I developed this easy recipe for roast deboned chicken stuffed with pork & sage for Laborie earlier this year. They have a lovely farm grocery shop on their Estate that sells deboned free-range chicken. They also sell a range of seasonal farm produce and artisanal products from neighbouring farms. Both the chicken and the stuffing which is packed with pork, apple, sage, and onion are juicy and delicious.

Stuffing and roasting a deboned chicken is such a joy, and makes slicing through the layers of meat so easy. Since the meat is literally wrapped around the juicy stuffing, it cooks evenly. The light and dark meat of the chicken is evenly distributed across the roast so each slice will have both.

Since stuffing is the best part, I made a lot and had enough leftover to make a few meatballs. I prefer to pan-fry these and then serve them alongside the roast. If you roast them they don’t get a lovely golden colour and could overcook.

A platter with roast deboned chicken stuffed with pork & sage and cooked green beans

Stuffed chicken makes a lovely festive dish and an alternative to turkey. In the past, I have stuffed chicken breasts to make a Christmas-inspired dish, and baby chickens to make more of a showstopper. Wrap baby chickens in bacon and add pistachio and cranberry to the stuffing to take it to another level.

I love to roast chicken and stuffed chicken in white wine, stock, garlic, and herbs. It makes the most delicious pan gravy.

A free-range deboned chicken stuffed with pork, sage and apple

What to serve with chickens?

As with any stuffed roast chicken recipe, the best thing to serve here is roast potatoes. Check out my recipe for the best-ever duck-fat roasted potatoes.

I love my roast smashed new potatoes with brown butter sage.

Alternatively, simply toss new potatoes with olive oil, season, and roast until golden on the outside. This will take around 40 minutes or 30 minutes in an air fryer.

Any vegetable of your choice would be perfect and I love green beans, asparagus, tender-stem broccoli, roasted butternut, or pumpkin. You can see my post on my best vegetable recipes on the side if you need inspiration.

The roasting pan juices make a delicious gravy. Simply strain them into a small jug to pour over the roast.

Make sure the roasting dish has sides and is a snug fit. This prevents too much of the liquid evapourating during cooking. Add a splash of water to the pan if it starts drying out

A few more of my favourite chicken recipes:

Roast chicken with orange & ginger

Chicken pie with bacon, leeks, and mushrooms

Roast chicken & Italian sausage with herbs & orange

Chicken Normandy

Creamy chicken with braised leeks & carrots

Coq au Chardonnay

Roast baby chickens stuffed with pork & sage

One-pot chicken & rice pilaf with orange & spices

An easy roast deboned chicken stuffed with pork & sage recipe

Recipe – serves 4

Prep Time:10

Cook Time:55

Ingredients

Chicken:

1 deboned chicken
250 ml strong chicken stock
100 ml dry white wine Laborie Sauvignon Blanc
1 heaped teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic crushed
3 bay leaves
3 sprigs of thyme

Stuffing:

Splash of olive oil or a knob of butter
1 large white onion very finely chopped
1 apple peeled and grated
6-8 good quality pork sausages removed from their casings
¾ cup breadcrumbs or panko crumbs
A small handful of parsley leaves finely chopped
8 -10 sage leaves finely chopped
Salt and pepper

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 180C / 350 F.
Heat the olive oil or butter in a non-stick frying pan and fry the onion until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the apple and continue to cook for a further minute. Allow to cool slightly.
Add the onion mixture to a bowl with the sausage meat, breadcrumbs, chopped herbs, and seasonings, and mix well with your hands.
Stuff the deboned chicken with it the stuffing and then loosely tie the string around the body of the chicken in 4 – 5 places. The chicken will now look like a thick log. The string will hold everything in place. If you have excess stuffing, roll this into small meatballs and pan-fry them until golden, and serve these alongside the chicken.

Place the stuffed chicken snugly in a high-sided roasting dish. Mix the stock, white wine, Dijon mustard, and garlic together and pour this over the chickens. Add the bay leaves and thyme to the dish and bake as follows in the oven:

Breast side facing up – 15 minutes
Flipped over with underside facing up – 20 minutes
Flipped back upright with breasts facing up – 20 minutes and until golden brown.
Baste the chicken each time you flip it, adding a splash of hot water to the tray if it dries out.
Remove the chickens from the pan and if necessary, add a little more hot water to the pan and scrape up any pan juices, and heat through. This makes a delicious gravy to serve with the chicken.
You will be able to slice the stuffed chicken into slices and serve it with any green vegetables and roast potatoes or roast new potatoes of your choice.

Servings: 4

Author: Sam Linsell