The Perfect Holiday Dinner for Smaller Groups

When we’ve got a bigger group coming to our house for Thanksgiving, there’s nothing I love more than roasting my favorite spatchcock turkey or cheesecloth turkey. But if it’s just my husband and I, or a few close friends, I prefer roasting turkey thighs so we don’t wind up with mounds of leftover turkey.

This year, instead of slathering my turkey thighs with herb butter and roasting them as is, I gave my favorite lean protein an elegant makeover by filling each thigh with a fragrant wild mushroom stuffing and making a simple white wine gravy from the pan drippings.

Stuffed turkey thigh roulade is a faster, simpler alternative to a whole roast turkey and is way easier to make than it looks! We start by de-boning turkey thighs (you can do this yourself or ask your butcher to do it for you), but leave the skin on. The filling is a mix of wild mushrooms, shallots, fresh herbs, cranberries, and breadcrumbs. The turkey thighs are rolled up around the filling and trussed before being seared and roasted in the oven.

“Delicious” doesn’t begin to describe just how moist, tender, and flavorful this mushroom stuffed turkey roulade turns out!

Special Tools You’ll Need

• Sharp Knife
• Cutting Board
• Kitchen Twine
• Kitchen Tongs
• Probe Thermometer
• Large Skillet Braiser

• Skin-on turkey thighs. My thighs were roughly 1 pound each. If yours are a little larger, feel free to buy fewer depending on how many guests you’re serving.
• Mushrooms. For the richest flavor, I suggest using a blend of wild mushrooms. Cremini, king trumpet, oyster, and chanterelle mushrooms are all favorites!
• Olive oil + butter. I like to sauté mushrooms and aromatics in both oil and butter for richness and flavor. Plus, the oil prevents the butter from burning.
• Shallots. Have a milder flavor than yellow or red onions and don’t overpower the mushrooms.
• Fresh herbs. A blend of sage, rosemary, and thyme makes the stuffing beautifully aromatic. You could use dried herbs (use 1/3 the amount though!), but fresh is so much better in this recipe.
• Madeira. This Portuguese wine is highly acidic but very rich, and it’s perfect for deglazing the pan and adding body to the mushroom filling.
• Fresh breadcrumbs. I love any option to use fresh breadcrumbs! I make mine by tossing a couple pieces of cubed sourdough bread into a food processor and chopping them until they’re fine breadcrumbs. I mixed a little cream into the mushroom filling to hydrate the breadcrumbs and provide moisture. You can use panko as a swap if needed.
• Dried cranberries. Their sweet-tart flavor offsets the savory mushrooms, plus they add lots of texture to the filling.
• Dry white wine. I like using something like a Pinot Grigio or Sauvignon Blanc to make the pan gravy.

How to Make Stuffed Turkey Roulade (+ Step by Step Photos!)

Step 1: De-bone your turkey thighs. If you purchase your turkey thighs from a butcher, you can ask them to de-bone the thighs for you. Otherwise it’s fairly simple to do yourself using a sharp knife. Take care to remove the connective tissue and silverskin, too!

Jenny’s Tip: To get the meat to lay flat, I find it helpful to make shallow cuts in the thicker parts of the thighs.

Step 2: Sauté the mushrooms. Mushrooms contain lots of moisture, so it will take a solid 8 – 10 minutes for them to cook off a lot of their water content and begin shrinking down. Don’t stir the mushrooms too often! They need to stay in contact with the hot pan for the moisture to cook off.

Step 3: Cook the aromatics. Once the mushrooms have softened, add the shallots, garlic, minced herbs, and a few pats of butter. After a couple of minutes, the shallots should be nice and soft. This is when you’ll want to deglaze the pan with the madeira wine! Use a spatula to scrape the bottom of the pan and release any bits that have gotten stuck.

Step 4: Finish the mushroom filling. Add the sautéed mushrooms and aromatics to a large mixing bowl and stir in the Dijon, cream, breadcrumbs, and cranberries. Taste the filling and see if it needs any more salt and pepper — you want it to be super flavorful!

Step 5: Stuff and roll the turkey thighs. This is the part of the recipe that can feel intimidating, but it’s SO much simpler than it sounds, promise! Add 1/2 cup of the mushroom filling to the center of each turkey thigh, then pat it out using your hands. Leave a border around the edges so the filling doesn’t ooze out once the turkey gets rolled up.

Then, roll each thigh into a log. You want to make the roll nice and tight so the filling stays put.

Step 6: Truss your turkey thighs. Bust out the kitchen twine and roll a few pieces around the circumference of the turkey thighs and use one long piece to secure the ends (you’ll need to tie that piece on lengthwise).

Jenny’s Tip: If you’ve got someone else helping you in the kitchen, have them cut the pieces of kitchen twine for you so you can focus on tying them off. If you’re working solo, cut a few pieces of kitchen twine ahead of time so they’re ready to go once you’ve rolled your thighs into logs.

Step 7: Sear the turkey roulades until deeply golden. Place the turkey thighs skin-side down in the pan to encourage the excess fat to render. Then, use a pair of kitchen tongs to rotate the roulades so that every side gets nice and golden.

Jenny’s Tip: Don’t crowd the pan! You might need to sear the turkey in batches to ensure even cooking.

Step 8: Roast at 350ºF. The stuffed turkey thighs cook quickly (about 30 minutes), and I baste mine every 10 minutes. Basting the roulades keeps them super moist and makes the skin extra crispy.

After roasting, it’s super important that you remove the turkey roulades to a clean cutting board or plate, loosely tent them with foil, and let them rest for 15 minutes so the juices have time to redistribute.

Step 9: Make a pan gravy while the turkey rests. Bring the flavorful pan drippings to a simmer, then stir in the shallots and sage. Once the shallots have softened, whisk in the flour, then the white wine and chicken stock. So long as the drippings were actively simmering when the flour was stirred in, it shouldn’t clump up!

Jenny’s Tip: If the pan drippings have a lot of fat on the surface, skim off as much as you can before making the gravy. This will prevent it from tasting greasy.

What to Serve on the Side

What’s a holiday dinner without the sides? I always have to have creamy mashed potatoes and green bean casserole on the table, but other favorites include:

• Brandied Cranberry Sauce
• Honey Pumpkin Dinner Rolls
• White Cheddar Mac and Cheese
• Bacon Cornbread Stuffing
• Turkey Gravy

Don’t forget the drinks! This holiday sangria is easy to scale up or down depending on the size of your gathering.

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If you do give this recipe a try, I love hearing about it! Leave a comment with a star rating below. Be sure to subscribe to my weekly newsletter and never miss a new recipe! You can also snap a photo & tag@JENNYGOYCOCHEA on Instagram.

More Holiday Mains for Smaller Gatherings

• Slow Roasted Turkey Thighs 
• Actually Juicy Roast Turkey Breast
• Glazed Cornish Game Hens
• Herb Roasted Spatchcock Chicken
• Thanksgiving Turkey Meatballs

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