Moroccan Roast Chicken With Quinoa, Pistachio & Currant Stuffing {GF, DF}
I have a banquet of epic proportions to share with you today and it's all thanks to Inglewood Organic Chicken. My Morrocan Roast Chicken With Quinoa, Pistachio & Currant Stuffing will blow your Christmas socks off. I have had the pleasure of cooking with Inglewood Organic Chicken not only for this post but for everyday use in my own kitchen. My first sample of cooking with Inglewood was when I was shooting my Simple & Tasty Roast Chicken Recipe and was in need of a chook to cook and photograph. I picked up one of Inglewood Organic whole chickens on special and used it in the shoot. I could not get over the difference in flavour and the crunchiness of the skin that I achieved cooking with one of their birds. I was hooked. When I was approached by Inglewood to develop a Christmas inspired recipe I was honoured to be able to showcase their product in such a way.
I was also lucky enough to catch a few documentaries that Inglewood Farms has starred in over the last few years with Landline and Pete Evans. I was intrigued to learn how Inglewood Farms treat their chickens from chicklets to a product ready for cooking. Inglewood Organic chickens contain no chemicals, antibiotics or medications. They take such care from the feed they give the chickens, to how they treat and keep the birds healthy to how they process the chickens at the end so that it is a superior and delicious chicken. They grow their chicken the way nature intended it and you can most definitely taste that in the end product. You can view the story behind Inglewood Organic and what they stand for here.
When you have such a good product as the base of a dish such as this you know it is going to be good. When I was developing this recipe I wanted a dish that made the chicken the star and what better way than to roast a whole chicken and spice it up with some Moroccan flavours and make the most glorious stuffing for a Christmas banquet. If you read my Simple & Tasty Roast Chicken recipe you would know that it has taken me years to take the courage to cook a whole roast chicken and after I got the hang of it (it really isn't that hard) whole roast chicken is on the menu regularly.
If you think cooking a humble chook is not special enough for the Christmas table then think again. If you use one of Inglewood Orangic whole chickens you and your guests will be licking your fingertips at the end of the meal and complimenting the chef (poor tired mum) on the excellent Christmas dinner. All it takes is a few well-placed spices and a pretty darn good stuffing recipe to elevate an already good chicken to something amazing.
I love a good baked dinner on Christmas day and I do realize living in Australia that sometimes poses a problem when the weather is a little steamy outside but all you need to do is turn the A/C on or point the fan in your direction while you devour this meal. I have noted some make-ahead options in the recipe below when cooking this dish so that you don't have to stress on Christmas day about cooking the whole thing from scratch. I kept things really simply by cooking most of the vegetables in the same pan as the chicken. This not only saves on washing up but it also makes the veggies taste heavenly as they cook in the juices of the chicken. I don't think I will cook my roast veggies any other way now.
The Quinoa, Pistachio & Currant Stuffing recipe is made from cooked quinoa, fragrant spices of cumin, coriander, oregano and cinnamon with juicy pops of currants and a nice crunch of pistachios to finish it all off. My recipe makes enough not only to stuff the bird with but to have enough leftover to serve as a warm "stuffing" salad with the Moroccan Roast Chicken. To drizzle over the carved chicken I have also got a delicious Lemon, Garlic & Sumac Tahini Dressing to dab your chicken into or use as a dressing over your favourite roast vegetables. This adds another level of flavour to the dish.
Make sure you serve the whole chicken on a platter along with the roast vegetables like I have above. The wow factor it gives to the table is amazing and to see your guest's eyes light up when you carry this masterpiece out will be worth the little extra effort it takes. I used this irregular oval platter from Kmart as it is really neutral so it can be used again and again. I am not one of those people that buy garish Christmas kitchenware to have to only use it once a year. Keep the servingware neutral and add pops of Christmas decor around it on the table. I went for a green, gold and white theme for my Christmas banquet and really loved the effect that it gave.
I also forgot to mention that this whole meal is gluten and dairy free it can also be made nut and egg free with a few substitutions. I thought it would be nice to create a meal for those with food allergies (such as myself) and know that you can enjoy something as special as this without worrying about dietary issues.
Thanks to Inglewood Organic for sponsoring this post and letting me create such a wonderful Christmas meal. Give the humble chicken a go in your Christmas menu this season and make sure you pick up an Inglewood Organic Chicken at your local Woolworths by picking up a purple labelled Macro Organic whole chicken with the tag 4528. You can also find out where else Inglewood Organic chicken is stocked in your location by visiting the store locator.
