Stuffed turkey breast with Chinese sticky rice- easy recipe

Disclosure: This post is sponsored by Canadian Turkey. Thank you for supporting the brands I love, as they help me keep my blog running. The opinions in the post are entirely my own.

The ultimate stuffed turkey recipe!

This is a show-stopping roasted and stuffed turkey breast with Chinese sticky rice. Each tender bite of turkey is glazed with mushroom soy sauce, honey and sesame oil. And the umami-packed stuffing is full of texture from the sticky rice, chunky pieces of shiitake mushrooms and Chinese sausage.

I adapted a traditional Chinese sticky rice recipe from my parents who normally make this on special occasions. For me, the combination of this turkey recipe with my parent’s sticky rice makes it extra special for the holidays.

The recipe portion for the sticky rice makes stuffing for the turkey with enough left for a side dish. That’s two dishes in one! This recipe also makes for awesome leftovers. I call it a win-win-win!

Turkey all year!

Aside from the holidays, we enjoy turkey all year – it’s versatile, easy to prepare, packed with nutrients and simply delicious! Check out my recipes for Peking style turkey, and Instant Pot turkey and mushroom soup.

Turkey pairs well with different flavour profiles, spices, seasonings, and glazes. It really makes the perfect centerpiece for any meal, especially a celebratory meal. You can also substitute turkey for the main protein with your favourite dish. Yet another bonus: turkey leftovers are awesome!

The perfect turkey recipe for the holidays!

Our family would normally have a huge gathering but we are planning a much smaller get together this year. Nevertheless, my main goal during the holiday season is to be with loved ones and create memorable meals. And turkey is the perfect centerpiece for any memorable gathering, with leftovers for the next day!

This recipe is perfect for an intimate table as the roast makes enough for four people. Feel free to scale up or down depending on the number of guests – you can even make one stuffed roast per person.

Canadian turkey, either a whole bird or in different cuts, is easy to find at your local grocery store or butcher. I usually buy turkey to freeze and use it when needed. This makes meal planning much easier and minimizes shopping trips.

For the recipe, most of the ingredients for the turkey and the sticky rice stuffing can be bought in advance. The Chinese sausages and dried shrimp, used in the stuffing, typically lasts three months in the fridge.

I used turkey breast because it’s an easier cut to stuff and roll, but you can use other cuts that can be tied with a string for roasting. You can also use the stuffing in a whole turkey.

Ingredients to make the stuffed Canadian turkey breast

The roast has only a few preparation steps and takes less than an hour to finish in the oven. More about the steps and techniques shortly. Let’s first recap why turkey makes sense during the holidays.

5 Reasons to Think Turkey During The Holidays!

1. Perfect For Celebration And Everyday Meals

Everyone knows that turkey belongs on your holiday table, but don’t stop there! Think turkey and make everyday meals delicious and tasty. It’s packed with flavour and you can easily substitute turkey into any of your family’s favourite recipes for a sure hit every time.

2. Lean But Juicy

Did you know that both white and dark cuts are lean? That means you can enjoy the cut you prefer and feel good knowing you are choosing a healthy protein without compromising flavour, tenderness or juiciness.

3. So Much To Choose From

Turkey is such a versatile protein, with so many cuts of both dark and white meat to choose from, including legs, drumsticks, breast steaks, breast roasts, thighs, drummettes, wings, sausages, and of course, ground turkey. With such a wide selection, you can have turkey for breakfast, lunch or dinner, with leftovers that taste delicious the next day.

4. Pack A Flavour Punch

Turkey plays well with other flavours so you can get creative. The taste and texture marries well with bold profiles making it a perfect partner for spices and rubs. Make your own turkey recipes using your family’s favourite flavours and easily change up your everyday dishes using rubs, marinades and sauces.

5. Perfect For Penny Pinchers

Turkeys are generally larger than other poultry options and deliver a lot of meat for the price. Think turkey when planning for your celebrations and reach for a whole bird that can be roasted for pennies per pound. And turkey is a perfect choice for batch cooking meals or freezing leftover meat to use as an everyday meal starter. Cuts like drums, breasts and thighs are large so you need fewer pieces to feed your family and have leftovers to stock the fridge.

For additional tips, recipes, Turkey Basics videos and HOW TOs? Visit canadianturkey.ca for all your cooking inspiration. Canadian Turkey makes your holiday cooking easy with all the recipe suggestions and turkey prep tips you need.

Canadian Turkey can help you create impressive dishes and provide you with the tips and techniques you need to create delicious and memorable meals.

Techniques revealed for the stuffed turkey breast!

There are two main steps in creating the stuffed turkey breast. The first is to cook the Chinese sticky rice stuffing. The second is to tie and roast the turkey breast with the cooked sticky rice inside.

The glutinous rice should be soaked for at least four hours or overnight. This helps the grains absorb moisture during cooking and gives the rice a satisfying chewiness when you’re done. If you are new to glutinous rice, this Southeast and East Asian grain becomes sticky when cooked and works well as stuffing and pairs great with turkey.

Glutinous rice, dried shrimp, and Chinese sausages

The dried shiitake mushrooms need to be hydrated before they can be used so make sure to soak them in water for at least two hours to soften.

For the stuffing, dried shrimp and Chinese sausages are tasty aromatics that are popular ingredients in Chinese sticky rice. Chinese sausages, known as “lap cheong” in Cantonese, are typically made of pork and pork fat and have a savoury, sweet profile. The dried shrimp really pack a punch of salty and umami flavour to the dish. Any size of the dried shrimp works for this recipe.

These ingredients can be found in the fridge section of Asian supermarkets. A good substitute would be regular shrimp and pancetta or your favourite sausages.

How to make the sticky rice

The dried shrimp, Chinese sausages, and rehydrated shiitake mushrooms are sauteed first to bring out their aroma and flavours. They are added to the glutinous rice with oil, seasoning and mushroom soy sauce.

Sticky rice can be steamed or cooked like Thai Jasmine rice – just prepare with water on the stove top, Instant pot or rice cooker.

I used the rice cooker, for simplicity. A portion of the sticky rice stuffing is for the turkey breast and the remaining will be reheated in the oven right before serving to crisp up the edges.

How to make a stuffed turkey breast

The key to making the stuffed turkey breast is create a large surface area for the stuffing before tying and roasting.

To create this large surface area, slice the breast at the thickest part to help extend the breast without slicing all the way through. Then, flip the half-sliced breast over. The entire turkey breasts should be about the same height before adding in the stuffing (see picture). Next up, add the cooled Chinese sticky rice stuffing in the middle.

Once the turkey breast is trussed, simply dress with oil and mushroom soy for taste and colour and then brush with sesame oil and honey for a sweet aromatic glaze before serving.

If you are new to trussing a roast, there is no right or wrong. Just make sure the entire roast is held together. The cool part is that once the turkey is cooked through and the strings are removed, the turkey will keep its shape.

Trusted turkey — Almost ready for the oven!

Once the turkey is in the oven, it takes less than one hour to roast with one flip and baste.

This easy but memorable recipe will be a great addition to your holiday traditions and served throughout the year.

RECIPE