Stuffed Chicken
Stuffed Chicken with Lemon, Garlic and Herb Freekah
The flavours of this stuffed chicken are unbelievably exciting. The freekah stuffing comes to life with the lemon, garlic and herbs, giving it a real freshness. It then absorbs incredible flavours from the chicken making it an even greater joy to eat and leaving you wishing there was so much more.
Freekah by the way is a grain. It’s green wheat, harvested when the grain is young. If you have difficulties sourcing it you could substitute it with bulgar wheat failing that you could use couscous.
This is stuffed chicken – Egyptian style
Although the chicken is cooked Egyptian style and actually poached first, the end result looks very much like a roast.
stuffed chicken – a real celebration
I don’t know if it’s just because I’m British, but there’s just something about a roast that makes a meal feel like a celebration. I guess it’s the association with the Sunday roast and the family gathering that makes it seem special.
ingredients
- 1 chicken
for the stuffing
- 1 handful of freekah ( dried green wheat)
- grated zest of a lemon
- juice of a lemon
- 3 garlic cloves grated or finely chopped
- a small handful of fresh coriander or flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- 1 spring onion
- 1 stock cube grated
for the cooking stock
- 2 stock cubes – grated
- 1 onion finely chopped
for browning
- a couple of knobs of butter
- 1 tbspn oil
Method
prepare the stuffing
Cover the freeq with water and leave to soak for 2 – 3 hours
Drain off the water and mix together with the rest of the stuffing mix
let’s get stuffing
Push the stuffing mix into the cavity of the chicken – don’t pack it in too tightly as it will swell during cooking.
Use a cocktail stick or skewer to hold the cavity closed during cooking, just remember to remove the cocktail stick before serving.
poach the stuffed chicken for just over an hour
Put the chicken into a large pan, add enough water to half cover the chicken and add the grated stock cube and chopped onion. I tend to throw in the lemon thats just been used for the zest and lemon juice (it all adds to the flavour).
Bring the pan up to the boil and then reduce the heat down to a simmer.
Put a tight fitting lid on the pan and cook for about 1 – 1 ½ hours. – until the juices run clear when a knife is inserted into the meat. Keep topping up the water when necessary to keep the chicken half covered.
drain well
Take the chicken out of the stock and allow it to drain.
Ensure you keep the stock. It can be used for making Lissan Al Asfour, Mahshi, Egyptian rice and so much more. You can freeze it and save it for when you need it, if necessary.
get that skin beautifully crispy and golden brown
Heat up a frying pan or wok (I like to use a wok for this – it seems the perfect shape) over a medium to high flame and add the butter and oil – heat this until it starts to sizzle.
Place the chicken in the pan and fry until the skin is a beautiful golden brown on all sides. Basting it and turning it to ensure it’s browned all over. Alternatively you could baste the chicken with butter and put it under the grill to brown.
Take the chicken off the heat, cover with foil to keep it warm and let it rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
*Remember to remove the cocktail stick before serving
How to serve your Stuffed Chicken
I think my favourite way to have this delicious chicken is something simple like sauté potatoes and a herb salad – they compliment each other perfectly and allow the star of the show , the glorious stuffed chicken, to take centre stage.
Another alternative is to serve it cold and have it as part of a special picnic. Either way it’s fantastic.
I do hope you enjoy this recipe. It’s a great alternative to your regular Sunday roast.
Let me know what you think. I love hearing from you.