This luxuriously tasting chestnut stuffing turns an everyday chicken dish into something really special. With a hint of lemon and herbs running through the chicken to enhance all of the flavours.
Ingredients for the Chicken
- 1 Organic Corn Fed Chicken 1kg to 1.5kgs
- 1 Lemon
- 4 tbsp Olive Oil
- Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Medium sized Onion
- Fresh Marjoram, Chervil or Parsley
Ingredients for the Chestnut Stuffing
- Cooked and Peeled Chestnuts 120g
- Wholemeal Breadcrumbs 60g
- Pork Sausage Meat 180g
- Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Medium sized Onion or 2 Shallots
- Freshly Grated Nutmeg
- 2 tbsp of Chopped Flat Leaved Parsley
- Fresh Cream to bind
Method
Firstly preheat your oven to 425F/220C/Gas Mark 7.
Start with the Chicken - Finely grate the zest from the lemon and put in a bowl. Finely chop the herbs and add them to the bowl and mix with the lemon zest and a little olive oil. Gently prise away the chicken skin from the breast meat and use your lemon zest and herb mixture to spread in the gap between the skin and the flesh. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice over the whole of the chickens skin and rub over with the rest of the olive oil. Peel and halve the onion and place both halves and both of the remains of the lemon inside the cavity of the chicken. Place the chicken in a baking tin and sprinkle the skin with the salt and pepper to season.
To make the stuffing - Finely chop the chestnuts either by hand or in your food processor. Peel and finely chop the onion or shallots. Place in a mixing bowl, the chestnuts, sausage meat, onions and bread crumbs along with the parsley, nutmeg and seasoning salt and pepper. Mix everything together well and add sufficient cream to make the mixture bind together.
My preference is to use the stuffing to stuff the chicken under the skin at the neck end of the bird.
Alternatively, you can roll the stuffing into balls about the size of a walnut. This recipe should give you between 12 - 16 stuffing balls. Place them on a baking tray and roast in the oven for around 15 to 20 minutes and turn them over after 10 minutes to help them crisp all the way around.
Roast the chicken in the oven for around 1 hour. Check that it is cooked all the way through using a skewer inserted into the thigh meat. When the juices run clear and the skin is a golden brown your chicken is cooked to perfection.
Leave your chicken out of the oven to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before carving for the best results.
Serve with golden roasted fluffy potatoes and seasonal vegetables.
Enjoy!
About this Author
I've just had my brand new kitchen installed and used Skip Hire UK to dispose of all the building rubble. I'm now creating loads more fantastic recipes for you.
I recently had a fantastic vacation in Florida and was totally inspired by the food in the Drive Ins and Diners. Florida Vacations All Inclusive
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