Roast Chicken with Wild Rice Stuffing

Roast Chicken with Wild Rice Stuffing

Ingredients:

Wild Rice

• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed

• 2 ¼ cup chicken stock

• 1 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 1 tsp kosher salt

Stuffing

• 4 Tbsp unsalted butter

• 2 cups baby bella mushrooms, sliced

• 2 yellow onions, medium dice

• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• ½ tsp black pepper

• Finished wild rice

Chicken

• 1 whole chicken

• 6 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened

• 1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

• 1 ½ tsp kosher salt

• 1 tsp onion powder

• 1 tsp garlic powder

• ½ tsp black pepper

• 2 rosemary sprigs

• 4-6 garlic cloves, whole

• ¼ cup water

Yields 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: ~150 minutes

Allow your chicken to rest at room temperature with a sprinkling of kosher salt on top. Allow the butter measured for the chicken to soften and reserve.

Start by cooking the wild rice according to your package instructions. The ingredients listed are for example, and actual measurements may vary depending on the brand you purchase. 

While the wild rice cooks, begin the remainder of the stuffing by melting down the butter and sauteing the mushrooms and onions over medium heat for several minutes. After the majority of the water has cooked out of the mushrooms, add the rosemary, kosher salt, and pepper. Continue sauteing until the vegetables are slightly browned. 

Preheat the oven to 400F.

When the rice is finished, add it into your veggies and saute for two minutes over medium-low heat to allow the flavors to marry. Taste for seasonings, and then reserve about two cups that will be dedicated for your stuffing in a separate bowl with a separate spoon to avoid any cross contamination with the raw chicken.

In another bowl, combine the ingredients to make the herb butter for the chicken: the softened butter, chopped rosemary, salt, pepper, and spices. Mix until homogeneous. 

Pat your chicken as dry as you can with paper towels. The salting we did earlier should have released some fluid. Using your separate spoon and bowl of wild rice stuffing, begin to fill the cavity of the chicken until filled. Use kitchen twine to truss the chicken legs tightly to the body. Slather the chicken in the rosemary butter, getting it under the skin as well as all over the body. 

Transfer to an oven-safe roasting pan or skillet back-side down. Tuck the wings to prevent them from burning or over-cooking. Add the rosemary sprigs, garlic cloves, and water to the bottom of the pan. Give your chicken a final sprinkling of kosher salt if desired, and transfer to the oven to roast at 400F for X minutes. Use a meat thermometer to check that the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165F. 

Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10-15 minutes. Serve warm with the remaining wild rice stuffing and enjoy.