Sunday chicken

Method

• step 1

  First, make the stuffing. Melt the butter in a frying pan, and cook the onion and garlic until soft and translucent. Season. Add the sage and the mushrooms, and continue to cook until soft. Add the bread, and allow to soak up any butter, then transfer to a mixing bowl. Add the chestnuts, and give it all a good mix. Cool, then add the egg and sausagemeat and mix well. Chill.

• step 2

  Heat the oven to 180C/fan 160C/gas 4. Make sure any giblets are removed from the chicken, and fill the cavity with the stuffing.

• step 3

  Put the onion, garlic and herbs into a roasting tin. Put the chicken on top and drizzle with olive oil. Season well and put in the oven. After about 40 minutes, the chicken will be nice and brown: at this point add half the stock, then lower the oven temperature to 160C/fan 140C/gas 3 and roast for a further 50 minutes or until cooked. (Check by piercing the thickest part of the thigh – if the juices are not clear, put back in the oven for 10 minutes.)

• step 4

  Take the chicken out of the roasting tin to rest, add the rest of the stock to the tin (or tip it into a pan) and turn the heat up to high. Reduce rapidly until you have a gravy consistency. Strain, and serve alongside the carved chicken.