Super Easy Turkey Breast and Surprise Stuffing

November 21, 2009 · Filed Under Friday Foodie Fix, crockpot, dairy free, easy, entree, gluten free, recipe, slow cooker, vegetarian 

Special Turkey Breast 112

This post is linked to Diane’s (The W.H.O.L.E. Gang) Friday Foodie Fix—Turkey and Amy’s (Simply Sugar & Gluten-Free) Slightly Indulgent Mondays (soon to be held on Tuesdays).

When I shared the Special Turkey Breast crockpot recipe the other day, I mentioned I had an even easier recipe for a Traditional Turkey Breast. This one is also made in a slow cooker.

The good news is that this recipe is so easy, so gluten free easily (gfe), that you won’t even believe it (and, perhaps, will thank me profusely once you make it). The bad news is that I don’t have a photo for you … until Thanksgiving.

I’ve been making this turkey breast since I first hosted Thanksgiving several years ago to give my mother a break. I had no intentions of roasting a whole turkey because I knew most of it would not get eaten. So I looked online for a suitable recipe. When I found the following recipe with two ingredients (the turkey breast plus one more), I was very skeptical to say the least. But, when I made it, I was so pleased and everyone raved over it. Now it’s my standard turkey breast recipe. (Members of my support group have also happily added it to their holiday cooking repertoire.) I’ll be making both this Traditional Turkey Breast and the Special Turkey Breast on Thanksgiving.

Traditional Turkey Breast

One turkey breast, any size (just be sure it fits in your slow cooker)

One stick (1/2 cup) regular butter (not unsalted) or non-dairy equivalent, melted

Remove any packaging for the turkey breast carefully. (I’ve been surprised by gravy packets before and I’ve been grateful that I didn’t accidentally puncture them with my kitchen shears.)

Rinse turkey breast. Remove any contents from cavity of breast. (If gizzards and liver are included, you can cook those or freeze for another use later.)

Pat dry and place in crockpot.

Melt butter.

Pour butter evenly over turkey breast. (DO NOT add anything else. Nothing. NO additional seasonings. NO water. NOTHING else.)

Cook 4 to 4 1/2 hours on high or 8 to 8 ½ hours on low; cooking on low yields a more tender flavorful breast in this case, I believe. (If frozen, be sure to remove anything in the cavity and cook for about 10 hours or so.)

This turkey breast will be perfectly moist and perfectly seasoned. The skin even browns in my crockpot. I use a 6-qt oval Crockpot SmartPot.

Now for part two—the Surprise Stuffing. Luckily, I do have photos for this dish, lots of them.

Tostito Stuffing 028-1

A little background … I saw this basic recipe on the celiac listserv a few years ago. The individuals who posted the recipe raved over it. So I saved it to my computer and even printed it out, but I’ve never been a huge stuffing fan and when “push came to shove” with all my Thanksgiving cooking and limited time each year, I always thought I’d make it later. Well, later never came. Until now. Did I mention that folks raved over this stuffing? Did I mention that some said it tasted just like Stove-Top stuffing? Hmmm, well, that could be a plus or a minus depending on one’s purist views regarding stuffing. When I was eating a prepared stuffing, I personally always liked Pepperidge Farm stuffing back in the day. But, I digress … a bit. Did I mention that this stuffing recipe uses no bread of any type? The main ingredient is a surprise … a snack food that many people keep on hand, and a naturally gluten-free snack food (yippee!), but one that everybody loves—corn tortilla chips. Yes, that’s correct. That bag of Tostitos in your pantry will be transformed into your new favorite stuffing!

Tostito Stuffing 033

I don’t know why I waited so long to try this recipe. It’s excellent and so easy to make. It’s also naturally dairy-free and just requires a few ingredients. Mr. GFE doesn’t usually like stuffing, but he’s in love with this recipe. He said it almost tastes like Susie’s Crab Casserole. I don’t think this casserole tastes like crabmeat, but it does have a similar texture and consistency and is really good. I ate this small bowl full right after it came out of the oven; I never eat stuffing like that. Hey, maybe it could be a Poor Man’s “Crab” Casserole—ideal for the budget and a version for the non-seafood lover. Setting that consideration aside, I’m looking forward to serving this to Son when he comes home tomorrow and making more to serve my family on Thanksgiving. I’m even looking forward to using it in another recipe that I haven’t made since going gluten free—a chicken and stuffing casserole—but I’ll wait a few weeks. I think I’ll be “poultry’d” out for a bit after Thursday.

