Roast Chicken With Bacon & Sage Stuffing

🧂 Ingredients

• 1.6 kg free-range chicken
• Sea salt
• 1/2 lemon
• 7-8 fresh sage leaves
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 teaspoon butter

  ghee, coconut oil or olive oil can also be used
• 6-7 rashers bacon

  diced
• 1 large leek

  pale and light green part, diced finely
• 1 1/3 cup mixed nuts

  or seeds; macadamia, almonds, pecans and pumpkin seeds
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 anchovies

  optional but amazing, not fishy at all
• 10 fresh sage leaves
• Generous pinch of salt
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour

  arrowroot, rice, potato or buckwheat flour could also be used
• A few extra sage leaves

  for garnish

Instructions

• 1 Preheat oven to 200° C / 395° F.
• 2 Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken with sea salt and stuff the lemon half and
  sage leaves inside. Tie the legs together (optional, will work just as well if
  they are not tied).
• 3 Melt coconut oil and rub all over the chicken. Sift through paprika and turmeric
  over back and front of the chicken and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. These
  spices will add a lovely yellow/orange colour to the skin. Rub everything in and
  place the chook in a large baking tray, breast side up.
• 4 Place the tray in the oven, middle shelf, not too close to the grill to prevent
  burning. Cook for 45 minutes and in the meantime start on the stuffing
• 5 Heat a large frying pan with butter over medium heat. Add bacon and leeks and
  cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened and lightly golden.
• 6 Place nuts, lemon zest, garlic, anchovies, sage and a little sea salt in a food
  processor. Process into fine crumbs, for about 20-30 seconds. Then, add the
  cooked leeks and bacon and process for 5-10 seconds. Add tapioca flour and
  process for a further 5-10 seconds, until well combined and the mixture starts
  coming off the sides. Set aside.
• 7 After 45 minutes, take the chicken tray out of the oven. Bathe the chicken with
  some of the oily juices in the tray and then spread the stuffing mixture around
  the chicken (see pics). You might have a bit of chicken juice inside the cavity,
  I recommend to tiIt the chicken slightly to let some of it spill out into the
  tray to mix with the stuffing. It’s a wonderful thing. Place back in the oven
  for 30 minutes. Half way through, give the stuffing a little stir so it browns
  evenly.
• 8 Let the chicken and the stuffing rest out of the oven, covered loosely with foil
  or a towel, for about 10 minutes before carving. You could also turn the chicken
  upside down so that the juices rush back to the chicken breast.
• 9 Serve a few pieces of chicken with a side of stuffing on the side.
• 10 Tip: if the chicken breast skin looks like it’s browning too quickly, cover it
  lovely with a piece of foil to protect it from burning. You can do the same to
  the legs.

Nutrition Info