READY, SET, ROAST! Try our take on a traditional Roast chicken, with this Roast chicken with mushroom & brown rice stuffing recipe.
TOTAL TIME 2 Hours 15 Minutes | SERVES 4
INGREDIENTS
MUSHROOM & BROWN RICE STUFFING
- 125 g butter
- 2 onions
- 2 garlic cloves
- 500 g brown mushrooms
- 1 tbsp finely chopped thyme
- ⅓ cup chopped parsley
- 2 cups cooked brown rice
ROAST CHICKEN
- 1.6 kg whole chicken
- 60 g softened butter
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tsp chopped fresh sage
- 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 1 lemon, quartered
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 2 tbsp flour
METHOD
MUSHROOM & BROWN RICE STUFFING
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat; cook the onions and garlic, stirring, until soft.
Add the mushrooms; cook, stirring, until soft. Transfer the mixture to a bowl. Add the thyme, parsley and cooked brown rice. Season to taste.
ROAST CHICKEN
Preheat the oven to 200°C.
Remove and discard any fat from the cavity of the chicken. Rinse the chicken inside and out with water. Pat the cavity and skin dry with a paper towel. Tuck wings under body.
Run your fingers carefully between the skin and the breast meat.
Combine the butter, garlic and chopped herbs in a small bowl. Spoon butter under the skin; push butter through the skin to cover breasts and tops of drumsticks and thighs.
Fill the cavity of the chicken with the mushroom and rice stuffing, as well as a few slices of lemon and thyme sprigs.
Season chicken all over with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Tie legs together with kitchen string.
Place chicken on an oiled rack in a medium roasting pan. Pour 2 cups of the stock into the pan (liquid should not touch the chicken). Roast for 15 minutes.
Reduce the oven to 180°C; bake the chicken for a further 1½ hours or until chicken is cooked through, basting occasionally with pan juices.
Transfer chicken to a plate; cover loosely with foil. Rest for 10 minutes before serving.
GRAVY
To make the gravy, pour the pan juices into a medium jug. Skim and discard fat from the surface of the juices.
Return 2 tbsp of fat to the baking pan; discard the remaining fat. Stir in the flour; stir over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the mixture is browned. This will give the gravy good colour and flavour.
Gradually stir in remaining pan juices and stock; stir until gravy boils and thickens. Season. Strain gravy into a medium heatproof jug. Serve chicken with gravy.
Pro Tip: To achieve delicious crispy chicken skin, make sure the surface has been dried thoroughly. Basting the chicken during roasting also helps the skin to brown and keeps the chicken moist. Let roast chicken rest, covered loosely with foil, for at least 10 minutes before carving. This will allow all the juices to distribute evenly through the meat. If you rest the chicken with the breast facing down, the juices will accumulate through the breast ensuring the meat is nice and moist.
Taken from Food and Home.
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Feature Image: Pexels
