Scrumptious Roast chicken

INGREDIENTS

Stuffing balls

• 200 g butter melted

• 4 rashers streaky bacon diced

• 1 onion finely diced

• 1 cup dried apricots finely chopped

• 2 tablespoons water (if needed)

• 1 granny smith apple peeled, finely diced

• 220 g gluten-free panko breadcrumbs

• ½ cup milk

• 1 egg whisked

• ¼ cup sage finely chopped

• ¼ cup parsley finely chopped

• 1 teaspoon salt

Roast chicken

• 1 size 16 free-range chicken

• olive oil

• 1 lemon halved

INSTRUCTIONS

• Heat 1 Tbsp of the melted butter in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add bacon and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown and starting to crisp. Add onion and apricots and cook for a further 2-3 minutes until soft, adding a little water if needed. Add the apple and cook for a further 1-2 minutes until apple is soft.

• Place breadcrumbs in a large bowl. Add milk, egg, remaining melted butter, sage, parsley, salt and bacon mixture. Mix until well combined then season well with freshly ground black pepper.

• Preheat the oven to 180°C. Roll tablespoons of mixture into tight balls. Set aside in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm up a little while you get the chicken in the oven.

• Line a roasting dish with baking paper. Wash and pat chicken dry inside and out with paper towels. Place in lined roasting tray, drizzle with oil, season well with salt and pepper, and squeeze over the lemon juice (stuff lemon shells in the cavity). Roast chicken for 45-50 minutes or until just cooked through (when the juices run clear when you pierce the inner thigh with the tip of a sharp knife).

• Halfway through cooking time, remove roasting dish from oven and arrange stuffing balls all around chicken. Drizzle with olive oil and return to oven until cooking time is finished and stuffing balls are golden. Turn stuffing balls once during cooking.

• Let chicken rest for 15 minutes then slice and serve with stuffing balls.