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The ultimate roast chicken and stuffing. Roasting a whole chicken at home can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be! I know it might sound like a big project to roast a whole chicken, but trust me, it is so easy. With my recipe here, you will get succulent, flavorful chicken with minimal prep every single time.

There are few foods as satisfying as a good roast chicken. Aside from a few twists and tweaks you can add, it is also pretty straightforward, and the simplest methods to make a roast chicken are usually the best. I have read volumes on how to roast the best chicken, but seriously, why complicate something so simple and so rewarding?

I did, however, decide to complicate things a little last week. I was training two lovely ladies on how to roast a chicken perfectly and wanted to spice things up a bit.

I have never personally made a roast chicken with stuffing before, as it is not a South African tradition. But as I had leftover bread that had dried out, it seemed like roast chicken stuffing was an obvious addition to the menu.

I surfed around my recipe book for ideas but decided on a very simple roast chicken stuffing, which was easy to make from the ingredients I had in the cupboard. It was unbelievable. I can’t believe it has taken me so long to discover a roast chicken stuffing recipe.

Come on, South Africa, the whole of America is nuts about it; why doesn’t everyone make it here? I will go as far as to say I will never roast a chicken without stuffing it again. In fact, I think I will be roasting chicken just so that I can enjoy the stuffing again!

I had also made far too much stuffing to fit inside the chicken, so I also buttered the loaf pan and set the stuffing, foiled it and stuck it into the oven.

Okay, enough already. Just try it, and thank me later.

Roasted chicken stuffing with herbs

Enough to stuff three chickens and leftovers to make, or enough to put into a loaf pan.

2 large onions, peeled and finely chopped

6 green chilies, chopped

1 teaspoon crushed ginger and garlic

I used rosemary and fresh thyme

2 eggs

1 teaspoon of salt

1 heaped teaspoon of freshly ground black pepper

oil of your choice

Prep time for stuffing

Put the pot on the stove and turn on the heat

Add the required amount of oil

As the oil warms up, add the finely chopped onions

Use the required amount of course salt, turn the the heat to medium, put on the lid and allow to cook

After 5 to 7 minutes, check that the onions has become translucent

Now add chopped green chilies and pepper and stir

Add the washed and cut-up giblets to the pot mix well and add 1 cup water and some washed thyme

Put on the lid and leave to cook

When giblets are tender, add the livers, give it a mix and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes

Making sure all the liquid has dried up and just a little oil has surfaced

Leave aside to cool

I used 8 slices of white bread and 2 eggs

Add more thyme to the pot, add eggs and incorporate well into giblet and liver mix

Lastly, add the bread and mix well

Go in with your hands and mix really well

Now your simple stuffing is all ready.

Stuff your chicken and roast it in a roasting pan.

Roast chicken recipe:

2 teaspoons of fine salt

3 whole free-range chickens

2 tablespoons butter and oil mix

1 teaspoon of crushed garlic and

3 tablespoons of grape vinegar

Fresh herbs, picked and chopped of your choice (parsley, oregano, thyme, basil)

Preheat your oven to 200˚C and place the rack in the lower half of the oven.

Wash the chicken and soak it for an hour, submerged in cold water. Remove the chicken from the water and place the chicken in a colander.

Make a paste by combining the butter, garlic, herbs, and salt. Loosen the skin of the chicken over the breast meat by putting your fingers between the flesh and the skin, freeing the connective tissue. Loosen the skin right over the breast meat and legs. Flip the chicken and do the same with the skin over the thighs. The skin is less stretchy here, so be careful not to tear it.

Dot balls of the herb paste under the skin and gently press them flat with your fingers over the skin, evenly coating the whole chicken. Rub the skin with a little oil and sprinkle it with salt.

Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast-side up. Roast for about 45 minutes to an hour, turning the chicken every 15 minutes.
If this skin is not golden and crispy, turn on the grill for a few minutes. Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a lid, and allow the chicken to rest for 15 minutes. Carve and serve.