Produced by
Patti Moreno
Contributor to:
How to Roast and Stuff a Chicken
This is as traditional a dinner as it can get, but your family will adore it. I am making baked chickens with two Rock Cornish hens that I raised myself. The key to this recipe is to make it with fresh ingredients. I am working with a very traditional stuffing of bread crumbs, sautéed onions and celery and a host of other fresh herbs from the garden. Although it is a simple mixture, the freshness is what will make the flavor burst in your mouth.
I preheat my oven to 350 degrees. To prepare the chickens, I melt butter and rub it all over my Rock Cornish hens, as you see me doing here. Then, I add my sautéed onions and celery and herbs from my garden to the bread crumbs. I stuff the birds so that the stuffing stays neatly inside the cavity of the bird. Don't they look great? Now I will line the pan with cut white potatoes and squash which will bake slowly in the same pan while the chicken bakes. Pop the chickens into the oven for 30mins per pound for a stuffed chicken. Once the chickens are almost finished, raise the temperature to 425 degrees and use a baster to smother the chickens in natural juices, so that they brown better for 15mins
Voila. An extraordinary, (some would say) ordinary meal. Enjoy.
