Winter is the perfect season for glorious, soul-warming, tummy stuffing, melt-in-the-mouth roast chicken. Nothing quite says welcome home on a cold evening like the smell of a fresh chicken in the oven, and we’re not talking about the machine-basted, plastic-infused rotisserie chickens you pick up at the supermarket!
Roast chicken is the ancient family-classic centrepiece of millions of Sunday lunches and week-day dinners up and down the country. You could probably find a thousand variations on the recipe using all manner of fancy ingredients, but in our humble opinion, when it comes to warming the cockles of a family’s heart, nothing comes close to the simplest traditional stuffed bird. This is a quick and straightforward recipe for roast chicken which anyone can make. When gravy is added, it contains 220 calories per 100g.
Pre-heat the oven on to 190°C, then wash and pat-dry the chicken. Mix the oil and butter together, then rub the mixture onto the skin of the chicken. Lightly season with salt and pepper.
Stuffing:
Melt the butter in a pan, then add the shallot/onion and bacon to fry until soft. Once soft, remove and place in a small bowl and mix with the rest of the stuffing ingredients.
Add enough of the beaten egg to just bind the mixture together (do not use too much egg or your stuffing will look something like an omelette!). Stuff the body cavity with the stuffing mixture. This means, push it in deep and tight so that it is really squeezed in there!
Roasting:
Place the stuffed chicken on a roasting pan in the pre-heated oven and bake for about an hour and a half, or until the juices run clear when the bird is pierced with a skewer. Occasionally baste with seasoned oil whilst it is roasting, if it looks as though it is getting a bit dry. When you open the oven to check and baste, a wall of delicious aroma will rush into the kitchen, filling your house with warmth and cheer.
Serve with roast potatoes and vegetables of your choice.