Here’s the recipe as I made it today. Note that while Tostitos contain no gluten ingredients, they are not made in a dedicated facility or on a dedicated line. Frito-Lay cleans their lines between processing their different products, but please use your own judgment regarding using Tostitos if you are gluten free. Of course, any other tortilla chips that you like and consider safe can be used instead. I would really like to try this with the blue tortilla chips. Blue stuffing … now that would be fun. (No Smurf jokes, please.) Okay, okay—here’s the recipe.

Surprise (Tortilla Chip) Stuffing
(Click here for a print version of these recipes.)

Tostito Stuffing 008

One large bag of tortilla chips (about 13 ounces)

1 cup finely chopped onion

¾ – 1 cup finely chopped celery (depending upon how much you like celery)

4 cups (32 ounces) chicken broth (I made mine using Better than Bouillon; canned gluten-free broth or homemade stock would also work fine)

2 tsp poultry seasoning (or sage or other seasoning of choice; adjust amount to taste)

Additional ingredients if desired, like sausage, mushrooms, chestnuts, etc.

Pour tortilla chips into a large bowl. (Do not break tortilla chips into smaller pieces. I did that not knowing any better and it’s really unnecessary. Once softened, the tortilla chips will naturally break into smaller pieces.)

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Pour chicken broth over tortilla chips. Stir so that all tortilla chips are covered or moistened by broth. Let “soak” for 30 minutes.

Stir in onion, celery, seasonings, and any optional ingredients.

Pour into lightly greased casserole dish. A 9 x 13 glass dish would be ideal. (I halved the recipe and used a smaller oval casserole dish for my test run.)

Tostito Stuffing 025

Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. (If you like a drier stuffing, a slightly higher temperature might be a better choice.) If necessary, you can turn the broiler on for the last few minutes to brown the top, but please be cautious. (Dish should be far from broiler itself and only cooked at this temperature for a short time.)

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Surprise Stuffing (Shown with Special Turkey Breast and Corn)

Shirley’s Notes: I’ve read that folks have even “stuffed” their turkey with this stuffing successfully versus baking as a side dish! Remember that the photos shown are of the recipe made when halved. If you have any leftover stuffing, you can recycle it into croutons.

Special Turkey Breast 104

See this obnoxious little turkey guy. Okay, he doesn’t look that obnoxious .. goofy, for sure … but wind him up and you’ll see and hear how obnoxious he is—a singing, dancing turkey. I went away on a business trip in mid-November a few years back and came home to find this turkey on the dining room table … and, evidence of a party. It seems Mr. GFE and Son had a little oyster roast with friends and family while I was gone and this was one of the “hosts” gifts they received. (I was only a bit dismayed that they had it in a somewhat untidy house and screened porch. LOL) The young and the old love this strange little turkey, so we keep him around for entertainment purposes.

Enjoy your turkey (the slow cooker one, not the super silly one) and stuffing! Just think … all the time you save by NOT slaving away in the kitchen can be spent chatting and catching up with family and friends.

Shirley
Not just gf, but gfe!

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36 Responses to “Super Easy Turkey Breast and Surprise Stuffing”

  1. Lisa Williams on November 21st, 2009 9:06 am

    Great post, necessity is the mother of invention and your stuffing is a great work around forthose of us with allergies/celiac. Thanks!

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 21st, 2009 9:11 am

      Hi, Lisa–Welcome to gfe! It seems that inventive (or simple) is often the answer indeed. :-) I’m so glad I finally tried this recipe! I can’t wait to make it for my extended family next week—they won’t believe it. ;-)

      I hope you’ll enjoy this stuffing when you try it! I’ll be checking out your blog, Lisa Cooks Allergen Free, for sure. Allergen free is good! Look forward to seeing you again. :-)

      Shirley

      Reply
  2. Katrina (gluten free gidget) on November 21st, 2009 10:09 am

    That stuffing IS a surprise! You are so creative!

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 21st, 2009 7:44 pm

      Hi, Katrina–Thanks! I can’t take credit for the idea though. This recipe has been posted on the celiac listserv by different authors over the years, so I think all of us took the original idea and tweaked it to our own liking. :-)

      Shirley

      Reply
  3. Lauren on November 21st, 2009 12:30 pm

    Such a fun idea! And anything with butter is awesome =D.

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 21st, 2009 7:47 pm

      Hi, Lauren!– :-) I still can’t believe the idea worked LOL, but I’m so happy it did! Butter can do amazing things to food, that’s for sure. Interestingly enough, our speaker at our support group’s open house this past weekend said he does not eat dairy except for some butter because research shows that there are some health benefits to eating butter.

