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Roast Chicken with Pilaf Stuffing
This recipe combines the best of both worlds – roasting chicken and a pistachio and currant pilaf stuffing. The currants are real flavor bombs and provide a delightful moisture to the rice.
All of the work in this dish is early. Once the pilaf is prepared and the chicken stuffed, it’s sit back and relax making it a great dish if entertaining.
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| Servings | Prep Time |
| 4people | 30minutes |
| Cook Time | Passive Time |
| 90minutes | 10minutes |
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- 4lbs whole chickenswhole*
- salt, ground sea
- black pepper, ground
- 2tbsp olive oil
- 1cup chicken stock*
- 1/2cup parsleyroughly chopped to garnish
- 1cup long grain rice
- 2 1/2cups chicken stock*
- 2ozs butter
- 1 onions, brownmedium, roughly chopped
- 2ozs pistachiosroughly chopped
- 1/2tsp allspice
- 1tsp cinnamon, sticks (quills)
- 1/4cup currants, dried
- 1/2 lemonsfreshly squeezed
- 1/3cup walnutsroughly chopped
- 1/3cup parsleyfreshly chopped
- Soak the rice for 10 minutes and then rinse to remove the starch. Put aside to drain.
- Heat the 3.5 cups of chicken stock and when boiling turn down to a simmer.
- In a pan with a lid, melt the butter over a low-medium heat and add the onion. Stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn up the heat to medium. Add the pistachios, spices, currants and rice, stirring for about 2 minutes. Add 2.5 cups of the stock and bring to a boil. Put the lid on the pan and turn the heat down so the stock simmers for about 15 minutes. Test the rice is cooked and then remove from the heat.
- Add the lemon juice, walnuts and parsley to the pilaf, fluff up with a fork and allow to cool.
- Pre-heat your oven to 390 f (200 c).
- Rinse the chicken inside and out and then dry with kitchen towel. Season the inside of the chicken with salt and pepper.
- When the pilaf is cool enough to handle, use half to stuff the cavity of the chicken. Secure the opening of the cavity so the stuffing remains inside. Rub the chicken all over with olive oil and then season with salt and pepper. Reserve the remaining pilaf.
- Place the chicken in a roasting dish, breast side up. Pour half the remaining stock into the dish and place in the oven. After 20 minutes, turn the heat down to 350 f (180 c) and cook for a further 1 hour 10 minutes.
- Allow the chicken to rest in a warm place for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, gently reheat the remaining pilaf and stock.
- To serve, place the reheated pilaf on a platter, add the pilaf used as the stuffing. Cut the chicken into quarters and place on top of the pilaf. Sprinkle the parsley over everything and serve.
- Don’t forget to make stock with the leftover carcass and bones by making your own.
Cooking times will vary, based on the weight of your chicken and how fast or slow your oven is. The BBC has a very good roasting time estimator for all meats and weights. See:
https://www.bbcgoodfood.com/howto/tools/roast-timer
Whenever cooking chicken it is important to make sure you are not eating under-cooked meat. Always check by inserting a skewer into the thick part of the thigh of the chicken. If the juice runs clear (not red) it is cooked. Check this about 10 minutes before the chicken is due to be taken out in case the oven is too hot. Better still use a meat thermometer. It should register 165-175f (75-80c).
Always let your chicken rest for a minimum 10 minutes before carving by wrapping loosely in foil.
Don’t use stock cubes or store bought prepared stock. Unless you buy an expensive one they will be full of salt and “additives”. Do yourself a favor and make your own chicken stock, including using the leftover bones from this recipe. It will be tastier and healthier.
Fresh red or black currants can be substituted for the dried version.
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https://compassandfork.com/recipe/roast-chicken-with-pilaf-stuffing/ |