Festive Turkey Wellington

Turkey Wellington features superbly succulent turkey breast encased in a rich mushroom filling and light, crispy pastry. This delicious centerpiece is perfect for Christmas or Thanksgiving. And it’s easier to make than it looks!

This delicious Turkey Wellington with a rich mushroom filling was inspired by Jamie Oliver's turkey wellington recipe.  My version uses a smaller sized turkey breast, less pastry and includes roasted chestnuts for added sweetness and an extra festive twist. It's simple to make and perfect for a special occasion!

What is a wellington

The wellington method consists of wrapping meat in pastry. Making a traditional wellington involves coating a beef tenderloin/fillet steak in pâté and duxelles (finely chopped cooked mushrooms, onion and herbs) and wrapping in puff pastry. The dish is thought to have been named after Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington.

I've omitted the pâté but used plenty of mushrooms in my turkey wellington. I also added a few extra ingredients to complement the turkey and give this recipe a holiday feel.

Turkey wellington ingredients and substitutions

• Turkey breast: skinless.
• Puff pastry: remove from the fridge 30 minutes before using.
• Mushrooms: I am using 2 types of mushrooms: regular, closed cup mushrooms and porcini. I find that adding even a small amount of porcini mushrooms into a recipe intensifies the flavour and adds depth (a trick I’ve used in several of my recipes including mushroom potato soup).
• Sun dried tomatoes: in oil.
• Parmesan: or Grana Padano, Pecorino or similar.
• Chestnuts: ready-to-eat. Use pecans instead if preferred.
• Rosemary and thyme: use fresh or dried if preferred (approx. ½ tsp each).
• Oil: use either olive or vegetable.
• Breadcrumbs: help absorb excess moisture.
• Egg yolk: adds colour.

What size turkey breast to use

To make the poultry version of traditional wellington you will need a 1 kg turkey breast.  If you can’t find a suitable size turkey breast consider buying a large breast joint and cutting it in half (use one, freeze the other). 

Ensure the length of your turkey breast is a few centimetres shorter than the shorter side of your pastry (so you can easily encase it in the pastry).  You can always cut a bit off one end of the turkey if necessary.

The pastry

I made my turkey wellington using ready-rolled puff pastry for convenience. Just unroll and make the recipe!  One ready rolled pastry was enough to wrap around the turkey.

It is important to remove the pastry from the fridge 30 minutes before making the recipe to prevent it cracking as you unroll it.

You can also use a pastry block, either chilled or frozen. If using frozen defrost it overnight then roll out on a lightly floured surface and make the recipe.

Make sure your pastry is big enough to wrap around the turkey breast.

How to prepare the turkey

Unlike beef, which can be served rare, turkey must to be fully cooked. This is why it's important to cook it before assembling the recipe. Here is how to do it:

1.Preheat the oven to 350 F/ 180 C/ gas mark 4.

2. Coat in oil: Season then rub the turkey breast with a little oil (approx. 2 teaspoons) and thyme leaves (approx. 2 sprigs) and place in a small pan. If your turkey breast is uneven in places you can shape it by using a few cocktail sticks where needed to ensure it doesn't unfold in the oven.

3. Bake: Bake the turkey breast in the centre of the oven for about 55-60 minutes or until just cooked through - your thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat should read 72 C (161.6 F). 

4. Cool: Remove from the oven and set aside to cool completely. Reserve the juices that will gather as the turkey cools (you can make a little gravy with them later, see below).

How to make the mushroom mixture

1.Prepare porcini: Rinse the porcini in cold water rubbing gently with your fingertips to remove any grit.  Place in a small bowl and add a few spoonfuls of water, enough to just cover the mushrooms.  Leave to soak for a few minutes while you prepare the regular mushrooms.

2. Fry mushrooms: Fry the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of oil over a fairly high heat for several minutes until nicely browned and the water has evaporated, stirring occasionally.

3. Add ingredients: add the porcini (along with the water they soaked in), rosemary, thyme leaves (1 sprig), sun-dried tomatoes and stir. Continue cooking and stirring until all the moisture has evaporated. Do this thoroughly.

4. Pulse: Place the mixture in a food processor, add the chestnuts and pulse until sticky and there are no large mushroom pieces left. 

5. Add parmesan: Stir in the parmesan, breadcrumbs and season to taste.

How to assemble turkey wellington 

Preheat the oven to 400 F/ 200 C/ 180 C fan/ gas mark 6.

