance and cooking the day of the holiday.

READ MORE: Make late celebrated chef Anthony Bourdain's mushroom soup

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups whole peeled chestnuts (8 ounces)

• 12 cups 2-day-old country or peasant bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

• 4 cups turkey stock 

• 1/2 cup finely chopped shallots

• 1 large onion, finely chopped

• 2 celery ribs, finely chopped

• Kosher salt

• Pepper

• 1 tablespoons chopped thyme plus 6 thyme sprigs

• 3 tablespoons finely chopped sage plus 2 sage sprigs

• 1 pound mixed mushrooms, finely chopped

• 1/3 cup chopped parsley

• 3 large eggs, beaten

• Reserved giblets from the 2 turkeys, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces

• 1 cup reserved turkey pan drippings

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 425°. Add butter to a 4-quart baking dish. Spread the chestnuts and cubed bread on two separate baking sheets. Bake for about 10 minutes until the chestnuts are deep golden and the bread is crisp. Let cool. Coarsely chop the chestnuts and transfer to a large bowl.

2. In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Keep warm.

3. In a large nonstick skillet, melt 4 tablespoons of the butter. Add the shallots, onion, and celery, and season with salt and pepper. Cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the chopped thyme and sage, and cook until fragrant, which should take approximately about 2 minutes. Scrape the mixture into the large bowl.

4. Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the skillet. Add half of the mushrooms and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, which should take approximately 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add 1/4 cup of the wine. Cook, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, until almost all of the wine has evaporated, which should take about 1 minute. Scrape the mushrooms into the large bowl. Repeat with another 2 tablespoons of butter and the remaining mushrooms and wine.

5. Add the parsley, eggs, bread, and warm stock to the bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Mix gently but thoroughly. Transfer the stuffing to the prepared baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Transfer the stuffing to a rack, uncover, and let cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

6. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, cover the turkey gizzards and hearts (reserve the livers) with water and bring to a boil. Blanch for 5 minutes, then drain. Return the giblets to the saucepan. Add the thyme and sage sprigs and enough water to cover and bring to a simmer. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat until tender, about 2 hours. Drain the giblets and discard the herbs.

7. Preheat the oven to 425° and drizzle the reserved pan juices evenly over the stuffing and bake for about 40 minutes until golden, crisp, and heated through.

8. In a medium nonstick skillet, melt the remaining 4 tablespoons of butter. Add the turkey livers and cooked hearts and gizzards and cook over moderately high heat, turning, until golden and the livers are cooked through, about 3 minutes. Spoon the giblets over the stuffing and serve.