Roast Chicken w/ Red Chili Chick Pea Stuffing

It was a Sunday Dinner Feast. I love roasting a whole chicken, it leaves my hands free all afternoon to makes sides, and it is so simple to cut up and roast some vegetables alongside. Occasionally, there is a sale at the market for whole chickens where I can purchase two chickens for $12.00 or so and because it presents me with so many meal options, I usually stock up. What can I use them for, you ask?

1. Roasted whole
2. Bones from the roasted dinner to make broth for soup
3. I use the smaller leftover meat pieces for Chinese stirfry meals
4. I cut the whole bird up into sections so I have breasts, legs, and wings separately. The bones I make into stock.
5. I pressure cook a whole bird for soup and stocks and shred the meat for the freezer.
6. I make chicken salad from the leftover pieces after roasting it whole.

Please consider buying whole chickens. It is far cheaper and gives you endless meal options.

I made a lovely chickpea stuffing this time and I highly recommend it. I saw this on Chef Gordon Ramsey's cooking show last year. It is a wonderful way to add a side to the meal, and you could add them to the salad you have with the dinner or just have them in a bowl.

Ingredients (for one chicken):

1 can chickpeas, drained well
2 fresh red chilis, sliced fine and deseeded if you don't want spicy
1 lemon zested - and juiced
Olive oil to coat
The recipe added thyme to the chickpeas, I did not because I used a tarragon compound butter under the skin and I did not think the two herbs would play nice together once plated.

Method:

Place the chickpeas in a bowl and add the lemon zest, chili slices, lemon juice, and olive oil in. Mix well. Spoon this mixture into the cavity of the chicken. Slice the lemon in half and place at the entrance thus preventing the chickpeas from escaping prematurely. When your chicken is finished, you can remove the lemon and turn out the chickpeas. You can add the lemon juice to the chickpeas if you wish, it is delicious.

My family dinner was a success. How do I know? Look at the end results:

I usually do not include the before and after pictures but this was just a shot my hubby thought you would enjoy.

~ Hugs from Mum