Summer Savoury Dressing (Newfoundland)

canadian-newfoundland-summersavourydressing A traditional savoury stuffing for poultry and game birds made with breadcrumbs, onions and summer savoury, a delicious, fragrant herb. Newfoundland savoury dressing as a stuffing for poultry is about as Newfoundland as it gets. The scent of savoury stuffing or “dressing” as it is more commonly called, wafting from a Sunday morning Newfoundland kitchen is a universal experience for every born and bred Newfoundlander. For many people there is no other kind of stuffing; it is that pervasive in our food culture.

4 cups coarse breadcrumbs
2-4 Tbsp. dried summer savoury
½ small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
½ cup chicken stock
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

In a small skillet, slowly sauté the chopped onion (and garlic if desired) in the butter over low heat until the onions are soft. Meanwhile combine the breadcrumbs, savoury, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the cooked onions and chicken stock and toss well to combine all the ingredients.

Use as a stuffing for any poultry including game birds.

To cook in the oven just place in a small covered casserole dish and bake in a low oven 250-300°F (150°C/130°C fan, Gas Mark 2) for about ½ hour. You may want to add a little more stock when using this method.

Makes 8.

Cook’s Notes:

I very rarely cook this dressing inside the bird nowadays, especially with chicken where now I prefer to use this 1 hour method for juicy roast chicken. Instead I now make it in a small casserole dish in a low oven. The warming drawer in our stove is also hot enough on high to do this, You just need to ensure that it hits 175-185°F on a meat thermometer if you are adding chicken stock as we do.
I increase the chicken stock to about ¾ cup in this instance and cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil before adding the lid in order to help keep the moisture it. Give the dressing a toss, once or twice during the cooking time.
When using the stuffing inside chicken breasts as pictured, I like to use the largest breasts I can find and preserve as much of the skin as possible. Usually, I debone the breasts myself, then I butterfly cut the breasts in order to open them up into as close a rectangular shape as possible. Then, I add the stuffing, fold it all together and use 3 pieces of butcher string to hold it all in place.
I rub the outside with a little olive oil, season with salt and pepper and open roast at 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6) for about 40-45 minutes depending upon the size of the breasts. Always use a meat thermometer to ensure the inside middle temperature is 175-185°F.