Roast Chicken Stuffed with date and orange couscous
By Pierre Khodja
4 serves
30 mins
100 mins
Ingredients
- 1 whole The Bare Bird Chicken
- 3 tbsp ghee
- salt & black pepper
- 1 cup uncooked couscous
- 1 clove garlic, crushed
- 6 fresh dates, roughly chopped
- ½ cup roasted almond flakes
- juice & zest 1 orange
- juice & zest 1 lemon
- ½ cup boiling water
- pinch saffron threads
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped
- ½ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 190°C.
- Rub the whole chicken with a mixture of ghee, salt and pepper.
- Place saffron threads in ½ cup boiling water.
- Place the couscous in a bowl with garlic, dates, almonds, orange zest and juice and lemon zest and juice.
- Pour the saffron-infused water over all the dry ingredients, mix well and cover for 15 mins. Remove the covering and fluff with your hands or a fork.
- Add the olive oil and chopped herbs and season well.
- Stuff chicken with the cous cous mixture and secure the legs with string and toothpicks before placing in a roasting dish. Place in the oven for 1½ hours until cooked and golden.
- Remove from the oven and rest for 10 mins before serving.
- Best served with roasted pumpkin and a crisp salad of radicchio.