SERVES 4
There is always room for one more roast chook recipe! This one is brilliant with a lovely, nutty stuffing and lots of fresh oranges. If kumquats are in season, do toss some into the dish.
- 1 free-range, whole chicken (1½ kg, 3.3 lbs), soaked in brine overnight
glaze
- 7 tablespoons orange juice
- Zest of 1 orange
- 3 tablespoons grape or date molasses
- 1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
- 2 Thai red chillies, slit down the middle
- 1 star anise
- 2 cm (0.8 in) cinnamon stick
for baking
- 1 small (100 g, 3.5 oz) Spanish
- red onion, peeled, sliced thinly
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- ¼ orange, sliced thinly
- 2 cm (0.8 in) cinnamon stick
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
rice stuffing
- ½ cup cooked al dente brown rice
- 2 tablespoons cooked al dente quinoa
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
- 1 tablespoon dried currants
- 1-2 dried figs, sliced thinly
- Zest of half an orange
- ¼ orange, in segments
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
- Good pinch of sea salt
- 1 heaped tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
To brine the chicken, fill a glass bowl large enough to fit the bird with water and add 1 tablespoon of salt. Stir to dissolve. Submerge the chicken in the water, cover with cling film and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the chicken from the brine, drain well and pat dry with paper towels. Lightly salt and rub 1 tablespoon of oil all over the chicken. Set aside.
Preheat your oven to 180°C (355°F) degrees.
Place the ingredients for the glaze into a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Cook until thick and syrupy. Set aside to cool.
To bake, prepare a baking dish slightly larger than the chicken. Toss together the onion, garlic, orange slices and cinnamon stick with olive oil and place at the bottom of the baking dish.
For the stuffing, toss together all ingredients. Gently spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the chicken, making sure not to stuff it too full or to compress it too much. Lift the bird by both legs up and give it a shake to settle the stuffing. Close the cavity with the flaps of skin at the mouth of the cavity.
Place the chicken on top of the aromats and bake in the oven for 1 hour 35 minutes. In the last 20 minutes of cooking, baste the chicken with the glaze every 5 minutes, pouring the remaining glaze over the chicken in the last 5 minutes. You’ll find that the first baste does not really stick but it will improve from the second basting. Remove from the oven and rest before serving.
Recipe and images from Cook & Feast by Audra Morris, published by Landmark Books