Meats Recipes - Roast Chicken with Lemon Grass and Rice Stuffing

Ingredients                                        

• 225 g/8 oz/1 cup wild rice mix

• 900 ml/3 3/4 cups chicken stock

• 1.5 kg/3 lb oven-ready chicken

• 1 stem lemon grass, finely chopped

• 1 large eating (dessert) apple, grated

• 15 ml/1 tbsp chopped spring onion (scallion)

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• A pinch of grated nutmeg

• 1 egg, beaten

• 25 g/1 oz/2 tbsp unsalted (sweet) butter, melted

• Lemon juice (optional)

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Method:

1. Cook the rice in the stock for about 20 minutes or until just tender. Drain off any excess stock and reserve for gravy.

2. To part­bone the chicken, make a slit along the backbone then carefully scrape away each side of the rib cage until it is exposed on both sides.

3. Cut through the joints at the wings and legs, but leave the limbs intact. Lift out the rib cage and backbone.

4. Mix the rice with the lemon grass, apple, spring onion and a little salt and pepper. Stir in the nutmeg and the beaten egg to bind.

5. Pile the stuffing on the chicken where the bones were. Re-shape and sew up or secure with cocktail sticks (toothpicks). Place in a roasting tin (pan).

6. Brush with melted butter and season lightly. Cover with foil. Roast at 190°C/375°F/gas mark 5 for 1 1/2 hours, removing the foil for the last 30 minutes.

7. Make gravy with any reserved stock and the juices in the roasting tin, adding stock made from the giblets as necessary. Spike with lemon juice if liked.