Roasted Stuffed Chicken with Gravy

Preparation time is 30 minutes, marinade time 24 hours, cooking time 2 hour 40 minutes

Yield:  4 servings

Ingredients

• 5 pound chicken with giblets – (2500grams)
• 1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
• 1 teaspoon kosher or coarse salt – (5ml)
• 1 tablespoon paprika – (15ml)
• 4 tablespoons olive oil – (60ml)
• 1 cup dry white wine – (250ml)

For Stuffing  

• ¼ cup olive oil – (60ml)
• 3 large yellow onions, peeled and chopped
• 2 large garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• ¼ cup lard (hog lard, not vegetable shortening) – (60ml)
• Chicken giblets
• ½ pound ground lean pork – (250grams)
• 4 cups soft bread crumbs – (1000ml)
• 4 hard-cooked eggs, shelled and chopped
• ½ cup coarsely chopped green and black pitted olives – (125ml)
• 1 tablespoon paprika – (15ml)
• 2 tablespoons minced parsley – (60ml)
• 1 tablespoon sage – (15ml)
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper – (2.5ml)

Directions

1. Remove giblets from the chicken and wrap loosely in plastic food wrap and set aside in the refrigerator until ready to use. Remove any excess fat from the body and neck cavities of the chicken and discard.   In a bowl combine garlic, salt, paprika and a 1 tablespoon of olive oil, mix together until mixture is smooth.  Rub marinade over chicken, inside and out. Place chicken in a shallow bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight.
2. Pre Heat oven to 450°F
3. For the stuffing, heat olive oil in a large skillet, add chopped onions, garlic and hog lard and sauté until the onions are glassy.
4. Mince chicken giblets and add to skillets with onions.  Reduce heat and add ground pork and cover to let steam for approximately 20 minutes.
5. While giblets and ground pork are cooking combine breadcrumbs, eggs, olives, paprika, parsley, sage, and pepper in a large bowl and mix well.  Once the skillet mixture has cooked for 20 minutes add it to the breadcrumb mixture and mix well.
6. Spoon the stuffing into the neck cavity first; enclose the neck by skewering the neck flap against the back of the bird. Then spoon stuffing lightly into the body cavity, skewer the opening shut and then truss the bird.
7. Rub the chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and place the chicken, breast up on a rack that is in a large shallow roasting pan.  Place the roasting pan in the oven to roast uncovered for 20 minutes.
8. Lower heat to 350°F, and brush the chicken with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and roast uncovered again for 30 minutes per pound, brushing with the last tablespoon of olive oil midway through the roasting time. When the stuffed chicken has only 40 minutes remaining to roast pour in white wine.
9. Serve roasted stuffed chicken with stuffing wreathed around the chicken and garnished with green and black olives. Note the pan dripping act as perfect gravy.
10. Serve and enjoy