Garlic Roast Chicken and Fresh Sage Stuffing

Ingredients

1.7kg SPCA Certified whole chicken, washed and patted dry
20 garlic cloves, skin intact
1 lemon, halved
3 bay leaves
1 tbsp of olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp of finely chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 tsp of sea salt
400 mls of chicken stock
100 mls of white wine

Kitchen string for tying the chicken legs
Aluminum foil

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375ºF (190C).

2. Wash the chicken and pat dry. Place lemon halves and bay leaves in the chicken cavity. Tie the legs together with kitchen string.

3. In a small bowl, mix together the rosemary, salt and olive oil. Rub mixture over the chicken.

4. Place the chicken in a large baking dish. Set aside.

5. Bring the chicken stock, white wine and garlic cloves to a simmer in a medium saucepan. Pour the liquid and garlic cloves into the baking dish with the chicken. Cover baking dish in foil so that no steam can escape and roast for 1 hour 20 minutes.

6. After this time, remove chicken from oven and remove the foil. Place chicken back in the oven and roast for another 20 minutes or until the chicken is golden brown.

7. Remove chicken from the oven and loosely cover it in foil. Let it rest for about 15 minutes.

8. Spoon the sauce from the baking dish into a saucepan and keep it warm. You can strain some of the garlic cloves into the sauce or just keep the cloves whole.

9. Serve the chicken with garlic sauce on the side. Place a few garlic cloves on each plate so that guests can squeeze garlic onto the chicken if they wish.

Health Canada food safety instructions for poultry.

Stuffing ingredients

1lb loaf white bread, sliced
1/4 lb whole wheat bread, sliced
1.5 cups of unsalted butter
3/4 cup of chopped celery
1 cup of chopped onion
1/2 cup of peeled and chopped apple
1.5 cups of vegetable stock
2 tbsp fresh thyme, chopped
10 sage leaves, cut into thin strips
1/2 cup raisins
Salt and pepper to taste

Stuffing method

1. The night before cooking, spread the bread out in a single layer on baking trays or towels to allow the bread to dry overnight.

2. The next morning, preheat the oven to 300° F. Cut the bread into 1.5-inch pieces and put in a bowl.

3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the celery, onions and apple, and cook over low heat for five minutes. Add the vegetable stock. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and allow to cool for three minutes.

4. Pour the mixture over the bread. Add the chopped herbs, raisins and season with salt and pepper.

5. Pour the stuffing in a large roasting pan and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove the foil cover and bake for another 30 minutes.