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| | Fruit Stuffed Roasted Chicken
one 5 to 6 pound whole roasting chicken
Salt
Pepper
1/4 cup of margarine or butter, melted
1/4 cup of dry sherry
4 1/2 teaspoons of snipped fresh thyme or 1 1/2 teaspoons of dried thyme, crushed
2 teaspoons of finely shredded orange peel
2 medium apples, cored and chopped (2 cups)
1 medium onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
1/2 cup of chopped celery
2 cups of French bread (3/4 inch cubes)
10 pitted prunes or dried apricots, cut up
1 cup of seedless green grapes, halved
2 tablespoons of orange juice
Rinse chicken; pat dry. Sprinkle body cavity with salt and pepper. In a small bowl combine 2 tablespoons of melted migraine, 2 tablespoons of sherry, 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, and 1 teaspoon of orange peel. Brush chicken with sherry mixture.
For stuffing, in a medium skillet cook apples, onion, and celery in the remaining melted margarine about 5 minutes or till tender. In large bowl combine apple mixture, French bread, prunes or apricots, grapes, orange juice, remaining dry sherry, remaining fresh or dried thyme and remaining orange peel. (Stuffing will becomes more moist while cooking.) Spoon some of the stuffing loosely with a small skewer. Lightly spoon the remaining stuffing into body cavity. Tuck drumsticks under the band of skin that crosses the tail. If there is no band of skin, tie drumsticks to the tail. Twist the wing tips under the chicken.
Place stuffed chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of an inside thigh muscle. The bulb should not touch the bone. Roast, uncovered, in a 325ºF. oven for 1 3/4 to 2 1/2 hours or till meat thermometer registers 180º to 185º. At this time, chicken is no longer pink and the drumsticks move easily in their sockets. When the bird is two thirds done, cut the band of skin or string between drumsticks so thighs will cook evenly.
Remove from oven; cover with foil. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes before carving. Makes 10 servings |
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