Autumn Roasted Chicken with Stuffing
Ingredients
- 2 oz (60 g) pancetta or bacon, diced
- 1 medium onion diced
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 Tbsp (4 g) chopped fresh sage or 2 tsp dried sage
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 clove garlic minced
- ½ cup (125 mL) dry white vermouth 3 cups (150 g) diced day-old
- sourdough bread some crusts included
- ¼ cup (16 g) chopped fresh Italian parsley
- Salt and black pepper
- 4 lb (1.8 kg) whole chicken
- Olive oil for basting the chicken Paprika, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C).
- Heat a sauté pan over medium heat. Add the pancetta (or bacon) and cook until it begins to crisp up a little. Add the onions and celery and sauté for about 5 minutes, until the onions look translucent. Add the sage, thyme and garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Pour in the vermouth and simmer until the liquid reduces by half.
- Place the cubed bread in a bowl. Add the sautéed pancetta mixture and the parsley and toss well. Season to taste.
- Spoon the stuffing into a roasting pan and divide it into two sections (a chicken half will sit on top of each portion of stuffing).
- Use a sharp butcher’s knife or kitchen shears to split the chicken in half by cutting down either side of the backbone, with the backbone resting on your cutting board. The backbone can be saved for stock. Flip the chicken over to remove the keel bone and cartilage between the two breasts. Run your knife around either side of the keel bone at the base of the cartilage and then use your fingers or a smaller knife to run along the cartilage to loosen it. Use your finger to pop out both the keel bone and cartilage, which you can save or discard. Split the chicken in half between the two breasts and place one half on each portion of stuffing, skin side up.
- Lightly brush or drizzle the chicken with oil, sprinkle with paprika and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast the chicken, uncovered, for about an hour, until an internal temperature of 165°F (74°C) is reached when tested inside the thigh and centre of the breast. Serve the chicken on the bone, cutting into smaller pieces, if needed, with the stuffing on the side.
- Note: Leftover chicken and stuffing will keep, well wrapped, in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Notes
TIP: Do you love the idea of roasted chicken with stuffing but need to get dinner on the table even quicker? Make the stuffing as above, spread it in the roasting pan in an even layer and then layer six to eight boneless chicken thighs overtop. Bake for about 40 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through. Perhaps you were reading this recipe and wondering, “Where’s the gravy?” I’ve got you covered. In this recipe, the stuffing absorbs most of the juices as the chicken roasts, so making a pan gravy isn’t a realistic option. To make 2 cups (500 mL) of dark gravy worthy of these autumn flavours, melt 3 Tbsp (45 g) butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add ¼ cup (37 g) all-purpose flour and stir continuously with a wooden spoon for 6 to 7 minutes, until the roux turns the colour of peanut butter. Whisk in 2 cups (500 mL) chicken stock in a few additions and bring the gravy to a simmer. Add a splash of vermouth and a little chopped sage, season to taste and serve.
Excerpted from Anna Cooks by Anna Olson. Copyright © 2025 Anna Olson. Photographs by Janis Nicolay. Published by Appetite by Random House®, a division of Penguin Random House Canada Limited. Reproduced by arrangement with the Publisher. All rights reserved.