• 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.