Simple/Easy Stuffed Roast Chicken With Gravy (For Beginners)
"This method can be used for roast chicken or turkey. It turns out a lovely moist delicious bird with a tasty stuffing and gravy."
photo by Derf2440
- Ready In:
- 3hrs 5mins
- Ingredients:
- 16
- Serves:
-
6
ingredients
- 1 (120 g) box chicken flavor stuffing mix
- 1 1⁄4 cups hot water (hot tap water is ok)
- 2 tablespoons butter or 2 tablespoons margarine
- 1 (8 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and rough chopped
- 1 small onion, chopped
- 1 -2 tablespoon poultry seasoning, to taste
- 1 (5 lb) chicken (fresh or frozen, thawed) or (5 lb) turkey (fresh or frozen, thawed)
- salt & fresh ground pepper, to taste
- 1⁄4 cup butter, softened
- aluminum foil
-
Gravy
- chicken giblets
- water, to cover
- salt and pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 3 -4 tablespoons flour or 3 -4 tablespoons cornstarch
- hot water, to thin if necessary
directions
- Preheat oven to 400°F.
- Empty contents of stuffing box, both the bread crumb and seasoning envelopes, into a medium bowl.
- Add hot water and butter; stir to mix.
- Add chopped water chestnuts, onion and poultry seasoning, mix thoroughly and set aside.
- Check inside the chicken for giblets, remove and set aside.
- Rinse chicken inside and out with cold running water.
- Dry thoroughly inside and out with paper towel.
- Sprinkle salt and fresh ground pepper inside the cavity and all over the outside.
- Place chicken in a roaster.
- Loosely pack the stuffing mix into the main cavity and any left into the neck cavity folding the skin over it.
- If necessary secure the neck skin with a pick.
- Take a length of kitchen string and tie the ends of the legs as close together as possible.
- Rub the butter all over the outside of the chicken making sure to cover the whole outside surface.
- Take two lengths of aluminum foil, place one piece over the chicken lengthwise, take the other piece and place it sideways over the first piece.
- Tuck the foil tightly to the chicken so it is touching the bottom of the roaster but not under the bird.
- If the bird is not completely covered (except for the underside) Use a third piece to finish covering.
- Place the roaster on the middle rack of the oven and roast at 400f degrees for 15 minutes.
- Reduce the heat after 15 minutes to 350f degrees and roast for approximately 2 hours.
- At about 2 hours, carefully lift the aluminum foil and poke the chicken with a fork, if the juice runs clear, remove the foil and roast a further 30 minutes to brown the skin to golden.
- If the juice is not yet clear, roast a little longer and check again.
- Once the chicken is well browned, remove to platter, cover with foil and let rest.
- In the meantime, if you wish to make giblet gravy, take the giblets (and neck if it's there), place in a saucepan, cover with water, add salt and pepper and a little poultry seasoning if you wish, bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour.
- Remove to strainer, reserving liquid.
- Chop the giblets and pick any meat off neck bones, add to a blender and add the liquid.
- Blend to liquefy level, add 3 or 4 tablespoons flour or corn starch and blend to mix well.
- Pour off as much fat as possible from the roaster, take a whisk and move up any bits and pieces of stuffing/chicken stuck to the bottom, remove any large pieces of skin, add the giblet mix from the blender, whisk around; place in 450°F to 500°F degree oven until bubbly, about 10 minutes; add a small amount of hot water if necessary if it is too thick until it is the consistancy you want, cook another 5 minutes.
- (We like ours very thick) Whisk and pour into gravy boat and serve hot with the roast chicken.
- Gravy can also be made without the giblets, just whisk up the brown bits in the roaster and add 1 cup of hot water and make a slurry of cold water and either flour or corn starch, add the slurry and whisk, cook the same as above adding a little more water if necessary.
