So by some miracle I am still in the Freshly Blogged competition.  There are 20 bloggers left, and the competition is getting tough. This week we were given rice, butternut, leeks, thyme, a tin of chopped tomatoes and a baguette. We could add one dairy item (I chose Feta) as well as one other item from the aisles of PnP (in my case, a whole chicken).

There is something about the smell of a chicken roasting on a Sunday morning that makes you feel like you are sitting in your mom’s house, waiting to share in a mouthwatering feast.
This crispy-skinned, yet incredibly moist, chicken is stuffed full of a thyme-infused butternut, leek, feta and rice stuffing. Served with gravy that tastes like happiness, and a herb-butter baguette, this meal is perfect for a lazy Sunday lunch.

Roast Chicken with Butternut Stuffing

 

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Author: jesska.co.za

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the butternut stuffing

• 1 large butternut, peeled and sliced thickly
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper
• ½ cup Spekko long grain rice
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 leek, finely diced
• 1 Tbsp butter
• 50g feta, cubed
• 5 sprigs thyme

For the roast chicken

• 1.3kg whole free range chicken
• Olive oil
• 10 sprigs of thyme
• Salt and pepper
• Butternut stuffing
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 4 leeks, cut into 3 pieces each

For the gravy of happiness

• Juices and leeks from the cooked chicken
• ½ can PnP chopped tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp cold water

For the herb butter baguette

• 1 small french bread (baguette)
• 75g butter, softened
• 1 tsp thyme leaves
• salt and pepper

Instructions

For the butternut stuffing

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Place the butternut on a tray. Coat lightly with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper.
3. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes until the butternut is soft.
4. Remove and mash roughly with a fork.
5. Add the rice and chicken stock to a pot, and bring to the boil.
6. Turn down to a medium high heat, and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Drain, and leave to cool before adding to the butternut.
8. Saute the chopped leek with the butter for a minute.
9. Add to the butternut and rice mixture, along with the feta and leaves from the thyme.

For the roast chicken.

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Wash and pat dry the chicken.
3. Fill the cavity of the chicken with the butternut stuffing mixture.
4. Tie the legs of the chicken together.
5. Place the chicken in a roasting tray, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with thyme leaves and salt and pepper.
6. Add 2 cups of chicken stock to the roasting tray, along with the leeks.
7. Cover the roasting tray with foil. Place in oven to cook for 45 minutes.
8. After 45 minutes, remove the foil, and turn the oven up to 200 degrees celcius.
9. Cook the chicken for a further 30 to 45 minutes until the skin is crispy, and the juices from a cut in the thigh run clear.
10. Remove the chicken from the roasting tray, and place on a board to rest for at least 10 minutes before carving.
11. Use the juices and leeks left in the roasting tray to make the gravy.

For the gravy of happiness

1. Add the juices and leeks from the roasting tray to a large frying pan on a medium high heat. Add the chopped tomatoes and bring to the boil. Cook for 10 minutes, before straining through a sieve into a bowl.
2. Remove as much fat from the strained liquid as possible. Add back to the frying pan. Mix flour with cold water in a cup, slowly add to the gravy to thicken it up.

For the herbed butter baguette

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
2. Mix the butter, thyme leaves, salt and pepper together.
3. Cut 1.5cm slices into the baguette, being careful to only cut ¾ of the way through.
4. Add butter to each section of the baguette. Wrap it in foil and cook for 15 minutes.

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Jessica Franks