Roast chicken with fennel stuffing recipe

There’s nothing quite like a succulent roast chicken to warm up a chilly day.

The bright flavours of lemon and fennel turn a standard roast chicken into something memorable. The vegetables are cooked around the chicken so everything can be done in one roasting pan.

Roast chicken with fennel stuffing

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 whole chicken

1/2 cup chicken stock

1kg Agria potatoes

125g sweet stem broccoli (broccolini)

1 lemon, sliced

1 head of garlic, halved

2 Tbsp melted butter

Extra virgin olive oil

Salt and pepper

Stuffing:

1 fennel bulb, finely diced

1 onion, finely diced

2 Tbsp melted butter

1 small lemon, zest and juice

1/2 cup breadcrumbs

2 garlic cloves, crushed

Salt and pepper

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
2. Prepare the stuffing: heat some oil in a frying pan, add the diced fennel and onion, then sauté until tender - about 5 minutes.
3. Put the sautéed vegetables in a bowl with remaining stuffing ingredients, stir well, then season with salt and pepper. Leave to cool.
4. Pat the chicken dry with a paper towel. Fill the cavity with the cooled stuffing mixture, then tie the legs together with butcher’s twine.
5. Place the chicken in a large deep roasting pan. Halve the potatoes if they are very large and place them around the chicken with the lemon and garlic. Pour in stock, generously drizzle with oil and season with salt and pepper.
6. Brush the chicken with melted butter, then season with salt and pepper. Roast for 75 minutes.
7. Remove the pan from the oven, baste the chicken, then place the sweet stem broccoli around it. Roast for another 15 minutes or until juices run clear when a skewer is inserted into the thighs and the vegetables are perfectly cooked.
8. Rest the chicken for 15 minutes before serving.

If you have extra stuffing, roll it into balls and add to the roast for the last 20 minutes of cooking. Serve with tzatziki for an extra zing of flavour.