Pancetta Roast Chicken With Walnut Stuffing Recipes

ROAST CHICKEN WITH WALNUT-HERB STUFFING

Steps:

• Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Put on a large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 4 hours or overnight to dry out the skin.
• Pat the chicken dry and season the cavity with salt and pepper. Put the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, tucking the wings underneath. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
• Cook the butter, garlic and walnuts in a small skillet over low heat until the butter is melted and the nuts are lightly toasted, 5 to 7 minutes. Brush the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the garlic butter; transfer the remaining butter mixture (including the garlic and nuts) to a large bowl. Add the parsley, thyme and bread and toss to coat. Fill the cavity of the chicken with about two-thirds of the stuffing. Tuck the remaining stuffing on the baking sheet underneath the chicken. Sprinkle the chicken with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and roast until the stuffing is toasted, about 20 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken broth to the pan and roast 40 more minutes. Use a spoon to scoop the stuffing out of the chicken and transfer to the bottom of the roasting pan with the rest of the stuffing. Reduce the heat to 425 degrees F and continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer registers 165 degrees F, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest 15 minutes. Transfer the stuffing to a bowl. Put the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 cups broth to the pan and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until almost syrupy, 5 to 8 minutes. Return the stuffing to the pan to soak up the juices. Serve with the chicken.

ROAST CAPON WITH FIG-AND-PANCETTA STUFFING

Steps:

• Let capon stand at room temperature 1 hour. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add chopped onion, pancetta, and 1 teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring occasionally, until pancetta begins to render fat and onion is translucent, about 3 minutes. Add 1 cup broth and the figs to pan; bring to a boil. Remove from heat; let stand 10 minutes.
• Stir orange zest and juice, liqueur, and chopped sage into broth mixture. Tear bread into 1 1/2-inch pieces, and transfer to a large bowl. Pour broth mixture over bread, and stir until well combined. Fold in egg.
• Preheat oven to 425°F. Place orange wedges in a single layer in the center of a roasting pan; add onion wedges, sage sprig, and capon neck. Stir together 1 tablespoon salt and 1 teaspoon pepper, and season body cavity of capon with half the mixture. Loosely pack body and neck cavities with stuffing. Place capon on top of orange mixture in pan. Rub remaining 2 tablespoons butter all over capon, and season with remaining salt-pepper mixture.
• Roast capon 45 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°, and roast, basting every 15 minutes, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of a thigh reads 165°, 55 to 65 minutes more, depending on size of capon. (If skin becomes deep golden brown before capon is fully cooked, loosely tent with foil.)
• Transfer capon to a platter, and tent with foil to keep warm. Let rest at least 15 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, shred neck meat, and set aside. Discard oranges, onions, and sage from roasting pan. Tilt pan, and remove excess fat with a spoon. Whisk together 1/4 cup broth and the flour.
• Place pan on 2 burners over medium-high heat. Add remaining 1 1/4 cups broth, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil, whisk in flour mixture and boil 1 minute. Pour gravy through a fine sieve into a bowl, stir neck meat into gravy, and serve alongside capon and stuffing. Stuffing (without egg) can be refrigerated, covered, up to 1 day. Bring to room temperature before folding in egg and filling capon.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH COUSCOUS & PINE NUT STUFFING

Steps:

• Put couscous in a large heatproof bowl, pour over stock, then cover with cling film for 5 mins until liquid is absorbed. Melt half the butter in a pan, then gently cook onion and garlic for 5-8 mins until soft. Set aside. Dry-fry pine nuts for a few mins until golden. Combine onions, pine nuts, apricots and herbs with couscous. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice, season, then stir in egg. Leave to cool.
• Using the back of a knife, stretch rashers to 1½ times their original length. Lay, slightly overlapping, on a large sheet of foil to form a rectangle. Make a few slashes in the thickest part of each chicken breast and lay between 2 sheets of cling film. Use the base of a heavy pan to bash the chicken until about 1cm thick. Arrange chicken over the bacon, fitting so there are no gaps, but leave a border on longer sides. (This helps to roll up the chicken.)
• Spoon stuffing over chicken in a strip along one of the longest sides. Using tin foil to help, roll bacon and chicken around stuffing like a log. Wrap tightly in foil, twisting the ends to secure, then chill for 2 hrs or up to 1 day.
• Heat oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Place chicken, join-side down, in a roasting tray. Cook for 30 mins, then unwrap foil and brush roast with remaining butter. Cook, uncovered, for 20-30 mins more until cooked through, and the stuffing is hot (a metal skewer inserted into the chicken's centre should come out hot). Cool and wrap in fresh foil to transport.

POLENTA & PANCETTA STUFFING

Steps:

• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. In a large frying pan, gently fry the onion in the oil until soft, about 8-10 mins. Stir in the pancetta, garlic and thyme, and cook until the pancetta is browned and crisp. Stir in the polenta and half the cheese and cook for a few mins - don't worry if the polenta breaks up. You can prepare up to this stage up to a day ahead.
• Add the cream and stock to the pan, mix thoroughly, then pour into an oiled baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese over and bake for 40 mins or until browned on top. Allow to stand for 10 mins before serving.

ROAST CHICKEN WITH PANCETTA & RICOTTA STUFFING BALLS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Season the chicken inside and out, then place in a large roasting dish. Rub all over with the oil. Place in oven, then cook for 1 hr 30 mins, spooning oil and juices over the bird a few times during cooking.
• Meanwhile, make the stuffing. Whizz the bread and parsley in a food processor or grate the bread on the biggest holes of a grater. Mix with the rest of the stuffing ingredients, apart from the pancetta or bacon, in a large bowl. Use your hands to shape into 12 balls, then wrap a slice of pancetta or bacon around each.
• Test if the chicken is done by inserting a skewer into the thigh meat; when the juices run clear, remove from the roasting dish. Place on a serving plate and loosely cover with foil. While the chicken is resting, pour away any excess fat from the dish and tip in the stuffing balls. Cook for 20 mins until crisp and golden. Serve alongside the chicken.