Name: Roast chicken with pancetta & ricotta stuffing balls
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 1 h 50 min
Total time: 2 h 10 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients: 1 whole chicken (about 1.5kg); 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil; 140g fresh bread (about 3-4 slices); handful parsley chopped; 140g ricotta; 100g parmesan freshly grated; handful thyme chopped; handful basil chopped; 2 garlic cloves finely chopped; 2 eggs; 12 thin slices pancetta or streaky bacon

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Roast chicken with pancetta & ricotta stuffing balls

Roast chicken with pancetta & ricotta stuffing balls

Good Food team

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Serves 4

Easy

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 1 hr and 50 mins

A star rating of 5 out of 5.1 ratingRate

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A classic roast chicken is made extra special with these Italian stuffing balls

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Ingredients

Nutrition

Units:

MetricUS

1 whole chicken

(about 1.5kg)
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

For the stuffing balls

140g fresh bread

(about 3-4 slices)
handful parsley

chopped
140g ricotta
100g parmesan

freshly grated
handful thyme

chopped
handful basil

chopped
2 garlic cloves

finely chopped
2 eggs
12 thin slices pancetta

or streaky bacon

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Nutrition: per serving

kcal828
fat52g
saturates19g
carbs19g
sugars2g
fibre1g
protein71g
salt2.57g

Method

step 1

Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Season the chicken inside and out, then place in a large roasting dish. Rub all over with the oil. Place in oven, then cook for 1 hr 30 mins, spooning oil and juices over the bird a few times during cooking.
step 2

Meanwhile, make the stuffing. Whizz the bread and parsley in a food processor or grate the bread on the biggest holes of a grater. Mix with the rest of the stuffing ingredients, apart from the pancetta or bacon, in a large bowl. Use your hands to shape into 12 balls, then wrap a slice of pancetta or bacon around each.
step 3

Test if the chicken is done by inserting a skewer into the thigh meat; when the juices run clear, remove from the roasting dish. Place on a serving plate and loosely cover with foil. While the chicken is resting, pour away any excess fat from the dish and tip in the stuffing balls. Cook for 20 mins until crisp and golden. Serve alongside the chicken.

Recipe from Good Food magazine, September 2009

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