Food & Wine
Roast chicken with macadamia couscous stuffing
For those times you need to impress (not to mention feed a few people), you can’t go past a roast chicken. Try this recipe with a delicious macadamias couscous stuffing.
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
- 1.8kg whole chicken, rinsed and patted dry
- 1 tablespoon honey
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, extra
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin, extra
- 1 teaspoon sumac, extra
For the stuffing
- ½ cup couscous
- ¾ cup chicken stock
- ¼ cup macadamia oil
- 1 medium brown onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- ½ teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon sumac
- 6 dried dates, pitted and finely chopped
- 6 dried apricots, finely chopped
- 1 preserved lemon, rinsed, flesh removed and finely chopped
- 1 lemon, zested
- 1 cup macadamias, toasted and roughly chopped
- 1 egg, lightly whisked
- ½ cup mixed herbs (tarragon, thyme and flat leaf parsley) finely chopped
Method:
- Preheat oven to 200°C, fan-forced.
- To make the stuffing, place couscous in a heatproof bowl. Bring the stock to the boil and pour over couscous. Stir to combine and set aside for 3 minutes. Stir with a fork to separate the grains. Stir in 1 tablespoon of macadamia oil and allow to cool completely.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of macadamia oil in a frying pan over a medium heat and add the onion and garlic and cook for a few minutes or until softened. Stir in the spices and cook for a further minute. Add the dried fruit and cook for a couple of minutes or until tender.
- Add the dried fruit mixture, preserved lemons, zest, macadamias, egg and fresh herbs to the couscous and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the couscous mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Tie the legs together with cooking string.
- Place breast side up on a rack in a roasting pan. Whisk the honey, cinnamon, cumin and sumac and remaining macadamia oil in a small bowl and brush over the chicken. Roast the chicken, basting every 20 minutes with remaining honey mixture for an hour or until juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a skewer. Remove from the oven and allow to stand covered for 10 minutes. Serve with roasted vegetables.
Recipe courtesy of Australian Macadamias – visit their site for more yummy food ideas.
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Related links:
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