Holiday Fruit Stuffed Roasted Chicken

  4.0 – 2 reviews  

This homemade goulash with egg noodles is a quick supper for a busy college student! hearty meat and cheese served with corn and noodles.

Prep Time: 45 mins
Cook Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Additional Time: 10 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs 40 mins
Servings: 6
Yield: 1 whole roasted chicken

Ingredients

  1. ¼ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
  2. 1 (5 pound) whole chicken
  3. salt and pepper, to taste
  4. 2 tablespoons Italian-style salad dressing
  5. 2 tablespoons butter, melted
  6. 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  7. 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
  8. ½ teaspoon dried basil, or to taste
  9. ½ teaspoon dried thyme, or to taste
  10. 2 tablespoons butter
  11. 1 apple, cored and chopped
  12. 1 pear, cored and chopped
  13. ½ cup pineapple chunks, drained
  14. ½ cup cubed French bread
  15. 5 pitted prunes, chopped
  16. 1 cup seedless grapes, halved
  17. 2 tablespoons Italian-style salad dressing
  18. 2 tablespoons orange juice
  19. 1 tablespoon apple cider
  20. 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  21. 1 tablespoon honey
  22. 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

  1. Preheat an oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Spread the walnuts out onto a baking sheet and toast them for about 45 minutes, until the nuts start to brown and become fragrant. Watch the walnuts carefully, because they burn quickly. Set the walnuts aside.
  2. While the walnuts are roasting, rinse the chicken well with cold water, then pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place the chicken into a small roasting pan, and sprinkle inside and outside with salt and pepper.
  3. Combine 2 tablespoons Italian dressing, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 teaspoon orange peel, the lemon peel, thyme, and basil in a small bowl. Brush the chicken inside and out with the mixture.
  4. To make the stuffing, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apple, pear, and pineapple chunks; cook and stir about 5 minutes, until the apple and pear are tender. Mix the cooked fruit mixture with the roasted walnuts, bread, prunes, grapes, 2 tablespoons Italian dressing, orange juice, apple cider, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, honey, and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir to combine.
  5. Increase oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spoon the stuffing into the chicken cavity, including the area under the neck skin. Secure the skin over the neck cavity with toothpicks, and fold the wings underneath the chicken. Tie the drumsticks together.
  6. Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 1 hour, and untie the drumsticks. Return the chicken to the oven and continue roasting until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 45 minutes to 1 hour additional roasting time. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts

Calories 720 kcal
Carbohydrate 30 g
Cholesterol 182 mg
Dietary Fiber 3 g
Protein 54 g
Saturated Fat 14 g
Sodium 431 mg
Sugars 20 g
Fat 43 g
Unsaturated Fat 0 g

Reviews

John Townsend
First – let me say that the mix rubbed onto the chicken was wonderful – it made the drippings perfect for gravy – and in fact – I just used the drippings with Wondra and water to make the best gravy we’ve ever tasted! I will use this mix on my Thanksgiving turkey! Second – I learned a few things regarding the stuffing – for us personally – we don’t like walnuts and will use pecans next time. Also – we will only use a pinch of cinnamon – it was too strong for us….maybe a touch of all spice instead next time? I’ll have to experiment. Using the fruits – esp. the prunes – made it very tasty. I will quarter the grapes next time – so they are not so visible. Also – NOTE – this stuffing would be fabulous to serve with HAM!!!!!!!……………..oh – I didn’t find this stuffing expensive to make, as the other reviewer noted….I got grapes and apples on sale…canned pineapple is very cheap…and I actually used drained, canned pears – which are also pretty inexpensive. The chicken was the expensive part!
Janet Owens
Rating at 3 stars as the ingredient list was rather too legnthy…this is very tasty, but if you don’t have the ingredients in the pantry or fridge, it’s pretty expensive to put together. I used fruit left from a fruit big fruit plate at work. I didnt have grapes, so used some dried currants that I wanted to use up. instead of apple cider, I used a dash of cider vinegar. Very tasty and flexible.

 

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