I don’t normally roast a whole chicken as I will have leftovers. Usually, my father will buy the roast chicken and we always have it with rice and vegetables cooked by my mother.

This is trial and error with stuffing from scratch and leftovers ingredients. I admit it did turn out beautiful as well as taste delicious. Instead of having with rice and vegetables as we normally do. I go for salad and leftovers mushrooms with medley tomatoes. Added some of the juice fat from the roast chicken as dressing. I got out my chili sauce as I am about to squirt it over my dinner.

Looking at it in my mind; Hmm!!! My dinner misses some white colouring, so I squirt some mayonnaise and followed by chili sauce. You don’t have to have chili and mayo. You can make your own dressing. I felt like I am in heaven for it’s a heavenly feast. My parents enjoyed it and said its taste better than the bought as we don’t know what the stuffing is. Bon Appetit!!!!

Ingredients

olive oil, enough for cooking and drizzle
60 g butter, melted and add a couple of thyme leaves
1 white onion, peeled and finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
400 g mixed, mushrooms of your choice; dried reserve water to add in
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 lemon
Himalayan pink salt
black pepper
3/4 c breadcrumbs, leftovers from making turkey stuffing
120 g diced bacon, leftovers from making turkey stuffing
1 large egg, beaten
1 whole chicken, about 1.6 kg

Salad

1 packet peppery baby rocket
1 packet medley tomatoes, cut into bite size
6 button mushrooms cut into bite size
3 Tbs black olives, scatter over salad

Sauces (OPT)

Juices from chicken on tray
Mayonnaise (OPT)
Chili sauce (OPT)

Method

Preheat your oven to 240°C. Heat oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 10 minutes until soft. Add mushrooms, water from mushrooms with thyme sprigs. Turn the heat up to high and fry for about 5 to 10 minutes until the mushrooms go slightly crispy.

Remove from heat, grate in zest of lemon and season well. Transfer to a bowl and leave to cool. After mixture has cooled, use clean hands mix in bacon and breadcrumbs, then add egg.

Don’t tear the skin; carefully, push spatula in between the meat and skin on the top of the chicken to create a pocket. Push all the way down as far as spatula will reach on both sides, then rub thyme butter under the skin, massaging it along on the outside and in between wings, legs and at the back.

Next cut zested lemon in half and place in the chicken cavity with the remaining thyme sprigs. Pop chicken breast side up, with legs pointing in your direction, in a roasting tray, stuff the chicken with cooled mushrooms mixture, don’t over stuff chicken too full as stuffing can expand. Remaining stuffing, pat into a disc shape set aside until later.

Then drizzle some oil and season with salt and pepper. Tight up legs with kitchen string. Place in the preheated oven and turn the heat down to 200°C.

Roast for about 40 minutes. Take out from oven; add extra mushroom stuffing disc to the tray. Return to oven and roast for a further 35 minutes or so until skin is beautiful and golden brown colour.

I check if chicken is cooked, by sticking a metal a thermometer skewer into the fattest part of the thigh; if juices run clear, chicken is done. Leave to rest for 15 minutes, covered loosely with foil.

After that cut it into pieces with a sharp scissor. The serve with some disc stuffing, salad, mushrooms and medley tomatoes; drizzle some juice from roasting pan. Squirt mayonnaise and chili sauce.

Note: Oven temperature vary you might need higher temperature. You might need more or less time depending on size of chicken. I use shiitake, brown mushrooms, portobello, button, fan shape and dried mushrooms. Soak dry mushroom in hot water first about 10 minutes. Squeeze dry.

You may want to add potatoes, carrots, onions, sweet potatoes, parsnips and capsicums as vegetables. You may add any nuts to your stuffing or dried apricot parsley or coriander.

You can add the stuffing on top in between the skin and meat. You can omit mushrooms and put meatloaf or any vegetables and herbs as stuffing.

https://helenscchin.com/2020/01/06/roast-chicken-with-salad-serves-with-mayonnaise-and-chili-sauce/

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