      Shirley

      Reply
      • Lauren on November 21st, 2009 8:04 pm

        Love that! I’m a sucker for butter in pretty much anything, so its good to know its not all for taste (although that wouldn’t be too bad either)!

        Reply
        • Shirley on November 21st, 2009 8:27 pm

          Always happy to help here at gfe! ;-)

          Shirley

          Reply
  4. glutenfreeforgood on November 21st, 2009 2:25 pm

    You are always full of surprises, my friend! I do love your creativity, whether it’s baking a cake without flour, making a pizza without a crust or making stuffing without bread! Do you come up with all these ideas yourself or do you have a culinary creative crew working for you??!

    It’s always a joy to visit GFE! And I’m starting to get attached to all these little turkey critters you’ve been featuring lately.
    :-)

    Melissa
    xo

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 21st, 2009 8:07 pm

      Hi, girlfriend! ;-) Just trying to keep everyone’s gluten-free lives saner. I like to be able to pick up my ingredients at my local basic grocery store and our new farmer’s market (which sadly closed for the season at the end of October—that growing calendar thing, of course). Just makes more sense to me than stocking up on tons of specialty ingredients. No, no crew here! LOL Just me always reading a ton and absorbing ideas as I look for new, easier gfe ways to make great recipes and live a little simpler gluten free. :-)

      You’re so sweet—thank you! Now, those turkeys … be careful, my dear … I might be shipping you one as an early Christmas present. Then you can feature it over at Gluten Free For Good next Thanksgiving! LOL

      Shirley

      Reply
  5. Alisa - Frugal Foodie on November 21st, 2009 2:55 pm

    YOu are so creative! That looks awesome. going to RT :)

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 21st, 2009 8:13 pm

      Hey there, Alisa–Just sharing someone else’s great idea … hoping to save gf distraught stuffing makers everywhere! ;-) So, I’m very glad you’re tweeting on this one—thank you!! :-)

      Hope you’ve gotten lots of entries for your week of cookbook giveaways over at One Frugal Foodie–some folks will be very thankful for those worthy cookbooks!

      Shirley

      Reply
  6. Kay Guest on November 21st, 2009 4:55 pm

    Thanks for this great recipe! I would call it “dressing” myself. My husband has never been a big fan of dressing but I will make this for him just because YOU say that it is so good! Thanks again! P.S. I am a HUGE fan of stuffing or dressing…whatever you like to call it!! Oh, and also, torilla chips are like another food group in our gluten free household…

    th

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 21st, 2009 8:24 pm

      Hi, Kay–Welcome to gfe! You know … we always called it dressing growing up. :-) That term doesn’t seem to get used that much any more. Now, I’m going to be worried that your husband won’t like it. Well, at least there will be more for you if that happens. ;-)

      Oh, I hear you on tortilla chips, Kay. Since I only used half a bag for my test run, Mr. GFE has happily eaten the other half. :-) Bagged tortilla chips are one party/staple snack food that we can count on when heading out and about.

      Thanks so much for stopping by gfe and taking the time to comment! I hope you’ll report back on what you think of the recipe or any adjustments you made.

      Shirley

      Reply
  7. Susie's Homemade on November 21st, 2009 11:53 pm

    Very ingenious:-)

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 22nd, 2009 2:58 pm

      Hi Susie–Yes, whoever originated this one was brilliant! I just had some leftover stuffing for lunch and it was just as tasty as before. It’s still surprising me! ;-)

      Shirley

      Reply
  8. Linda on November 22nd, 2009 5:28 pm

    I was never a huge stuffing fan so while I do miss it sometimes, it’s never been worth the trouble of making it. This sounds so easy though. I’m going to have to try it. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 24th, 2009 9:48 am

      Hey Linda–I think you’ll really enjoy it for the occasional taste of stuffing. I was surprised Mr. GFE liked it as much as he did, because he’s always passed on stuffing in the past. Hope you try it and like it!

      Have a great Thanksgiving!

      Shirley

      Reply
  9. Jenn/CinnamonQuill on November 23rd, 2009 8:42 pm

    Incredible recipe!! Especially since I just got a huge bag of tortilla chips from Costco. This is absolutely brilliant! I can’t wait to make it once, then change up the flavors…And if it tastes like crab casserole, all the better, it will be crab casserole for vegetarians. ;-)

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 24th, 2009 9:52 am

      Jenn–Isn’t it great how the universe works that way? You having that big bag of tortilla chips and me having this recipe. LOL You might make a smaller amount of the recipe the first go round before you make your adjustments. I think I might throw some Old Bay seafood seasoning in next time. I was thinking I’d do that for a little spiciness and flavor, but that addition might really make it taste crabby. Hmmm, you might have your vegetarian crab casserole yet! ;-) Please report back … good or bad … on what you think and your adaptations—thanks!

