The Bracha for Stuffed Chicken, Stuffed Artichoke and Stuffed Avocado

If a person eats chicken which is prepared with stuffing – such as rice – how many Brachot does he recite? Must he recite two separate Brachot – “Mezonot” on the rice and “She’hakol” on the chicken – or should he recite just one Bracha? And if he must recite only one Bracha, which Bracha does he recite?

The Halacha in this case depends on how one eats the chicken. If he eats the chicken and stuffing together, then they are considered a mixture, and since the chicken is the primary food, he recites “She’hakol” over the chicken and this Bracha covers the stuffing. Usually, however, when one opens the stuffed chicken the stuffing is moved to the side and eaten separately. In such a case, one would recite two separate Brachot – – “Mezonot” on the rice and “She’hakol” on the chicken. (Obviously one would recite only one Bracha Aharona after eating – “Boreh Nefashot” – which is the Bracha required for both rice and chicken.)

Similarly, if a person eats stuffed artichoke, and the stuffing is made from meat, the number of Brachot required depends on how he eats it. If he eats the stuffing and artichoke separately, then he recites two separate Brachot – “Ha’adama” on the artichoke, and “She’hakol” over the meat stuffing. If, however, he eats the stuffing and artichoke together, then he recites only “Ha’adama” over the artichoke, which is considered the primary food, and this Bracha covers the stuffing, as well. This is the ruling of Chacham David Yosef, in his Halacha Berura.

Often, at catered affairs, guests are served avocado stuffed with tuna fish, with the avocado being used as a cup of sorts to hold the tuna. The Yalkut Yosef notes that according to the Hayeh Adam (Rav Avraham Danzig of Vilna), two foods served in this manner are treated as separate foods with respect to Brachot, and, in any event, it is difficult to ascertain which of the two foods is primary and which is subordinate. As such, one should recite two Brachot – “Ha’etz” over the avocado, and “She’hakol” over the tuna.

Summary: If one eats chicken with stuffing, and he eats the chicken and stuffing mixed together, he recites “She’hakol” over the chicken and this Bracha covers the stuffing, as well. If he eats them separately, he recites two separate Brachot. If one eats artichoke with meat stuffing, he recites “Ha’adama” over the artichoke, and this covers the stuffing, as well, but if he eats them separately, he must recite separate Brachot. If one eats avocado stuffed with tuna, in all cases he recites two separate Brachot.

By Rabbi Eli Mansour