Ingredients

• 1.5 kg whole chicken
• 200 g long grain rice
• 60 g pine nuts
• 40 g dried currants
• 1 piece onion
• 40 g butter
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground allspice
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 400 ml chicken stock
• 30 g fresh parsley

Instructions

1. Prepare the chicken

   Pat the whole chicken completely dry inside and out with paper towels. Rub 1 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp black pepper all over the skin and inside the cavity. Let it rest at room temperature for 20-30 minutes until the skin feels slightly tacky. Do not skip the drying step or the skin won't crisp properly.

2. Make the stuffing base

   Finely dice the onion into 5mm pieces. Heat 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat for 1 minute. Add the diced onion and cook for 6-8 minutes until soft and translucent, stirring occasionally. Do not let the onion brown or it will taste bitter.

3. Toast pine nuts

   Add pine nuts to the pan with onions over medium-low heat. Toast for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until they turn golden brown and smell nutty. Remove from heat immediately when golden. Do not walk away as pine nuts burn very quickly and become bitter.

4. Prepare rice stuffing

   Add rice, currants, cinnamon, allspice, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp black pepper to the pan. Stir constantly over medium heat for 2-3 minutes until rice is well coated and fragrant. Add 300ml hot chicken stock and bring to a boil for 1 minute, then remove from heat. Do not fully cook the rice as it will finish cooking inside the chicken.

5. Stuff the chicken

   Loosely stuff the chicken cavity with the rice mixture, leaving room for expansion. Do not pack tightly. Fold wing tips under the body and tie legs together with kitchen string. Place breast-side up in a roasting pan. Do not overstuff or the rice will burst out during cooking.

6. Start roasting

   Brush chicken skin with melted butter and place in preheated 200°C oven. Roast for 30 minutes until skin starts to turn golden brown. Pour remaining 100ml hot stock around the chicken in the pan. Do not pour stock over the chicken or the skin will not stay crispy.

7. Finish cooking

   Reduce heat to 180°C and continue roasting for 45-55 minutes until internal temperature reaches 75°C and juices run clear. Baste with pan juices every 20 minutes. Cover with foil if skin browns too quickly. Do not open the oven door frequently or the temperature will drop.

8. Rest and serve

   Remove chicken from oven and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Sprinkle chopped parsley over the stuffing when serving. The resting time allows juices to redistribute throughout the meat. Do not carve immediately or all the juices will run out.

Tips

Comments (0)