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Angelina’s Pollo arrosto ripieno (Roast Chicken with Sausage Stuffing)

Total Time2 hours

Ingredients

  • 1 roasting chicken see Notes
  • Salt and pepper
  • Olive oil

For the stuffing:

  • 2-3 mild Italian sausages
  • 2 slices of day old bread trimmed of its crust and soaked in milk, then squeezed dry
  • 2 eggs
  • A handful of fresh parsley finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove finely chopped
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1-2 chicken livers roughly chopped (optional)
  • 2-3 chestnuts roasted, peeled and crumbled up (optional)

For roasting:

  • 1-2 garlic cloves slightly crushed but left unpeeled
  • A sprig or two of fresh rosemary
  • White wine
  • 3-4 firm-fleshed potatoes see Notes, peeled and cut into wedges, and tossed with a bit of olive oil, salt and pepper

Instructions

  • Prepare the stuffing by mixing all the stuffing ingredients listed above together in a bowl with a wooden spoon or spatula. Make sure they are well amalgamated. The mixture should be very savory; if in doubt, take a small amount of stuffing and fry it, then taste for seasoning. (Since it is made from raw pork and egg, you shouldn't try it without cooking it first.)
  • Take the stuffing and fill the chicken's cavity, leaving some room as the stuffing tends to expand a bit while the chicken cooks (although not nearly as much as a bread stuffing does).
  • Now truss the bird. My method for trussing a chicken is simple: First, cut off a nice, long piece of kitchen twine. Tie the two legs together, then draw the string down the backside of the bird until you get almost to the other end, then draw the string around the thighs, all the way around the bird until you've gone full-circle. Tie up the loose end and you're done.
  • Place the bird in a baking dish just large enough to hold it. Give the bird a good rub down all over with olive oil. (If you don't like greasy hands, you can use of pastry brush.) Then season the bird well with salt and pepper, again all over. Lay a spring of fresh rosemary along side the bird, and throw in a clove or two of garlic, slightly crushed to release its flavor, but left unpeeled so it doesn't burn in the heat of the oven. Splash a bit of white wine over everything.
  • Now place the chicken into a moderately hot oven (190C/375F) with the convection function on. Roast the bird for 45 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the bird. Make sure to baste the bird from time to time with white wine and its cooking juices.
  • If you want potatoes with your chicken, peel them and cut them into wedges, toss them in a mixing bowl with a good pour of olive oil and generously season them with salt and pepper. About 30 minutes or so before the bird is due to be done, add them to the baking dish all around the bird.
  • The bird is done when you prick it with a knife and the juices run perfectly clear. (If you have a meat thermometer, it should register an internal temperature of 75C/165F.) Take the chicken out of the oven and let it rest for 15-20 minutes, loosely covered with tin foil. The cooking juices can be deglazed with some more white wine and used as a delicious sughetto (or sauce) for the bird. If you give everyone a bit of chicken, stuffing and potato, and they'll be happy...