Roast Chicken w/ Walnut Herb Stuffing

By chefjaci

Ingredients

• 1 6-pound roasting chicken
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 4 cloves garlic, smashed and roughly chopped
• 1/4 cup roughly chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 baguette, cut into 1 1/4-inch cubes (about 5 cups)
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 40mins
Cooking time 160mins

Preparation

Step 1

Rinse the chicken and pat dry. Put on a large plate and refrigerate, uncovered, at least 4 hours or overnight to dry out the skin.

Pat the chicken dry and season the cavity with salt and pepper. Put the chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, tucking the wings underneath. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

Cook the butter, garlic and walnuts in a small skillet over low heat until the butter is melted and the nuts are toasted, about 7 minutes. Brush the chicken with 2 tablespoons of the garlic butter; transfer the remaining butter mixture (including the garlic and nuts) to a large bowl. Add the parsley, thyme and bread and toss to coat. Fill the cavity of the chicken with about two-thirds of the stuffing; scatter the rest around the chicken in the pan. Sprinkle the chicken with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.

Transfer the roasting pan to the oven and roast until the stuffing is toasted, about 20 minutes. Add 2 cups chicken broth to the pan and roast 40 more minutes. Use a spoon to scoop the stuffing out of the chicken and transfer to the bottom of the roasting pan with the rest of the stuffing; continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken thigh registers 165 degrees F, 30 to 35 more minutes.

Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest 15 minutes. Transfer the stuffing to a bowl. Put the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 cups broth to the pan and cook, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon, until almost syrupy, 5 to 8 minutes. Return the stuffing to the pan to soak up the juices. Serve with the chicken.