Wild Rice & Herbs Stuffed Roaster Chicken

"A whole roast chicken with stuffing makes a delicious main dish. Apples, mushroomns, green onions, and carrots turn this wild rice stuffing up several flavorful notches. Serve it with a mixed greens and red onion salad dressed with a balsamic vinaigrette, and you've got a WINNER-DINNER!"
 
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Ready In:
2hrs 40mins
Ingredients:
15
Serves:
8-10

ingredients

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directions

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Remove giblets from roaster; thoroughly rinse it and pat dry with paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and pepper, pour in a spoonful of olive oil; set roaster aside.
  • To prepare the stuffing, cook the rice according to the package directions, EXCEPT add the mushrooms, apples, carrots, green onions, and celery to the rice before cooking. Once cooked, stir in enough egg and milk to moisten the stuffing.
  • To stuff the chicken, spoon some of the stuffing loosely into the neck cavity. Pull the neck skin to the back; fasten with a small skewer. Next, lightly spoon the remaining stuffing into the body cavity. Tuck the drumsticks under the band of skin that crosses the tail. (If there is no band, tie the drumsticks to the tail.) Twist the wing tips under the chicken.
  • Rub the roaster's skin with olive oil, onion powder, paprika, rosemary, and sage.
  • Place the stuffed chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Fill the pan with about a 1/4-inch of water, and cover.
  • For the first 15 to 20 minutes cook at 400 degrees F -- This will sear in the juices and keep the chicken from getting rubbery.
  • Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and roast for about 1 1/2 hours; baste often with the juices from the bottom of the pan. Roast until the meat thermometer registers 175 degrees F. At this time the chicken should no longer be pink and the drumsticks should move easily back and forth.
  • Now that the chicken is two-thirds done roasting, uncover it and cut the band of skin/string between the drumsticks so that the thighs will cook evenly. Brush the the skin with the melted apple jelly once or twice during the last 15 minutes of roasting.
  • Remove the chicken from the oven; cover with foil. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes before carving.
  • To serve, transfer the roaster to a warm serving plater; spoon some of the stuffing around it and garnish with apple wedges.

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RECIPE SUBMITTED BY

<img src="http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/PACsticker-Adopted.jpg"> <img src="http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/IWasAdoptedfall08.jpg" border="0" alt="Photobucket"> It was at my Italian grandmother's apron strings, in the "Patterson, New Jersey region" of Italy, that I learned the secrets of creating real home style Italian dishes, and where my passion for food and my culture were nurtured. Always kept neat as a pin, grandma's kitchen was the centerpiece of our social settings and the focal point of our lives together as a family. Yes, it was the heart of her home. There, friends and family exchanged news, grandchildren stood on stools over the counter and grated chunks of Romano and Parmesan cheese to be served with dinner, and under the watchful eye of grandma the women (young and old) planned and prepared mouthwatering menus that reflected the marvelous flavors and textures of Italian cooking. On any given day tantalizing aromas would build and escape through her kitchen window, dance about the balcony and drift down onto the street; where men chatting on the corner of Putnum Street would stop in their tracks to inhale the mouth-watering fragrance. So many sumptuous meals were prepared in that modest, yet functional, kitchen. If I close my eyes and think of Grandma's cooking, I can vividly recall some of those fragrant food memories: tomato sauce with meatballs and sausages simmering on the stove top; onions, peppers and garlic roasting in a fragrant pool of olive oil, Neapolitan pizza with vine-ripened tomatoes (from grandpa's garden), fresh garlic, basil, Parmesan and anchovies bubbling in the oven; Italian bread smothered with creamy butter, minced garlic, and fresh parsley toasting under the broiler ... "Yummmmm - Heaven in your mouth!" Among the many recipes that I've collected over the years, are those that I hold especially near and dear. They are tattered, faded pieces of paper that provide a glimpse into my past -- Family recipes passed down from mother to daughter, granddaughter to great-granddaughter. Generations of my family's heritage are captured in grandma's recipes for flavorful soups (Minestrone, Pea, Ruccola); hearty meat, poultry and fish dishes (braciole, pot roast, chicken casseroles, seafood stews); fresh vegetable entrees and salads, and those baked goodies that bring a happy ending to every meal (Ricotta pies, Struffoli, Cenci, Pine Nut cookies). Whenever I am 'hungry' for "the good old days" or I want to soothe my soul after a tiring day, these are the comfort-recipes to which I turn. I once heard it said: "What distinguishes great cooks from good cooks is that great cooks love to cook. Every meal is an opportunity to express that love." A credo that I am certain grandma lived by -- I believe that she prepared her meals to fill her family and friends with love. I am proud of grandma's spirit of "abbondanza" (an abundant table). Indeed, no one ever left grandma's table hungry. I'd like to share with you some of the foods from my beloved grandmother's kitchen. Enjoy and make these Italian classic favorites in your own family's kitchen. Buon appetito!
 
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