Ingredients
The following ingredients have 4 Servings
- 1½ pound rustic whole wheat or white bread
- hard crust removed
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- plus more for pan
- ¾ pound bulk chicken breakfast sausage
- removed from casing if in links
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- divided
- 2 stalks celery
- chopped
- 2 bulbs fennel
- chopped
- 1 large onion
- chopped
- 2 small apples
- peeled
- cored
- and chopped
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1½ teaspoons fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
- 1½ teaspoons sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 3 to 3½ cups chicken
- turkey or vegetable stock
- depending on if you like it wet or dry
Instruction
- Preheat oven to 350˚F
- Place bread in a food processor and process into large crumbs or cut into ½-inch dice; you should have 12 cups
- Spread bread over 2 large shallow baking pans and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until completely dry, about 25 minutes
- Transfer bread to a large bowl
- Increase oven temperature to 450˚F and grease a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with olive oil
- Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat
- Add sausage and cook, breaking up meat into small bits, until browned and cooked through
- Remove with a slotted spoon
- To the same pan, melt 1 tablespoon butter and add celery, fennel, onion and apple, and cook, stirring occasionally until onions are tender and translucent, 8 to 10 minutes
- Add white wine and deglaze pan by scraping the bottom with a wooden utensil and cook until wine has evaporated
- Stir in thyme, sage, salt and pepper
- Add vegetable mixture and reserved sausage to bread crumbs and/or cubes, tossing to combine
- Pour chicken broth over the bread mixture, tossing to coat evenly
- Spread stuffing in the prepared baking dish, dot with remaining butter and cover tightly with foil
- Bake in upper third of oven until heated through, about 20 minutes
- Remove foil and bake stuffing until top is browned, 10 to 15 minutes more
