Stuffed Roasted Chicken with Vegetables
Recipe type: Lunch
Ingredients
- 1 large family chicken, free range preferred (the one in the photo was 2.5 kg)
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons softened butter
- 2 tablespoons garlic infused oil
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon (organic if you can)
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary
- 5 roughly chopped carrots
- 5 large potatoes chopped in 6-8 parts
- 2 medium size zucchini (courgettes) chopped
- A quarter pumpkin roughly chopped (same size as potatoes)
Instructions
- Preparation and notes:
- Remove the chicken from the fridge and keep it covered in a cool place half an hour before cooking.
- Always wash well your hands, utensils, chopping boards, surfaces etc. with antibacterial soap, when working with raw chicken. Avoid cross contamination between raw chicken and cooked food at all cost.
- Always put the chicken into a preheated (200º C – 400 F) oven and cook to the correct temperature. Usually a chicken should cook 25-30 minutes for each 500; to make sure it is cooked properly, pierce the chicken with a skewer, between the body and the legs and if the juices run clear, the chicken should be nice and ready.
- Method
- Rub the butter all over the chicken skin, also the legs and wings, that will help to create a crisp golden skin
- Prepare a seasoning mix of salt, pepper, rosemary and garlic infused oil
- Cut the lemon in half and cover both halves with the mixture
- Put the lemon halves inside the chicken cavity rubbing it around inside
- Use the same mixture and rub it everywhere on the chicken skin (yes on top of the butter rub)
- Carefully lift the skin from the meat and insert some of the stuffing previously prepared. Use the remaining stuffing mixture to make little stuffing balls and set aside (remember to save some for the stuffed capsicums – bell peppers)
- Tie the chicken legs together with a kitchen twine - if you don’t have some around, you could use unflavoured dental floss string 😉
- Place chicken with the breast side up, on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan, put the stuffing balls all around the chicken
- After 15-20 minutes turn the temperature down to 180º C or 350 F.
- Check the chicken halfway through cooking and if the chicken and the vegetables look a bit dry, baste them with the pan juices or add a couple of tablespoons water to the roasting pan
- Once the chicken and vegetables are ready, remove them from the oven and cover in tinfoil, while you get the gravy ready
- Cut the chicken into pieces using kitchen shears
