Chicken & Stuffing

I get so excited for fall food this time of year. Technically, I made this before the autumn solstice... but I just couldn't wait any longer. Poultry and stuffing is one of those classic dishes I associate with fall holidays, like Thanksgiving, but why save the best foods for only once a year? It is with that sentiment that I submit to The Second Breakfast: Chicken & Stuffing.

Any bread will do for the stuffing, and ideally old bread is best. I used baguettes.

Chop them up...



 ...and bake them for 7 minutes at 350

Truth: I hate celery. Raw celery is what everything tastes like in hell. But cooked celery adds a distinctive flavor to stuffing that can't be replicated. So I deal.

Cooking the mirepoix



Add the mirepoix to the toasted bread when it's done...





...then add chicken stock and butter





Here's the very best recipe I've found for preparing a whole chicken in the oven







It looks like a lot of butter because it is.



The extra stuffing that won't fit in the bird goes into a casserole dish and gets baked as well.



C'est fini!





Chicken & Stuffing
adapted from recipes by Stacy and Robin

5 lb chicken, giblets removed
2 tsp salt
3 tsp pepper
1 tablespoon onion powder
1/4 cup butter
10 cloves garlic, mashed

5 cups bread, cut into cubes
3/4 cup celery, diced
3/4 cup carrots, diced
1 cup onion, diced
1/2 cup diced fruit of choice (I used a peach)
1 cup chicken stock
2 1/2 tsp sage
1 1/2 rosemary
1/2 tsp thyme
fresh basil for garnish
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Bake the cubed bread in a 350 degree oven for 5-7 minutes, until slightly golden and toasted. Place in a large bowl and set aside.

Saute onions, carrots and celery with oil of choice (I used olive oil) in a skillet until softened. Add sage, rosemary and thyme, stir to combine, the pour over the toasted bread and mix together. Add fruit and stir to combine. Next, pour in the chicken broth and melted butter. Stir and set aside. You can also put it into a casserole and bake it by itself at this point, for about 30 minutes at 350.
Otherwise:
Preheat the oven to 425, Rinse the chicken and dry it, then place it into a large roasting pan. Sprinkle the salt, pepper and onion powder all over the inside and outside of the bird. Add the stuffing to the inside of the bird. Make 10 small cuts into the chicken skin and place a garlic clove inside of each one. Next, stick the butter to the outside of the bird in dollops. Truss the chicken and place it into the 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 and continue baking for 1 hour and 45 minutes, or 20 minutes per pound. Chicken is done when internal temperature reads 180 degrees.