Seriously Boned!

I should not be allowed to watch cooking shows. They will always be my downfall when I'm trying to diet or accomplish something like schoolwork. It's inevitable. I will always have to try the recipe to see if it tastes as good in real life as it does on TV. Today, I was watching Gordon Ramsay's Ultimate Cookery Course on YouTube. Watching that man stuff various meats made my mouth water. (For food! Get your mind out of the gutter!) He made this scrumptious looking stuffed chicken, which I immediately thought, "I can totally do that!"

Now, I'm not on friendly terms with my butcher. Not to say that I'm on bad terms with him. I just don't know him on that level that all celebrity chefs are on with their butchers. They can ask their butchers for all kinds of special cuts and meats. That's great for them, but I'm not so sure that the butcher at my local Smith's is going to want to take the time to debone an entire chicken for me without hacking it to smaller pieces. Come to think of it. I'm not sure what possessed me to do it.

Anyways, I deboned a whole chicken today! I'm immensely proud of the achievement. I'm thinking of printing out the picture and posting it on the wall with my high school diploma and sixth grade science fair ribbon. This was a lot harder than the video I watched on YouTube made it seem. I had a pretty hard time getting the rib cage and back bone out. (Turns out my boning knife needed a good sharpening.)

Once I got all those pesky bones out of the way, I rubbed the inside down with herbs and olive oil. (This bird got a better massage than I've had in months.)

I spread the stuffing across the entire bird.

Trying to roll the chicken was definitely the trickiest and messiest part of this whole endeavor. Stuffing was falling out everywhere. All I can say to you good people is don't despair. There will still be plenty of stuffing left inside.

Apparently, covering the entire bird with bacon helps keep moisture in, besides adding an extra layer of delicious.

Now, all the videos and recipe books tell you to use butcher's twine and truss the bird. I didn't have any nor did I have time to go to the store to find some so I tightly wrapped it is foil leaving the bacon exposed to crisp.

It didn't turn out too badly.

Apple-Stuffed Chicken

You Will Need:

1 whole chicken, deboned

2 tbsp butter, divided

1 apple, finely chopped

1/2 onion, finely chopped

2 stalks celery, finely chopped

1 carrot, grated

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tsp Herbes de Provence, divided

Kosher salt and pepper to taste

1 c bread crumbs*

1/4 c chicken stock

2 tbsp olive oil

5 slices of bacon

2 tbsp flour

1/2 c chicken stock

Preheat oven to 350F/175C.

Heat the butter over medium heat. Saute the apple, onion, celery, carrot, garlic, and half the herbes until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and toss in to coat with butter and vegetables are evenly distributes. Add chicken stock and toss to coat. Allow to cool.

Spread the stuffing evenly over the chicken. Carefully roll the chicken into a tube shape.** Layer bacon slices evenly over the chicken. Wrap in foil leaving the bacon exposed. Rub the remaining herbes over the bacon. Place on a cookie sheet and bacon for about an hour and fifteen minutes or until bacon is gold and crispy. Remove from oven and allow to rest for 15 minutes before carving. 

Heat the remaining butter over medium heat. Add the flour and stir until pale gold or it smells like baking cookies. Add the pan juices and chicken stock whisking well until thickened.

*I had a loaf of garlic and herb Italian bread that I cut off a 3-inch hunk of and toasted in the oven at 350 for 15 minutes then pulsed in my trusty Ninja.

**If anyone has a better way to put that, please let me know. I feel silly writing it like that.