1. Prepare pastry: Unroll the puff pastry (or roll out on top of a lightly floured surface, if using a pastry block). Remove the cocktail sticks from the turkey (if present). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, sprinkle with flour and place the rolled out pastry sheet on top (if your pastry comes with parchment paper use that).

2. Add mushroom mixture: Spread the mushroom mixture over the middle of the pastry sheet (covering an area approx. 3 times that of the turkey breast) leaving one end untouched.

3. Add turkey: Pat dry the bottom of the turkey breast with kitchen paper and place near the end with the mushroom base underneath. Brush the edges of the pastry lightly with the beaten yolk. Bring up the shorter side and fold the opposite side of the pastry over the breast (stripping the parchment off as you go) wrapping as tightly as possible to get rid of any air pockets. Make sure the pastry is nice and snug around the turkey breast. Trim the edges if needed.

4. Bake: Using the back of a knife carefully score the pastry in a diamond pattern (optional) then brush the pastry all over with the remaining beaten yolk. Bake in the centre of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown.

5. Remove from the oven and set aside for 5 minutes before serving. In the meantime make the gravy (optional).

6. Make gravy: To a saucepan add the meat juices you've collected, along with some chicken/vegetable stock (twice the amount of the turkey juices) and 3 tablespoons of white wine. In a separate bowl dissolve 4 teaspoons of cornflour/cornstarch in 5 teaspoons of water and whisk into the sauce. Cook until the mixture thickens and starts bubbling, whisking all the time. Remove from the heat, adjust the seasoning, add a little mustard, more stock/water if needed, a few drops of balsamic vinegar, soy sauce or a bit of redcurrant jelly to taste (all optional). Serve!

Serving suggestions

Enjoy this turkey breast in puff pastry with gravy, cranberry sauce, beetroot chutney or cranberry chutney.  Some festive side dishes to serve alongside this recipe include braised red cabbage, honey glazed carrots and roasted brussels sprouts.

Leftover turkey wellington can be turned into a delicious meal. For example you can serve it with an easy white sauce over mashed potatoes (without the pastry) or turn it into turkey stroganoff. You can also coat the leftover turkey in a creamy paprika-based sauce and serve with rice, potatoes or pasta.

Prepare ahead

This turkey wellington recipe does require a bit of time, but you can prepare both the mushroom stuffing and the turkey ahead.  This means you can have a magnificent centrepiece dish ready to serve in only about an hour!

Simply bake the turkey as per Instructions, allow to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate (collect the juices in a separate dish and also refrigerate). Remove from the fridge an hour before making the recipe the following day to get it up to room temperature.

Once your mushroom mixture has been cooked and whizzed in a food processor and all of the ingredients have been added set aside to cool then cover and refrigerate it overnight.

Top tips

• Bake the turkey breast until just cooked before assembling the recipe.
• Cool the turkey breast as well as the mushroom mixture completely before wrapping in the pastry.
• Both can be prepared the night before. Once cooled refrigerate overnight and assemble the recipe the next day. Remove from the fridge an hour before making the recipe.
• Ensure the pastry also is at room temperature before assembling the recipe.
• Make sure your pastry is big enough to wrap around the turkey breast.
• Cook the mushroom mixture until ALL the moisture has evaporated.
• Season the mushroom mixture generously.
• Bake the wellington in a preheated oven.
• Use a sharp knife to slice your turkey wellington. Your slices will look neater.
• Best served hot. Refrigerate leftovers, covered, for up to 4 days.

Reheating and freezing

You can reheat leftover turkey wellington slices in a microwave. Alternatively fry quickly on both sides with a small amount of oil.

To freeze place individual slices (separated with a piece of parchment paper) in an airtight container and freeze for up to 3 months.

More delicious centrepieces to try

• Turkey Shepherd's Pie with Vegetables
• Stuffed Butternut Squash with Lentils and Mushrooms
• Salmon Pot Pie with Sweet Potato

Check out also these other delicious meal ideas including more turkey recipes!

Recipe

Keep in touch!

If you make this turkey wellington I'd love to know how it turned out for you. Let me know in the comments below, thanks!

Follow me on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter for regular recipe updates! Or you could subscribe to this blog and receive all my latest recipes right into your mailbox!