Roast Chicken Stuffed With Chestnuts And Dried Mushrooms Food

CHESTNUT & WILD MUSHROOM STUFFED THREE-BIRD ROAST

Steps:

• For the stuffing, soak the porcini in 300ml boiling water and set aside for 20 mins, then drain, reserving the liquid, and finely chop. Heat the butter and fry the shallots for 2 mins, then add the mushrooms and cook for 3 mins more. Leave to cool. Mix with all the other stuffing ingredients and set aside.
• Place the chicken, breast-side down, on the board. Use a sharp boning knife to cut through the skin on the backbone along the length of the bird. Slowly run your knife down against one side of the ribcage, working down the length of the chicken and keeping close to the bone. As you cut, use the other hand to gently pull away the skin and expose the flesh. Pop out the thigh and wing joints, and cut through where they are attached to the main carcass. Continue cutting down the side of the bird, keeping the knife as close to the carcass as possible, until you reach the ridge of the breast bone, then repeat with the other side.
• To remove the carcass completely, snap away the wishbone where it joins at the neck end and carefully cut beneath the breast bone - this is where the skin is at its thinnest, so carefully cut away, then lift and cut away the carcass, as you don't want to nip or pierce the skin.
• Open up the chicken, skin-side down, and scrape clean or cut away the thigh bones and any other stray bits of bone or cartilage like the wishbone. Remove the 2 smaller fillets that run along the breast and set aside. Finally, use a larger chopping knife to cut off the feet and wing tips, but don't discard them.
• Repeat with the pheasant, but cut the legs off completely so you are left with just the 2 breasts attached by the skin. Cut the legs in half and keep. You should now have the semi-boned chicken, the pheasant breasts, the skinned duck breast and the stuffing. If all that butchery doesn't appeal, your butcher - with a bit of warning - should be able to prepare all the birds to this stage for you.
• To assemble the roast, open up the chicken, skin-side down. Put a third of the stuffing between 2 pieces of cling film and use a rolling pin to roll it out flat so that it just covers the surface area, then place on top of the chicken. Lay the duck breast in the middle of the stuffing, cover with a layer of stuffing, then add the pheasant breasts, skin-side down. Add a final layer of stuffing and lay the 2 chicken mini fillets on top.
• Tuck in the top and bottom edges of the chicken, and pull the two long edges together. Tuck one edge of it over the other so everything is rolled together and neatly encased, then flip over. Using butcher's string, tie the chicken at regular intervals around the width, then tie it once around the length to hold the stuffing in. Finally, tie the legs together. Can be prepared to this stage and chilled up to 1 day ahead.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Scatter the shallots, thyme and carrot into a roasting tin with the pheasant legs and chicken wing tips. Place the roast on the vegetables and rub all over with the softened butter. Pour the wine over, then season generously. Put the tin in the oven and cook for 1 hr 40 mins until beautifully browned all over, or until a digital cooking thermometer reads 68C (or above) when inserted in the middle. Remove, loosely cover with foil, and leave to rest somewhere warm for 30 mins.
• While the roast is resting, make the gravy. Place the tin on a low flame if flameproof, or tip the contents into a saucepan if not. Scatter over the flour and cook until light brown. Gradually pour in the mushroom soaking liquid, then the chicken stock. Simmer everything together until you have a smooth, thickened gravy, adding any resting juices from the roast. Season to taste, then strain the gravy through a sieve into another saucepan. When the roast has rested, remove the string, carefully carve into thick slices and sprinkle with thyme.

