 A whole stuffed and roasted bird makes an appropriately festive centrepiece. We've made things easy and cut back on the work by jazzing up a commercial stuffing mix. Carve the chicken at the table and serve it with cranberry relish or your favourite chutney. 1 cup dry stuffing mix
1/4 cup cranberries
1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
1/2 cup cold water
1 size 20 chicken
6 rashers streaky bacon
1 orange, thinly sliced (the same one you zested is fine)
10 whole cloves
40g butter, melted
Few sprigs of sage (optional garnish)
Heat oven to 170 degC fanbake. In a bowl combine stuffing mix, cranberries, zest and water.
Stuff into chicken cavity and secure legs with cooking string. Place chicken in a baking dish. (The stuffing can be prepared ahead if desired but putting it in the bird is best left until just before cooking.)
Lay bacon over chicken and arrange orange slices over breast meat. Pierce skin randomly with cloves. Pour over melted butter, add 1 cup of water to the base of the pan and cover loosely with foil.
Roast 60 minutes then remove foil and roast a further 45-60 minutes or until chicken is golden and the juices run clear when bird is pierced in the thickest part. Add sage to the roasting dish for the last
5 minutes. Rest meat for 10-20 minutes before slicing.
Serves 6
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