Questions & Replies
-
Do I bake or broil
Reviews
-
I am not a beginner, but easy peasy recipe for beginners. I made home stuffing. Actually, I've tasted box stuffing before. I guess it's good in a pinch. -
-
Well I am not a beginner but I really like this method of roasting chicken. Makes a nice moist bird. I take the foil off after 90 minutes at 350 to let it brown as the chicken is usually done after 2 hrs. I usually use Pepperidge Farm stuffing and don't add the water chestnuts or poultry seasoning. -
This recipe was simple and delicious. The gravy instructions were easy enough for anyone to do and the result was excellent! -
I've never roasted a chicken covered with foil and I've never used water chestnuts in stuffing. The foil made for lots of pan drippings and the water chestnuts are going to get used this next Thanksgiving. I loved the contrast between the soft stuffing and crunchy chestnuts. The flavor of the chicken was terrific but I admit to adding some, ok alot, of lemon pepper. The gravy was inhaled. -
Delicious. I think I'll roast it a little longer next time. The meat didn't fall off the bone the way I like it to. I should have softened the rubbing butter more because I think there wasn't enough on the bird to make it brown enough. Next time I'll melt the stuffing butter in the hot water. for the stuffing. Could I have used the pan's cover instead of the foil? Rookie cook.
see 1 more reviews
Tweaks
-
Home made stuffing.
RECIPE SUBMITTED BY
<p>November 4th, 2013: Our community lost a wonderful friend when Dorothy passed away on October 24th, 2013. We are shocked and saddened by her passing and there is a thread for expressing your condolences.</p>
<p>Mary at Food.com</p>
<p><a href=http://www.food.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=398284>http://www.food.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=398284</a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>********************************************************************</p>
<p>I live in the sunny okanogan valley - I am a retired Resort Services Director, love collecting receipes and cooking but am a diabetic so some times i can only collect </p>
<p>Love traveling, own a timeshare, went to Portugal in the year 2000, this picture was taken there, so it's 9 years old, but the only decent one I have, I am not photogenic and hate having my picture taken!! <br />I've been enjoying lushious recipes from 'zaar for 9 years now, since January 2001. <br /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/Animation1.gif alt=Image hosted by Photobucket.com /> <img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/berriesblinkie.gif alt=Image hosted by Photobucket.com /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/4treasurehunt.gif alt=Image hosted by Photobucket.com /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/purplechefhat.gif alt=Image hosted by Photobucket.com /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/chef3.jpg alt=Image hosted by Photobucket.com /> <br /><br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/FinishedJollyRoger_1.jpg border=0 alt=Image hosting by Photobucket.com /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/dragonspearls_1.jpg border=0 alt=Image hosting by Photobucket /><img src=http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y53/DUCHESS13/FFF/completedbanner.gif alt= /> <br /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/untitled.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting /> <img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/permanent%20collection/200_artistrichardneuman-art-prints_.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket - Video and Image Hosting /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/pacbanner.jpg border=0 alt=Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket /><img src=http://i23.photobucket.com/albums/b399/susied214/projects/200_PACpic.jpg border=0 alt=Photo Sharing and Video Hosting at Photobucket /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/TasteofYellow.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Octoberevent.jpg alt= /><img src=http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/1535/cheesesticker.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/personal/FRENCH-foodfun.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/EditBeforeandAfterSTICKER.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e347/Saturn6666/Banners/Photo_Video_577111733_orig.jpg alt= /><img src=http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/484938/Spelling-Bee-stick2jpg.jpg alt= /><img src=http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/1956/holidaylightssticker.jpg alt= /><img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/derf16/food%20photography%20series/Comfortstickercopysmall.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/Other/photo-swap-7sticky.jpg alt= /><img src=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v204/derf16/food%20photography%20series/MuffinLovesticker.jpg alt= /><img src=http://www.recipezaar.com/members/home/1956/L%5B1%5D.F-stickJPEG.jpg alt= /><img src=http://img.villagephotos.com/p/2003-11/484938/MayFlowerssticker.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/TasteofYellowSTICKER.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/BBQlSTKR.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/CobblerPieTartSTICKER.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/CROCKPOTSTKR.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/FISHSEAFDSTICKER.jpg alt= /> <br /><br /><img src=http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j166/ZaarNicksMom/CookingSchoolHost1.jpg border=0 alt=Photobucket /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/Other/BeyondburgersST.jpg alt= /><img src=http://i21.photobucket.com/albums/b280/carolinamoon21/Ingredients/Other/Elves-appreciationSTICKER.jpg alt= /></p>