ROAST STUFFED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Heat oven to 325°F.
• Mix hot water and margarine in large bowl until margarine is melted. Add stuffing mix; stir just until moistened. Set aside. (Do not stuff chicken until ready to bake.)
• Stuff chicken lightly with prepared stuffing; close openings with skewers and string. Place, breast-side up, on rack in baking pan; sprinkle with thyme.
• Bake 1 hour 40 min. or until chicken is done (165°F) and stuffing is heated through (165ºF), basting occasionally with pan juices.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH SKILLET STUFFING

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
• Heat olive oil and 2 tablespoons butter in a large oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery, and leek. Cook and stir until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in lemon zest, thyme, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Cook until flavors combine, about 5 minutes. Mix in parsley. Remove from heat; transfer vegetable mixture to a bowl.
• Butterfly the chicken by removing the backbone, and pressing down on the breastbone to crack chicken open using a knife or kitchen shears. Open the 2 sides and spread them out like an open book. Rub the remaining 2 tablespoons butter all over the chicken. Season with salt and pepper.
• Lay bread onto the bottom of the same skillet; spread vegetable mixture over bread to make stuffing. Arrange chicken into a layer on top, skin side-up. Pour lemon juice over chicken.
• Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone, should read 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
• Remove chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing into quarters. Spoon stuffing onto each serving patter and top with chicken.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOM-ONION STUFFING

Steps:

• To make the stuffing: melt the butter in a skillet over low heat. Add the onion and mushrooms, cooking until the onion is soft. Remove from heat; stir in the crumbs and season to taste.
• Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Stuff the body cavity, and truss the bird.
• Brush the melted butter all over and sprinkle with seasonings.
• Place the chicken breast up in a roasting pan and cook at 325 degrees for 25 minutes per pound. The meat thermometer should read 170 degrees in the breast meat.
• If desired you can melt more butter and baste every 15 minutes. (I don't baste my chicken; I just leave it alone.).
• Remove the chicken to a warm platter and cover with foil, letting it rest 10 minutes before carving.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH MUSHROOM STUFFING AND SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place porcini in small bowl. Pour enough hot water over to cover; let stand until mushrooms soften, about 20 minutes. Drain.
• Spread baguette cubes on small rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden, about 10 minutes. Transfer toasted bread to bowl. Maintain oven temperature.
• Slice half of fresh mushrooms; set aside for sauce. Coarsely chop remaining fresh mushrooms. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chopped mushrooms and shallots; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add thyme and juniper berries, if desired; stir 1 minute. Add to bowl with bread. Mix in chopped liver, heart and gizzard, then 1/3 cup broth, parsley, salt and pepper.
• Rinse chicken inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Sprinkle chicken cavity with salt and pepper. Fill with stuffing. Tie legs together. Sprinkle outside of chicken with salt and pepper. Place in roasting pan. Roast chicken until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F and juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with fork, about 1 hour 45 minutes. Transfer to platter; cover with foil.
• Pour pan drippings into measuring cup. Transfer 3 tablespoons fat from top of drippings to heavy large skillet. Spoon off remaining fat from pan drippings and discard. Heat 3 tablespoons fat in skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced mushrooms and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add remaining 2/3 cup chicken broth, degreased pan drippings and brandy and cook 3 minutes, adding more broth for desired sauce consistency. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper. Serve chicken with stuffing and sauce.

ROAST CHICKEN STUFFED WITH CHESTNUTS AND DRIED MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• 1. Soak dried mushrooms. Shell chestnuts. 2. Wipe chicken with a damp cloth. Then dry thoroughly with paper toweling or hang up to dry in a cool, airy place 1 to 2 hours. 3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mince onion, mushrooms and chestnuts then mix well with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Stuff chicken with mixture then sew up securely or skewer. 4. Combine sherry with remaining soy sauce and rub over bird. Rub in oil. Sprinkle lightly with remaining salt and pepper then truss. 5. Place on a rack over a drip pan containing several inches of water. Roast 20 minutes, basting frequently with drippings. 6. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and roast 40 minutes more, basting frequently. (Replenish water in drip pan as it evaporates.) VARIATION: * For the chicken, substitute turkey. The Thousand Recipe Chinese Cookbook. ©1994 by Gloria Bley Miller.