Clodagh’s festive roast orange & sage butter chicken
Christmas is less than 2 weeks away and if you’re looking for an alternative celebratory meal to the traditional turkey then Clodagh’s got the perfect recipe. A delicious festive roast orange & sage butter chicken with roasted potatoes and stuffing! This dish will have everyone asking for the recipe.
Sage and orange Christmas chicken with the perfect roasties
Serves: 4
Ingredients
1 whole chicken (1.6kg)
200g butter, softened
2 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
Juice and zest of 1 orange
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
For perfect roasties:
1kg potatoes (Maris Pipers or King Edwards), peeled
3 tablespoons butter
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 tbsp chopped thyme leaves
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200oC/Gas6.
2. Prepare the whole chicken by rinsing under cold water and pat dry.
3. Place the softened butter in a bowl and stir in the fresh sage, orange juice and zest, and crushed garlic. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well. Rub the orange and sage butter all over the chicken and between the skin and breast meat. Pop the juiced orange skin into the cavity of the chicken. Place on a roasting dish and place in the pre-heated oven to roast for 1 hour and 20 minutes.
4. For the roasties. Cut the potatoes in half or in quarters if they are very big: they should all be similar in size. Put them into a saucepan of cold salted water, bring to the boil and cook for eight minutes, and drain. Melt the butter and mix with the garlic and thyme. Toss the potatoes in the thyme and garlic butter, and using a potato masher, gently squish each potato.
5. Remove the chicken from the oven after 50 minutes and place the roast potatoes around the chicken. Baste the chicken and potatoes in the chicken fat, and return to the oven for the remaining 30 minutes.
6. Once the chicken has cooked, remove from the oven and cover with tin foil and allow to rest for 15 minutes and then carve.
Chilli cranberry sauce
Serves: 6
Ingredients
400g fresh cranberries
200g sugar
100ml water
6 whole cloves
1 inch of fresh ginger, peeled
1 chili, split and de-seeded
1 cinnamon stick
Method
1. Place the sugar and water in a saucepan and slowly bring to the bowl, once the sugar has dissolved lower the heat.
2. Stick the cloves into the fresh ginger and place in the saucepan and follow with the cranberries, cinnamon stick and chilli. Leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
3. When the cranberries have popped the sauce is ready.
Stuffins
Serves: 6
Ingredients
180g fresh breadcrumbs
2 shallots, finely diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 tbsp flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh sage, finely chopped
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest
70g butter, softened
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
12 slices smoked streaky bacon
Method
1. Preheat the oven to 180oC/Gas 4.
2. Place the breadcrumbs, shallots, garlic, pine nuts, parsley, sage, lemon zest, softened butter, salt and pepper in a bowl and mix well to combine.
3. Prepare the sliced smoked streaky bacon by stretching it out using the back of a knife so it gets longer and thinner. Then line six lightly greased muffin tins with the smoked streaky bacon and fill with the breadcrumb mixture. Press the filling in quite well with the back of a spoon so that it doesn’t all crumble on you when it comes out of the oven.
4. Bake in the pre-heated oven for 15 minutes or until the bacon is crispy and the stuffing is cooked through.