Free Range Roast Chicken Recipe

The idea is to cook the chicken till the breast is perfect and then cut the thighs and legs off and cook these further. I used lemon on the skin and apple in the stuffing as these flavours really compliment Milanese rice as an accompaniment. With traditional roast veges maybe rub with olive oil and butter and season with thyme and use more onion instead of apple in the stuffing.

My mums stuffing is her secret but as best I can tell

3 Slices bread
1/2 cup bread crumbs stuffing mix
1/2 an onion chopped
1/2 an Apple chopped
15g Butter
25g parmesan cheese
1 tsp sugar
1 Tbs Dried mixed spices with extra thymme, Salt and Pepper
Stock

To make the stuffing. Remove crusts from bread. Toast bread slices and crust till just browning. Cut into small cubes and place in bowl. Add breadcrumbs, very finely chopped onion and apple. Generously add spices. Rub in butter. Add stock till mixture is moist.

Preheat oven and glass roasting pan with 2 Tbs butter and 1/4 cup vegetable oil to 230°

Fill chicken with stuffing and seal rear end by stitching skin together with a toothpick. Cut a knick in the skin just above the thigh joint. Run fingers under the skin and over the breasts and stuff with slabs of salted butter. Tie the legs together with kitchen string. Rub skin generously with lemon juice and season heavily with salt and pepper

Place chicken in the roasting pan and add remaining lemon juice to oil. Place in hot oven on middle rack. After 15 minutes remove the pan and turn oven down to 180° Baste chicken with pan juices and return pan to oven after 2 minutes and cook basting every 20 minutes. Total cooking time will be 1 hour and then 8 minutes extra for the legs and thighs.

Remove chicken from the pan to a cutting board. Remove the thigh and legs in one piece and return to roasting pan skin side up. Baste and return to oven for 8 minutes. Let chicken and then thighs stand covered for 20 minutes before serving.