Roast Chicken with Wine, Walnut & Goat’s Cheese Stuffing
Celebrate the BC wine harvest with this vineyard-inspired dinner. Prepare a classic roast chicken filled with traditional bread stuffing flavoured with herbs, goat cheese and toasted walnuts. Heighten the sauce by using a full-bodied BC white wine to seamlessly compliment the stuffing. Try pairing with Wine Glazed Carrots recipe.Ingredients
Serves 6
4 slices white bread, cut into ½-in (1.25 cm) cubes
¾ cup (180 ml) walnut halves
8 oz (225 g) goat’s cheese, crumbled
2 tbsp (30 ml) liquid clover honey
2 tsp (10 ml) fresh rosemary, chopped
2 tsp (10 ml) fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil
2½ cups (625 ml) white wine, divided
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 × 3 lbs (1.4 kg) whole chicken
1 tbsp (15 ml) unsalted butter, melted1 tbsp (15 ml) unsalted butter, melted
1 tbsp (15 ml) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
3 tbsp (45 ml) all-purpose flour
1 cup (250 ml) no-salt-added chicken stock
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375 F (190 C). Line a roasting pan with foil and set a rack in pan.
- To make stuffing, place bread and walnuts on a baking sheet in one layer and toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until bread is lightly browned and walnuts are fragrant, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside.
- In a medium bowl, stir together goat’s cheese, honey, rosemary, thyme, garlic, olive oil, ½ cup (125 ml) white wine, toasted bread and walnuts. Taste and season mixture with a good sprinkle of salt and pepper. Set stuffing aside.
- Remove chicken giblets, if any, and save for another use. Rinse chicken inside and out. Pat outside dry with paper towel. Using your fingers or a brush, rub skin of chicken with melted butter. Tuck pieces of cold butter under skin. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt and pepper inside and out. Loosely spoon stuffing into cavity of chicken before securing loose skin together with toothpicks or twine. Alternatively, cover cavity with a piece of foil or a slice of bread. Tie the legs together with kitchen string and tuck the wing tips under the body.
- Place chicken, breast-side up, on rack in prepared roasting pan. Roast, basting several times with pan juices, for 1 hour and 30 minutes to 1 hour and 45 minutes. Chicken is done when internal temperature in thickest part of thigh reads 165 F (74 C). Stuffing should be at the same temperature reading. Once cooked thoroughly, remove from oven and let rest for about 15 minutes on rack.
- To make a gravy, skim off fat from pan drippings and reserve fat. Add 3 tbsp (45 ml) reserved fat to a large skillet or frying pan and warm over medium heat, reserving remaining drippings. Whisk flour into fat, making a roux. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes. Whisk in reserved drippings, remaining 2 cups (500 ml) of wine and chicken stock. Continue cooking gravy, stirring constantly, until thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- To serve, scoop stuffing out of chicken and then carve chicken. Divide chicken and stuffing between serving plates and serve with gravy and Wine-Glazed Carrots.