{I was sponsored by Inglewood Farms to use their products and create this recipe. However, all opinions are my own. Thank you for supporting business that help keep The Whimsical Wife running}
Moroccan Roast Chicken With Quinoa, Pistachio & Currant Stuffing
Prep Time: 1 hour
Cook Time: 1 1/2 - 2 hours
Download & Print RecipeIngredients (Serves 6)
- 2kg Inglewood Organic whole chicken (or Macro Organic Woolworths Chicken - tag number #4528)
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- 1 tsp cumin, ground
- 1 tsp dried coriander, ground
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 1/2 cups white quinoa
- 1 red onion, finely diced
- 2 sticks celery, finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin, ground
- 1 1/2 tsp dried coriander, ground
- 1 1/2 tsp oregano, dried
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 cups chicken stock
- 1/2 cup currants
- zest of a lemon
- 1/2 cup pistachio, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp parsley, roughly chopped
- 2 tbsp mint, roughly chopped
- 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 cup mint sprigs
- 1/2 pomegranate, ariels removed
- 2 tbsp hulled tahini
- 4 tbsp coconut milk yoghurt
- 50ml lemon juice
- 1 x clove garlic, minced
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sumac
- 500g new potatoes
- 500g butternut pumpkin, sliced into large pieces
- 2 bunches dutch carrots, stalks removed
- 6 pieces of corn
Instructions
Make ahead:Quinoa, Pistachio & Currant StuffingIn a small bowl add the quinoa seeds and add water to cover. Swirl around to rinse the grains. This will stop the quinoa from being bitter. Drain and set aside.
In a large fry pan over a medium heat add a little olive oil and add the red onion, celery and garlic. Saute for 5-8 minutes until translucent. Add the spices and fry for about a minute until fragrant. Add the rinsed quinoa and chicken stock. Put the lid on and simmer on low for about 15-20 minutes or until the liquid has been absorbed. Set aside to cool down completely.
Stir in the currants, lemon zest, pistachios, parsley and mint and toss to combine the ingredients. Place the stuffing mix into a bowl and place in the fridge until you require it.
Moroccan Roast ChickenPreheat oven to 190 degrees C (fanbake). In a large roasting pan add a small wire trivet to cook the chicken on. Remove the chicken from the packaging and pat down with paper towel to remove any excess moisture. Place onto the wire trivet in the roasting pan breast side up.
Add 2 cups worth of the Quinoa, Pistachio & Currant Stuffing to a small bowl and add the egg. Stir to combine. Gently spoon the stuffing mixture into the bird pressing it in firmly as you go. Cap the entrance of the cavity with a half a lemon. Tie the legs of the bird together with cooking twine.
Moroccan Chicken MarinadeMix together the lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper & spices in a small jug. Pour over the chicken and rub into the skin.
Roast VegetablesAdd the cut roast vegetables to the same roasting pan as the chicken. Drizzle with a little olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes per 500g of chicken. (i.e a 2kg chicken would cook for 2 hours)
Lemon, Garlic & Sumac Tahini DressingIn a small bowl add the tahini, coconut yoghurt, garlic, lemon juice and sumac. Stir to combine. Spoon into a serving bowl and garnish with a sprinkle of sumac and a sprig of mint.
Assembly15 minutes before the chicken is ready to be cooked bring a large saucepan half filled with salted water up to the boil. Add in the corn cobs and simmer for 5 minutes. Drain the water and set aside.
Add the remaining Quinoa, Pistachio & Currant Stuffing to a decorative bowl and garnish with extra pistachios, pomegranate arils and mint leaves.
Remove the chicken from the oven and let it rest for 15 minutes before serving. Arrange it on a large platter with the roast veggies surrounding it. Garnish the platter with pomegranate arils and mint leaves. Don't forget to gather the pan juices into a jug for drizzling over the chicken.
Cooks NotesMake sure you have defrosted the chicken the day before cooking so you know that it isn't frozen in the centre!!
Make the Quinoa, Pistachio & Currant Stuffing, Moroccan Chicken Marinade and the Lemon, Garlic & Sumac Tahini Dressing the day or two before. Store in the fridge until you need them on the day.
You could also have the roast vegetables precut and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
