How to Stuff a Turkey for Thanksgiving

Co-authored by Ollie George Cigliano

Last Updated: June 1, 2021 References

While some people are content to prepare dressing as a separate dish, others love the Thanksgiving tradition of filling a turkey cavity with stuffing for the dinner table. Before stuffing your turkey, remove any giblets and season the outside and inside of the turkey. Then you can fill the cavity with your favorite stuffing recipe and put it in the oven for a delicious holiday meal!

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Preparing the Turkey for Stuffing

Look it over for any small pinfeathers that may have been left behind when the turkey was plucked, and remove them.

Warning: Don’t rinse your turkey after taking it out of its packaging. Rinsing a raw turkey will only splash harmful bacteria around your sink and workspace, increasing your chances of getting sick.^{[1]
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Take the giblets out of the cavity. Under your turkey's tail, you will see an empty cavity.^{[2]
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Research source} You'll eventually stuff this cavity with stuffing. Reach into the cavity and remove the giblets, if there are any (they are most likely inside of a paper package). The neck may also be inside the cavity; remove it as well.
- Sometimes, the package containing the giblets is in the turkey’s neck cavity instead of the main body cavity.
- Set the giblets in a dish or resealable plastic bag and refrigerate them if you plan to make giblet gravy later. You can also boil the giblets and chop them up to add to your stuffing. Otherwise, just discard them.
Make sure to cover both the outside of the turkey and the cavity with your seasonings.^{[3]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Stuffing the Turkey

^{[4]
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Research source} Make sure that your stuffing uses only cooked ingredients, including cooked vegetables, meat, and seafood. If you use eggs, then you'll need to use pasteurized eggs.^{[5]
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Position your oven rack so that you can fit your stuffed turkey into the oven after it's prepared.
Fold the neck flap down and lift the wings up and over the closed flap. The wings will hold the flap in place without requiring trussing.^{[6]
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Make sure that you don't pack stuffing into the cavity too tightly, because it may not cook completely.^{[7]
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Tuck the turkey legs inside the skin flap for a neat appearance. Take the flap of skin at the bottom of the body cavity and pull it up so that you can tuck the ends of the drumsticks inside. This will also help hold the stuffing inside the cavity while it cooks.
- Alternatively, you can truss the legs together during cooking with kitchen twine.
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Cook the turkey until it reaches an internal temperature of 180 °F (82 °C). Put the turkey in the oven on the lowest rack and let it cook for 3-5 hours, depending on its weight.^{[8]
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Research source} The stuffing inside should be 165 °F (74 °C).^{[9]
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- To test the temperature of the turkey when you think it’s done, put a meat thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh. You can also use the thermometer to test the temperature of the stuffing.
Place a tent of aluminum foil over the bird and allow it to rest for 20 minutes.^{[10]
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Put the cooked stuffing in a clean bowl or dish so you can serve it alongside the turkey. It should be nice and moist from soaking up the turkey’s juices during the cooking process.
^{[11]
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Research source} Carve it and serve it with the dish of stuffing.^{[12]
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Can I wait an hour before cooking my stuffed turkey?

Community Answer

As long as your stuffed turkey is properly refrigerated, you can wait some time before cooking. Just be sure to cook it as soon as possible.

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When should I stuff the turkey?

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Stuff the turkey before you put it in the oven. (Remember to rinse out the cavity of the turkey first.) That way the filling can cook along with the turkey.

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Can I place the extra stuffing around the turkey while roasting?

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No, it will just soak up the juices from the turkey. Place it in oiled dish with a little turkey or chicken stock to add moisture. Place in the oven when you take turkey out. If you don't want a crust on it cover the dish. Check after 10 minutes to see if it is done.

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Tips

Eat the stuffing within 1 to 2 days of Thanksgiving. Store the leftovers in the refrigerator.

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Warnings

Avoid stuffing a turkey if you're cooking it on an outdoor grill or in a water smoker. Also, prepare dressing separately if you're using a fast cook method that would cause the turkey to be done before the stuffing has completely cooked.

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To avoid unnecessarily spreading harmful germs around your kitchen, never rinse a raw turkey unless it’s brined. To rinse a brined turkey safely, place it in a clean sink and cover the area around the sink with paper towels. Carefully rinse out the cavity with cool, running water, then put the turkey in your roasting pan and clean your sink and counter with hot, soapy water.^{[13]
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