Ingredients
| ROSE HARISSA BUTTER | |
| 100g butter, softened | |
| 2-3 tablespoons rose harissa | |
| 2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley | |
| STUFFING | |
| 2 tablespoons olive oil (I use Alexandra’s brand) | |
| 1 onion, chopped | |
| 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped | |
| ½ teaspoon smoked sweet paprika | |
| 1 tablespoon rose harissa paste | |
| 1 roasted red capsicum (from a jar), chopped | |
| 450g pork & fennel (or chicken) sausages, skin removed and discarded | |
| 2 cups fresh breadcrumbs (I used sourdough that’s a few days old) | |
| grated zest of 1 lemon | |
| a good handful flat-leafed parsley, finely chopped | |
| TO ASSEMBLE | |
| 1 size 16 chicken | |
| 1 leek, cut lengthwise then sliced into half circles | |
| juice of 1 lemon | |
| 1 cup chicken stock or water |
Give me a chicken over turkey anytime; they’re easier to handle, there’s no worries about dry meat and fewer leftovers to deal with. I do like to have a lot of stuffing to serve alongside, so there is plenty of that here and it’s lightly spiced with rose harissa, which does have some heat so adjust to your own preference.
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Instructions
| 1. | ROSE HARISSA BUTTER |
| 2. | Mash all the ingredients together, refrigerate until required. Bring out of the fridge to soften before using. |
| 3. | STUFFING |
| 4. | Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion, and fry for 5-10 minutes or until soft. |
| 5. | Add the garlic, smoked paprika and rose harissa and fry for a couple of minutes. Set aside and allow to cool. |
| 6. | Mix with the capsicum, sausage, breadcrumbs, lemon zest and parsley. Set aside until ready to stuff the chicken (this should be done on the day you plan to cook it). |
| 7. | TO ASSEMBLE |
| 8. | Heat the oven to 180°C. |
| 9. | Take the chicken out of the fridge and remove the wishbone by gently easing it out using a small knife and your fingers (this makes it easier to carve). |
| 10. | Gently slide your finger under the skin of the chicken breast and loosen the skin from the flesh (or use a dessertspoon with the bottom side of the spoon towards the skin). Spread the rose harissa butter under the skin evenly, reserving a little for the outside of the bird. |
| 11. | Season the cavity and fill with some of the stuffing. Close the cavity with toothpicks or skewers and truss the chicken with string. |
| 12. | Roll the remaining stuffing into a sausage shape and wrap in baking paper, then in foil. |
| 13. | Lay the leeks in a baking dish or tin (choose one that gives you a good amount of space around the chicken, but is not so big that the liquid dries out) and place the chicken on top. |
| 14. | Smear with the remaining rose harissa butter and squeeze over the lemon juice. Season generously with sea salt. |
| 15. | Add the stock or water to the pan. Cover with a large piece of foil. |
| 16. | Cook for 40 minutes, then remove the foil and brush the chicken with the pan juices. Put the foil-wrapped stuffing to the oven, too. Cook the chicken for another 20 minutes, then brush again. Start keeping an eye on the chicken as the skin will darken considerably. If it looks in danger of burning, place a tent of foil or baking paper loosely over the top. |
| 17. | Cook for another 20-30 minutes (the total cooking time should be 1 hour 20-30 minutes), testing the legs at the thickest parts.The juices should run clear when pierced with a skewer (or reach 75°C) to ensure that the bird is cooked through. |
| 18. | Remove from the oven and allow to rest for at least 15-20 minutes, before removing the string and skewers to begin carving. |
| 19. | The stuffing should be ready at the same time as the chicken and should also reach 75°C. Keep the stuffing wrapped and rest with the chicken until ready to serve. |
| 20. | Carve the chicken and arrange on a platter with the stuffing and any cooking juices. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant / Photography Aaron McLean / Styling Jessica Crowe