Roast chicken is a staple everywhere in the world, but this one has a incredibly tasty filling made with chestnuts.

Who does not like roast chicken? Especially when it’s paired with crispy potatoes.  It is a perfect dish for Christmas, and when it’s cold outside having the oven turned on make your house more cozy.

I usually prefer fish to meat, but when it comes to choosing which meat to cook there are only two choices: chicken or pork. Two different types of meat but each one has its own special feature. If you want to cook something really amazing, and also really easy, you definitely have to cook this roast chicken stuffed with chestnuts.

Roast chicken: two dishes in one

The wonderful thing is that from this recipe you can actually make two dishes: a main course of meat and also a tasty chicken broth to cook tortellini or a nice risotto.  In many parts of Italy, Christmas is the day when you eat “tortellini in brodo” as first course and then a rich meat recipe as main dish. In my region (Lazio), in particular, we are used to eat “stracciatella” for Christmas dinner. If you are wondering what stracciatella is, well it’s a warm broth were you drop beaten eggs with pecorino and lemon zest. Really tasty!

Roast chicken with chestnuts: health facts

• Vitamins: Chicken meat (especially m the thighs) is rich in Vitamin K2 good for our heart, and chicken meat contains also less fat. I would recommend to buy only chickens that are pasture raised with no antibiotic involved, this way you’ll support all those farmers that take the extra step to provide a healthier type of meat, that is more respectful for the environment and our health.
• Antioxidant: Chestnuts are a great source of antioxidants, even after they’re cooked.
• Ellagic and gallic acid: These two are phenolic compounds that act as anti-inflammatory, gastroprotective, and anti-carcinogenic. If you are wondering what happens after cooking to these compounds, worry no more: they actually increase when chestnuts are cooked
• Minerals and fibers: Chestnuts are also rich in fibers and also contain  magnesium, potassium and phosphorous, as well as small quantities of iron.

Roast chicken: how to prepare

Now let’s prepare this juicy and tasty  roast chicken stuffed with chestnuts (an incredibly savory but delicate filling). No special skills involved, just a bit of time, but I promise it’s really worth it! The secret to make it very juicy and tender is the boiling before baking.

Ingredients (this serves 8/10 people)

• 1 boneless chicken – 2.5kg approx (you can ask your butcher to remove the bones for you)
• 200gr of boiled chestnuts
• 2 italian sausages
• 250gr of boiled potatoes
• 1 egg
• 1 carrot
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 onion
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 cardamom seeds, few cloves and pepper corns
• salt
• 1/2 glass wine

Method

Step 1
Fill a large pan (at least 5lt capacity) with 3 lts of water. Add the onion, the washed carrots and cellery, cardamom seeds, pepper corns and cloves. Season with a tablespoon of coarse salt, and bring to a boil, covered with a lid.

Step 2
In the meantime prepare the filling. In a bowl mash the potatoes with the chestnuts, add the sausages and the egg and mix well until all the ingredients are mixed evenly.

Step 3
Wash the chicken, sprinkle with salt on the inside and then stuff it with the filling. Tie it tight with a kitchen rope and put it into the boiling water. Let it cook for 1 hour.

Step 4
Preheat the oven at 250°. Remove the chicken from the pot and put it into a non-stick or earthenware dish, with a little oil, the garlic cloves and the onion, celery and carrot used in the broth. As mentioned you can use the broth to make risotto or any soup.

Step 5
Put it in the oven covered with an aluminium foil. Cook for about 30 minutes then remove the foil, pour the wine over it and cook for at least other 45 minutes. Make sure to pour the cooking liquid onto the chicken regularly to get a perfectly juicy meat.

Step 6
When the chicken is golden brown, turn the heat off and let it sit for 15 minutes. You can bake potatoes in another pan while cooking the chicken.

Baked potatoes recipe

Peel and cut 500gr of potatoes into 2cm cubes, wash them thoroughly and put them onto a non stick baking tray. Sprinkle with salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Mix well with your hands to cover them evenly. Add a couple of garlic cloves and some rosemary and put them into the oven with the meat. Remember to mix them from time to time. It’ll take about 45min to 1h to cook.