Who does not like roast chicken? Especially when it’s accompanied by crispy potatoes or a delicious filling. Besides christmas is near and this is the perfect time of the year when you can try out recipes that will suits perfectly the Christmas table. Moreover the days are shorter and the weather is cooler, so you can enjoy baking better.
I have to say that I prefer fish to meat, but when it comes to choose which meat to cook there are only two main choices: chicken or pork. Two different types of meat but each one has its own special feature. If you want to cook something really spectacular, and also really easy, you definitely have to cook this roast chicken stuffed with chestnuts.
The wonderful thing is that from this recipe you can actually make two dishes: a main course of meat and also a tasty chicken broth to cook tortellini or a nice risotto. In many parts of Italy, Christmas is the day when you eat “tortellini in brodo” as first dish and then a rich meat recipe as main dish. In my region, in particular, we are used to eat “stracciatella” for Christmas dinner. If you are wondering what stracciatella is, well it’s a warm broth were you drop beaten eggs with parmigiano and lemon zest. Really tasty! Promise I will write about this too.
Now let’s prepare this juicy and tasty roast chicken stuffed with chestnuts (an incredibly savory but delicate filling). It will only take a little time, but I promise it’s really worth it!
Ingredients
- 1 boneless chicken (you can ask your butcher to remove the bones for you)
- 200gr of boiled chestnuts
- 2 italian sausages
- 250gr of boiled potatoes
- 1 egg
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- 1 onion
- 2 garlic cloves
- 2 cardamom seeds, few cloves and pepper corn
- salt
- 1/2 glass wine
Method
Step 1
Fill a large pan (at least 5lt capacity) with 3 lts of water. Add the onion, the washed carrots and cellery, cardamom seeds, pepper corns and cloves. Season with a tablespoon of coarse salt, and bring to a boil, covered with a lid.
Step 2
In the meantime prepare the fillings. In a bowl mash the potatoes with the chestnuts, add the sausages and the egg and mix well until all the ingredients are mixed evenly.
Step 3
Wash the chicken, sprinkle with salt on the inside and then stuff it with the filling. Tie it tight with a kitchen rope and put it into the boiling water. Let it cook for 1 hour.
Step 4
Preheat the oven at 250°. Remove the chicken from the pan and put it into a non-stick or earthenware pan, with a little oil, the garlic cloves and the onion, celery and carrot used in the broth. As mentioned you can use the broth to make risotto or a simple soup.
Step 5
Put it in the oven covered with an aluminium foil. Cook for about 30 minutes then remove the foil, pour the wine over it and cook for at least other 45 minutes. Make sure to pour the cooking liquid onto the chicken regularly to get a perfectly juicy meat.
Step 6
When the chicken is golden brown, turn the heat off and let it sit for 15 minutes. You can bake potatoes in another pan while cooking the chicken. Peel and cut 500gr of potatoee into 2cm cubes, wash them thoroughly and put them onto a non stick baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well with your hands to cover the potatoes evenly. Add a couple of garlic cloves and some rosemary and put them into the oven with the meat. Remember to mix them from time to time.
