How to Roast and Stuff a Whole Chicken

If you’ve never done it before, roasting a whole chicken can be intimidating. But stuffing a chicken is an easy way to add tremendous flavour to the whole bird. Roasting a stuffed whole chicken is also an economical way to make dinner for a crowd, plus you can use leftovers for a chicken broth.

Start by preheating the oven to 325°F (170°C), and make sure you have your stuffing prepared. Then, it’s really just as simple as preparing your favourite stuffing and placing it inside the chicken cavity, with enough room for steam to circulate (about ⅔ full). One of the best tricks of the trade when it comes to stuffing a chicken is to gently lift the skin away from the breast meat, creating an area where you can place herbed butter and bay leaves for delicious results.

Another tip when preparing a whole chicken is to bend the wings under the bird. This prevents them from burning. To keep everything in place while it cooks, wrap with chicken twine from top to tail, tying the legs neatly together.

Then, place the chicken in a large roasting pan surrounded with cubed vegetables (we suggest celery and potato), and some herbs such as rosemary and thyme. Cook it all together in the oven for 20-22 minutes per pound of chicken. Make sure to wash up well when handling raw chicken, including washing counters with warm soapy water and a cap of bleach.

Watch the video for a step-by-step tutorial of how to easily make a stuffed roast chicken. You can also brush up on your whole chicken carving skills with this tutorial, and really impress your friends and family at your next gathering!

What you’ll need:

• 1 roasting pan
• 1 roll of chicken twine
• 1 whole chicken
• 1 oz butter
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 box stuffing mix