      Hugs,
      Shirley

      Reply
  10. Linda on November 24th, 2009 8:01 pm

    I made this for dinner tonight and I’m keeping the leftovers for myself to eat on Thursday. It was very good! I was amazed at how it turned out. I was out of poultry seasoning and so was the store, so I used 1 1/2 t. ground sage and 1/2 t. ground thyme, but I wish I had used more of both.

    Thanks you Shirley! It will be nice to have stuffing with Thanksgiving dinner this year.

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 24th, 2009 8:30 pm

      Hi Linda–Oh, I’m so very glad you were pleased and that you reported back! I love to hear “amazed” in re: to any recipes here—thank you. :-) I say whoever came up with that was a genius. (Makes me wonder what other gluten-free “mountains” we could conquer with common, but unexpected foods or ingredients.) I just had the last of my test run stuffing with some leftover turkey salad. I’m making a new batch on Thursday. I’ve decided to use more seasoning next time, too. I’m actually thinking about adding some Old Bay. I think everyone has to try once to figure out how much of which seasonings they prefer. I do think I’d like more sage, too … well maybe more sage OR Old Bay … not both.

      Have a wonderful Thanksgiving, Linda!

      Shirley

      Reply
  11. Amy @ SS&GF on November 24th, 2009 10:27 pm

    I’m always amazed at the creativity people muster up when unable to eat gluten – they make great food out of ingredients I would never think to use. I love this idea. I know Joe would love it.

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 25th, 2009 3:19 pm

      Hi Amy!–We are a creative bunch, aren’t we? LOL I’d like to find the person who came up with this recipe and personally thank them! I just dictated it to one of my group members over the phone. ;-) I can’t wait to try it out on everyone tomorrow!

      Shirley

      Reply
  12. Chelsey on November 25th, 2009 12:37 pm

    Shirley thanks for visiting my blog again! You always leave the most kind and thoughtful comments. You are an inspiration and encouragement. Thank – You!

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 25th, 2009 5:14 pm

      Chelsey–What a very lovely thing to say! Thank you … sooo much. I think your Crazy Kitchen is a beautiful site. I love all the terrific recipes that you (and your guests, like your hubby) come up with–such fresh and gorgeous dishes. :-) Like your new Flippingly Fast Fridays blog carnival, too! Who doesn’t want a great meal pronto?

      Shirley

      Reply
  13. Julie Christine on November 25th, 2009 10:21 pm

    Oh wow, the Surprise Stuffing looks great – I just happen to have some tortilla chips in the cupboard (ok, it’s really more like 1/2 dozen bags, many of which are partial bags of crumbled chips – PERFECT for this recipe!!!). I’m going to make this so that my 10yo celiac DS and I can have stuffing tomorrow.

    Reply
    • Shirley on November 25th, 2009 11:16 pm

      Hi Julie Christine!–Welcome to gfe! LOL on so many partial bags of chips. When Son was home, that would often be the case here, too. One note … since you have crumbled chips, you may only need to let your chips sit in the chicken broth for a few minutes–maybe 15 minutes? I’m so happy you and your son will be able to have wonderful—and wonderfully easy ;-) —gluten-free stuffing. I hope you’ll report back on what you two think!

      Thanks so much for stopping by and taking the time to comment! Happy Thanksgiving!

      Shirley

      Reply
  14. Annie on January 22nd, 2010 7:58 pm

    I was at the store today, exhausted and starving (and attempting to get everything I need to buy for the next two weeks purchased in fifteen minutes), armed with, among other things, this recipe. I am in love. It’s easy, it tastes good, and adding protein (chickpeas) isn’t difficult.

    I don’t know about regular tortilla chips but my blue tortilla chips are making me think about Smurfs. *evil grin*

    Reply
    • Shirley on January 24th, 2010 12:22 am

      Hi Annie–So nice to see you again! Oh, I’m so happy that you tried the surprise stuffing and have fallen in love. :-) Adding chickpeas is a terrific idea! Similar to the chestnuts some folks like to add. I’m not sure if the following idea would work with the chickpeas added, but did you see my post on recycling the leftover stuffing into croutons? Check it out here just in case. LOL on Smurfy blue tortilla chips. I would have made mine with blue chips at Thanksgiving, but couldn’t find them at our basic store.

      So glad this recipe was a hit for you!

      Shirley

      Reply

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