Stuffed Herb Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 kg small potatoes (firm-cooking)
• Salt
• 100 g pine nuts
• 2 bunches spring onions
• 2 bunches parsley
• 1 bundle thyme
• 2 stalks tarragon
• 250 g loaf white bread (old-fashioned)
• pepper (ground)
• 3 eggs
• 2 bundles mirepoix (mixed root vegetables)
• 2 poultry birds (preferably corn-fed chicken)
• 400 ml poultry stock (1 glass)
• white wine
• 2 bundles carrots
• 2 tbsp clarified butter
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1 tbsp honey
• 4 tbsp sauce thickener

Instructions

1. 1.

   Wash potatoes thoroughly under running cold water and boil in salted water for 20-25 minutes. Drain and peel.

2. 2.

   Roast pine nuts in a dry pan. Trim, wash, and finely chop spring onions. Rinse herbs, shake off moisture, set aside half of the thyme. Chop remaining herbs. Dice bread. Combine pine nuts, spring onions, chopped herbs, salt, pepper, and eggs; knead into a dough.

3. 3.

   Trim mirepoix, wash, and cut into large pieces. Place vegetables in a large roasting pan or oven-safe skillet. Roast in the oven at 200°C (180°C fan / Gas level 3) for 15-20 minutes.

4. 4.

   Rinse poultry, pat dry with paper towels. Season inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff each bird with the herb‑bread mixture. Secure with wooden skewers and tie legs with kitchen twine. Place birds in the roasting pan. Roast for 15 minutes. Deglaze the drippings with 100 ml poultry stock and white wine. Continue roasting for another 60 minutes, adding remaining stock and about 125 ml water. Baste the birds occasionally with the cooking juices.

5. 5.

   Heat clarified butter and fry potatoes until crisp brown. Drain carrots and finish with butter. Mix leftover thyme leaves into honey. Brush the last 10 minutes of roasting with thyme‑honey glaze. Remove birds from pan. Strain drippings, dissolve any browned bits in a little water, and combine with stock. Bring to a boil and thicken with sauce thickener. Plate everything beautifully.