main dishes sardinian

Stuffed Poussins (Pollastrelli Ripieni)

Small roast chickens stuffed with giblets, hard-boiled egg, sun-dried tomatoes, and stale bread. A farmhouse Sardinian second course.

Dairy-Free Nut-Free
Back to Recipes More Recipes
Prep 45 min
Cook 35 min
Total 1h 20m
Servings 6
Difficulty Medium

Ingredients

Birds

Filling

Aromatics

Cooking

Seasoning

Need a different yield?

Open this recipe in the scaler to adjust servings and turn the ingredients into a grouped shopping list.

Scale this recipe

Instructions

  1. Prep the birds. Singe off any stray pinfeathers, then rinse and pat the poussins completely dry. Season the cavities with salt and pepper.

  2. Brown the giblets. Warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan, add the crushed garlic clove, and let it perfume the oil. Remove the garlic, add the giblets, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly coloured. Let them cool slightly, then chop them coarsely.

    Tip: You want the giblets just cooked through, not hard or dry. They will finish inside the birds.

  3. Boil the eggs and soften the tomatoes. Hard-boil the eggs for 10 minutes, cool, peel, and chop them. Pour boiling water over the sun-dried tomatoes for a few minutes, drain, pat dry, and chop them finely.

  4. Make the stuffing. In a bowl, combine the chopped giblets, eggs, sun-dried tomatoes, stale bread crumbs, and passata. Season with a little more salt and pepper. If the mixture feels too stiff to spoon, loosen it with a small drizzle of olive oil.

  5. Stuff and close the poussins. Pack the filling into the cavities a little at a time, pressing gently so it sits evenly without splitting the birds. Sew the openings closed or secure them with toothpicks, then tie the birds neatly with kitchen string.

  6. Roast. Place the birds in an oiled roasting dish, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, season the outside with salt and pepper, and roast in a preheated 190 C oven for 30 to 35 minutes, turning them twice so they brown evenly.

  7. Rest and serve. Let the poussins sit for 5 minutes, remove the string, and serve whole or halved with the stuffing visible at the centre.

Storage & Meal Prep

Leftovers keep for up to 2 days in the refrigerator. Reheat gently, covered loosely, in a low oven so the stuffing warms through without drying the birds.

Variations

  • With More Tomato in the Filling: Increase the passata to 3 tablespoons if you want a softer, more spoonable stuffing. Keep the mixture firm enough to hold when packed.
  • With Parsley: Add 1 tablespoon of chopped flat-leaf parsley to the filling for a greener, fresher finish without changing the original logic of the dish.

FAQ

What are pollastrelli?

Pollastrelli are very small chickens, close to poussins or spring chickens. If you cannot find true poussins, use the smallest chickens your butcher has and adjust the cooking time upward slightly.

Do I have to sew the birds closed?

Sewing with kitchen thread is the neatest traditional method, but sturdy toothpicks work if you tuck the filling in firmly and avoid overstuffing.

Why hard-boiled eggs in the filling?

They give the stuffing body and richness without needing cheese or sausage. That combination of giblets, egg, stale bread, and tomato is one of the defining details of the dish.

Interactive Nutrition Map

6 Servings

Customize Ingredients

Meat & Poultry
Chicken Thigh (Bone-In, Skin-On)
300 g
Eggs
Egg (Large, Whole, Raw)
200 g
Vegetables
Sun-Dried Tomato
32 g
Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes
31 g
Garlic
3 g
Grains & Bread
White Bread (Crusty)
90 g
Oils & Fats
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
27 g
Herbs & Spices
Salt
7.5 g
Black Pepper
1 g
Other
Chicken Liver (Raw)
120 g

Per Serving

282kcalCalories
22gProtein
11gCarbs
16gFat
1gFiber
Sodium
219mg10% DV
Potassium
441mg9% DV
Calcium
75mg6% DV
Iron
4mg22% DV
Magnesium
34mg8% DV
Vitamin C
6.8mg8% DV
Vitamin A
745µg83% DV
Vitamin K
7.6µg6% DV
Folate
158µg40% DV
Chicken Thigh (Bone-In, Skin-On)
Chicken Liver (Raw)
Egg (Large, Whole, Raw)
Sun-Dried Tomato
Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes
White Bread (Crusty)
Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt
Black Pepper
* Nutrition is an estimate; actual values vary by ingredient brands and cooking methods. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

The Story Behind This Dish

In Sardinia, Stuffed Poussins belongs on the Sardinian home table. I build it around small chickens or poussins, chicken giblets, and eggs.

I prep the birds. I singe off any stray pinfeathers, then rinse and pat the poussins completely dry. I season the cavities with salt and pepper. I brown the giblets. I warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small pan, add the crushed garlic clove, and let it perfume the oil. I remove the garlic, add the giblets, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until lightly coloured. I let them cool slightly, then chop them coarsely.

Roast. I place the birds in an oiled roasting dish, drizzle with the remaining olive oil, season the outside with salt and pepper, and roast in a preheated 190 C oven for 30 to 35 minutes, turning them twice so they brown evenly. I rest and serve. I let the poussins sit for 5 minutes, remove the string, and serve whole or halved with the stuffing visible at the centre.

Part of: The Sardinian Kitchen

Related: Sardinian Table: Real Meals | Sardinian Ingredients Guide | Baked Goat Involtini