Sticky Rice Stuffing. It’s gonna be all the rage this Thanksgiving. For any adventurous Thanksgiving cooks who want to try something other than a traditional bread stuffing or dressing this year, this is the recipe for you.
A Family Recipe Retrofitted for Thanksgiving!
We’ve actually been making this sticky rice stuffing for years. It’s featured in one of my all-time favorites: Roast Chicken with Sticky Rice.
I’ve also heard tell that my grandfather had a recipe involving an entire de-boned chicken stuffed with sticky rice and roasted (I’ve asked my dad to bring that recipe out of the vault, so stay tuned), but this is the first time I ever thought to make it as a Thanksgiving side dish.
As a lover of bread stuffing (it’s actually my favorite Thanksgiving side dish), I was a little apprehensive about making a rice-based one. But it WORKS. Smothered in some of that onion giblet gravy from our Five Spice Turkey recipe, it is pure Thanksgiving heaven.
The key is putting the stuffing in the oven for about 15 minutes. Magical things happen when this stuffing is roasted. It gets nice and crispy on the top and bottom, while staying gooey in the middle.
A Great Gluten-Free Stuffing Option
Since it’s rice-based, this stuffing can also be made completely gluten-free. I included some notes in the ingredients list on small substitutions that you can make, like using gluten-free soy sauce, molasses instead of dark soy sauce, and another meat alternative to lop cheung (which contains soy sauce).
If you want to make it completely vegetarian, you can simply omit the meat ingredient and substitute roasted & chopped chestnuts, toasted pecans, or toasted pine nuts. You can also use mushroom or vegetable stock instead of chicken stock.
I’ll definitely be adding this sticky rice stuffing to the menu this year, and I don’t think anyone is going to miss the bread! You’ll also want to check out our complete Holiday Season Recipe collection for other great Thanksgiving and holiday recipes.
Sticky Rice Stuffing: Recipe Instructions
Cook the sweet rice (sticky rice). The most foolproof way is to soak it overnight (at least 6 hours), and then steam it for 40 minutes. If you have a rice cooker with a sweet rice setting, you can also cook it that way.
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil. When oil is hot, add the onions and sliced Chinese sausage (lop cheung). Cook for 3-5 minutes.
Add the fresh shiitake mushrooms and cook until caramelized.
Add the cooked rice, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, chicken stock, and scallions. Mix until the rice is an even brown color.
Spread the sticky rice stuffing out evenly in the pan, and transfer to the oven. Roast the stuffing for 15 minutes, until crisp on the top and bottom. Serve!
