Roast Chicken with Savory Stuffing Recipe

Make this old fashioned roast chicken with savory stuffing recipe the Watkins way. We won't tell if you claim that it has been in the family for generations.

Ingredients

1 whole roasting chicken, rinsed and patted dry
1 tbsp/15 mL Poultry Seasoning
1-1/4 cups/325 mL wild rice blend
1 tbsp/15 mL Chicken Soup & Gravy
1 cup/250 mL soft bread crumbs
1/2 cup/125 mL dark raisins
1/2 cup/125 mL finely chopped walnuts
1/2 cup/125 mL diced, peeled apple
1/4 cup/60 mL butter or margarine, melted
1/2 cup/125 mL orange juice
(if grilling) Original Grapeseed Oil
1-1/2 tsp/7.5 mL Poultry Seasoning


Cooking Directions

Cook rice per package directions, adding soup base to cooking water; cool slightly. Combine cooked rice, bread crumbs, raisins, walnuts, apple, butter, Poultry Seasoning and orange juice; mix well. (If roasting in the oven, you can stuff the bird loosely with some of this mixture. Do not stuff if grilling.) Place all (or remaining) rice mixture in a casserole for baking.

If grilling, prepare grill with a pile of 25 or so coals on opposite sides of grilling area (not directly under chicken). Light coals and wait until covered with gray ash before placing chicken on grill. Rub chicken with grapeseed oil and remaining Poultry Seasoning, and grill over indirect heat. Check coals periodically, adding more as needed, until chicken reaches an internal temperature of 190ºF/90ºC. (If oven-roasting, bake at 350ºF/180ºC for about 1-3/4 to 2 hours.) Cover stuffing in casserole and bake at 350ºF/180ºC for 45 minutes to 1 hour (or last 30 minutes of cooking time, if bird is stuffed). Serve chicken with stuffing.

Makes 8 servings