Roast Chicken with Wild Rice Stuffing & Root Vegetables

Ingredients

Method

1. The night before, pat the chicken dry and place it on a wire rack set over a tray to allow airflow. Salt the chicken all over, including in the cavity, and let it sit overnight. Cook wild rice until al dente and place in the fridge.
2. On the day of cooking, remove the chicken from the fridge 1.5 hours before you want to cook it, and pat dry. Remove 50g of butter from the fridge to soften. Pre-heat oven to 180°C fan.
3. Place prepared vegetables in the bottom of the roaster and drizzle with olive oil. Toss with salt and pepper. Top with 50g of chicken stock and 30ml dry vermouth.
4. Prepare the wild rice stuffing by adding 50g butter to a large saute pan. Melt until foaming. Add mushrooms in a single layer and saute to brown. Add onion and sweat until translucent. Add the garlic, parsley, and dry seasoning. Dust flour over mixture and stir for 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil; the mixture should thicken quickly. Add the double cream and cook. Remove from heat and mix in cooked wild rice. Add salt and pepper, to taste.
5. Spoon the stuffing into the chicken cavity, making sure not to over-stuff. Using your fingers, gently separate the chicken from the skin and place most of the softened butter between the layers. When done, pat the outside to smooth out the butter. Rub the remaining butter all over the outside. Place chicken on the roaster at the centre of the vegetables. Cover with lid and cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
6. Remove the roaster from the oven, take off the lid, and baste the chicken with the juices at the bottom of the pan. Return the roaster to the oven with the lid off and roast for another 25 minutes to allow the skin to brown. When done, the temperature should be 74°C at the breast and 80°C at the leg. Remove chicken from roaster and place on a carving board to rest for at least 20 minutes.
7. Remove the juice from the bottom of the roaster into a saucepan to make a jus. Check the vegetables and place the pan back in the oven if they need more time or colour.
8. Into the saucepan, add the remaining 50ml of chicken stock and reduce the liquid by half, slowly simmering the sauce and skimming off any fat at the top. Finish by whisking in the remaining 50g of cold butter, bit by bit, letting each piece fully emulsify before adding the next, until the sauce is at your preferred texture and taste.
9. Remove stuffing from chicken and set aside. Place chicken back in the roaster to serve with the vegetables, or carve on the board and serve the chicken pieces on the roaster, with the stuffing and jus on the side.