Name: Matt Moran’s chicken roasted in spiced hay with lemon stuffing
Prep time: 50 min
Cook time: 90 min
Total time: 140 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 1 chicken (1.6kg); 1 tbsp olive oil; 1 lemon, cut into wedges; Lemon stuffing; 80 gm sourdough bread, crusts removed; 80 ml milk (⅓ cup); 1½ tbsp olive oil; 3 garlic cloves, crushed; 3 golden shallots, coarsely chopped; 80 gm duck fat; 1 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley; 1 tbsp coarsely chopped rosemary; 1 tbsp thyme; Finely grated rind of 2 lemons; Spiced hay; 250 gm unsprayed lucerne hay (see note); 10 cinnamon quills; 10 star anise; 2 tbsp each fennel seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds; Thinly peeled rind of 2 lemons and 2 oranges

Matt Moran’s chicken roasted in spiced hay with lemon stuffing

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for Chicken roasted in spiced hay with lemon stuffing from Matt Moran at Chiswick

Serves 4

Prep

50M

Cook

1H 30M

Total

2H 20M

Ingredients

1 chicken (1.6kg)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 lemon, cut into wedges

Lemon stuffing

80 gm sourdough bread, crusts removed

80 ml milk (⅓ cup)

1½ tbsp olive oil

3 garlic cloves, crushed

3 golden shallots, coarsely chopped

80 gm duck fat

1 tbsp coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

1 tbsp coarsely chopped rosemary

1 tbsp thyme

Finely grated rind of 2 lemons

Spiced hay

250 gm unsprayed lucerne hay (see note)

10 cinnamon quills

10 star anise

2 tbsp each fennel seeds, coriander seeds and cumin seeds

Thinly peeled rind of 2 lemons and 2 oranges

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 180C. For lemon stuffing, combine bread and milk in a bowl, stand until bread softens (10 seconds), drain and squeeze out excess milk (discard). Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat, add garlic and shallot, stir occasionally until tender (4-5 minutes), cool, then combine in a food processor with bread mixture and remaining ingredients. Season to taste, process to combine and set aside.

2.Gently separate the skin from chicken breasts with your fingers, then spoon in a little stuffing and spread evenly across breast by gently running your hand over skin to smooth out. Spoon remaining stuffing into cavity, seal with a skewer, season chicken to taste and set aside.

3.For spiced hay, combine ingredients in a large casserole with a tight-fitting lid, mix well to combine and set aside.

4.Heat oil in a large frying pan over high heat, add chicken and cook, turning occasionally, until browned all over. Place on top of hay mixture, cover and roast until just cooked through (1½ hours-1 hour 40 minutes). Set aside to rest for 5 minutes.

5.Preheat a char-grill pan over high heat, grill lemon wedges until slightly charred and serve with hot hay-roasted chicken.

Lucerne hay is available from select agricultural suppliers.
This recipe is from the May 2012 issue of
.
Drink Suggestion: Wine suggestion 2010 Gonnet Père & Fils, Côtes du Rhône Villages, France. Drink suggestion by Matthew Dunne
Notes