Whole Roast Free Range Chicken with Stuffing

You cannot beat a free range roast chicken, especially with a stuffing of herbs, nuts, seeds and vegetables.

I live on my own, well, together with my two dogs, and sometimes I roast a whole chicken, which provides several meals during the course of the week. A few scraps go in the direction of my dogs, and the carcass makes a stock.

How to Make Roast Chicken with Stuffing

First, remove the chicken from the fridge, allowing it to come up to room temperature.

Meanwhile, make the stuffing by combining and frying the following in a little olive oil and butter.

• Onion, finely chopped
• Celery stick, finely chopped
• Carrot, finely chopped
• Garlic, crushed and finely chopped
• Raisins
• Pine nuts
• Seeds of choice (poppy and sesame were mine)
• Breadcrumbs
• Bay leaf
• Celery salt
• Mixed dried herbs
• Fresh parsley
• Black peppercorns, crushed

In a roasting tin add roughly chopped onion, carrot, celery, whole garlic cloves, and a lemon cut in half. Drizzle with olive oil.

Stuff the chicken.

Rub softened butter under and over the skin of the chicken with a good sprinkling of paprika, ground black peppercorns, and a pinch of celery salt.

Place the bird over the chopped vegetables and then pour over a large glass of white wine and a splash of chicken stock.

Place in a preheated oven and roast at 220° for 10 minutes, then continue roasting at 180° for another hour or so.

When cooked to your liking – the skin should be crisp and golden – allow the bird to rest for 15 minutes.

For the oven temperatures, the breast and thigh temperatures to aim for, and what ten chefs' books taught me, see my full guide to whole roast chicken.

If you love chicken as much as I do, then you may enjoy my whole roast chicken with chickpeas and vegetables.

Chickens have a fascinating history as a food source. Initially, chickens were domesticated not for their meat but for cockfighting. This practice began in Southeast Asia and China around 10,000 years ago. It wasn’t until later that chickens started being raised for meat.

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This roast chicken with stuffing is featured in my Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas collection, a complete guide to cooking every cut and every style, from Casa Adora and the road.

Find more recipes and food adventures here.

Wonky photos, proper chicken, genuine adventures — The Flexible Chef