Dutch Oven Chicken with Brown Rice and Sausage Stuffing

By CookingSF

Roasted chicken with a brown rice and sausage stuffing is a perfect weekend meal, and enjoy the leftovers for a quick weeknight supper! Easy to make, and so delicious, this recipe will impress your family.

Ingredients

• 1 roasting chicken (4 to 5 pounds)
• 1 cup Madeira wine, divided
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 chicken or turkey Italian sweet sausage, uncooked, casings removed
• 2 cups cooked brown rice
• 1/3 cup pine nuts
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries
• 8 leaves fresh sage, finely chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh rosemary, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
• 2 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, divided
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened

Details

Servings 6
Preparation time 30mins
Cooking time 330mins

Preparation

Step 1

Place chicken in a 1-gallon zip top bag, pour in 3/4 cup of Madeira and seal bag tightly. Marinate chicken in refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours, turning occasionally.

While chicken is marinating, assemble the stuffing. Heat olive oil in medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add shallots and sauté until translucent but not brown, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté for 30 seconds. Add sausage meat to skillet and sauté, breaking up larger chunks of meat as you go. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through. Remove skillet from heat and set aside to cool while you prepare the rest of the stuffing.

In a medium bowl, Combine rice, pine nuts, cranberries, sage, rosemary, parsley, 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Add sausage mixture and 1/4 cup Madeira and mix all ingredients until thoroughly combined. If making ahead, cover stuffing with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator until chicken has finished marinating.

Once 3-4 hours have passed, remove chicken from refrigerator. Remove chicken from zip top bag and place in large Dutch oven breast-side up, reserving marinade in the bag. Lightly pat chicken with a paper towel to dry the skin. Standing the chicken upright (knobby ends of drumsticks will be pointing at you), stuff chicken with the dressing mixture, making sure to not pack stuffing in too tightly. (You will have extra stuffing and it can be cooked in a baking dish covered with aluminum foil alongside the chicken for 40 minutes.) Using kitchen twine, tie the chicken legs together to ensure that the stuffing stays securely inside the chicken cavity. Return chicken to breast-side up position in Dutch oven. Rub chicken skin with butter and sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper. Pour remaining marinade over chicken.

Place the lid on the Dutch oven and put it in a preheated 375°F oven. Remove the lid after about 50 minutes and baste the chicken with the fat on top of the juices in the dish. Leave the lid off and return to the oven for 25 to 35 minutes, until the breast is nicely browned and internal temperature of the stuffing and the chicken thighs reaches 165 degrees.

Transfer chicken to a carving board, cover with aluminum foil and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove stuffing from chicken cavity and place in a serving bowl. Carve chicken into pieces and serve with stuffing.