Cherry Roast Chicken

Nothing beats an easy-to-make and even easier-to-prepare roast chicken for dinner! Especially when roasted with cherry sauce and sage stuffing. It’s juicy on the inside and perfectly golden on the outside. If there are any leftovers, just add some sauce and you have a sandwich for the next day - with almost no effort!

Ingredients

• 1 Whole chicken
• 200g Rindless streaky bacon rashers (or macon)
• 2 cups Breadcrumbs
• ½ cup Cherry jam
• 400g Canned stoneless black cherries in syrup
• 1 tbsp (10ml) Olive oil*
• Salt and pepper (to taste)
• 2 Celery sticks (finely chopped)
• 1 Onion (finely chopped)
• 2 tsp Sage (finely chopped)
• 2 Coves garlic (finely chopped)

*Olive oil is preferred. But if you don’t have, you can use normal oil.

Stuffing Method

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. ​
2. Add chopped celery, onion, and garlic. ​
3. Cook, stirring for 3 minutes, until soft.​
4. Add bacon (or macon) and cook, stirring for 2 minutes. ​​
5. Add sage and breadcrumbs. ​
6. Season with salt and pepper. ​
7. Mix to combine stuffing.

Chicken Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 °C.
2. Add stuffing to the chicken.
3. Tie drumsticks with kitchen string.
4. Place chicken in a baking dish and baste with jam.
5. Drizzle with olive oil.
6. Roast in oven for +/- 1 hour, 30 minutes.

Cherry Sauce Method

1. Once the chicken is cooked and resting, strain cooking juices in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
2. Add canned cherries and cherry jam.
3. Let boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 5 minutes until reduced slightly.
4. Serve chicken with cherry sauce.