Your search for the best stuffing ends here. This leek and chorizo brioche stuffing is made with loads of bright herbs and delicious butter for the perfect combination of soft and tender on the inside, and crispy and craggily on the outside. Pair this with your favourite gravy and get ready to have the best bite of your life!
Equipment
Everything you need to make the best stuffing at home:
- baking sheet
- large skillet (I’m using enameled cast iron)
- chef’s knife
- cutting board
- wooden spoon or spatula
- large bowl
- measuring cup
- whisk
- 8″x11″ baking dish
- aluminum foil
Note: you can find the full recipe and ingredients list below!
Cooking Tips
- Tear your bread, don’t cut it. Doing this will maximize the craggily edges within the stuffing, allowing for more browning and crisping. This helps strike the perfect balance between tender and crunchy in each bite.
- Butter your baking dish. Yes, there’s a lot of butter in this recipe, but it’s the holidays and the holidays require butter. Don’t skip greasing the baking dish because you think there’s already enough butter and this extra bit won’t make a difference — it really will. Buttering the dish allows the edges of the stuffing to get extra brown and crispy, and those bits are the pieces everyone always fights over, so make sure there’s plenty by, you guessed it, buttering the baking dish!
- Making stuffing ahead…no problem! Follow all the steps up to the second bake. Leave the aluminum foil on and let the stuffing cool on the counter. Once cool, transfer to the fridge and keep for 2-3 days. Once ready to serve, let come to room temperature, before placing it back in the oven at 375°F until golden brown all over.
Leek and Chorizo Brioche Stuffing
6-8
servings1.5
hoursIngredients
500g sweet bread (challah, brioche or massa)
1 tbsp olive oil
350g chorizo sausages
1.5 cups + 2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 leek stalks
2 celery stalks
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 tbsp chopped sage
2 tbsp chopped rosemary
1 tbsp chopped thyme
2 cups unsalted/low sodium chicken broth
2 eggs
Kosher salt (I'm using Diamond Crystal)
Directions
Preheat oven to 250°F.
Tear bread into large bite-sized pieces, leaving the crust on for maximum crunch. Transfer bread pieces to a baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until dry and crunchy, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat a large skillet on medium heat. Remove the casing on your sausages and rip into 1-inch pieces. Set aside. Back in the skillet, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Once warm, add sausage pieces and cook until golden brown and crispy, breaking the sausage chunks into small crumbles as it cooks.
While your sausage cooks, prepare your aromatics. Slice your leeks into thin half moons and finely dice your celery. If you haven't already, now is a great time to also chop your sage, rosemary and thyme. Set aside.
Back in the skillet, you should have many small, crispy and golden pieces of sausage. Transfer to a large bowl.
Now, melt 1.5 sticks of butter on medium heat in the same skillet you used to brown the sausage. When the butter is foaming, add your sliced leeks and diced celery. Cook until completely soft and slightly browning in some spots. Transfer to the large bowl with chorizo.
By now, your sweetbread should be ready. Remove and raise the oven temperature to 375°F. Transfer the dried sweetbread to the bowl with your aromatics and chorizo.
Season the stuffing mixture with chopped herbs and a pinch of salt. Toss to coat then taste and adjust seasoning. This is the first and only time we will season the stuffing with salt! So don't skip it.
To the bowl, add 1 cup chicken broth and toss again. The bread should be rehydrated at this point but not completely soaked. Whisk your eggs into the remaining broth and add 1/2 of the egg mixture to the bowl then toss again.
Using the remaining 2 tbsp butter, grease your 8"x11" baking dish. Transfer the stuffing mix to the greased dish and cover with remaining egg mixture. Cover in aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes. If you're making the stuffing ahead, stop here and continue 20 minutes before serving time.
After 30 minutes, remove foil and continue cooking for another 10-15 minutes, or until golden brown on top. Serve with homemade gravy and enjoy!
Tag me @stefsdinnerdate on Instagram and TikTok if you make it! I love seeing your creations.
Is this Spanish or Mexican chorizo?
I was using Spanish chorizo, but any spicy sausage will work in a pinch!