Roasted chicken with pine nuts and rice stuffing

Here's a healthy and delicious take on roasted chicken and rice stuffing.

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours, 10 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 30 minutes

Number of Servings: 10

Serving Size: 3 ounces of chicken, ¼ cup stuffing

Ingredients for our roasted chicken dish:

1 whole chicken, 2-4 lbs

¼ cup clarified butter, divided (see note)

1 onion, chopped

1 tsp ground allspice

⅓ cup basmati rice

¼ cup water

¼ cup chopped walnuts

⅓ cup pine nuts

⅓ cup sultanas (or black raisins or dried cranberries)

1¼ cup chicken stock, divided

½ tsp salt

¼ tsp black pepper

kitchen string

Recipe Directions:

1.  Preheat oven to 350°F.
2.  Pour half the clarified butter into a large frying pan and add the onion. Cook for 5 minutes over medium heat until the onion is transparent. Stir in the allspice.
3.  Add rice and nuts to the pan, and cook for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add the sultans, ½ cup chicken stock and ¼ cup of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 8-10 minutes until water is absorbed. Allow to cool.
4.  Rinse the cavity of the chicken with cool water, and pat dry inside and out with paper towels.
5.  When the stuffing is cool, spoon into the cavity and tie up the legs of the chicken using kitchen string. Place chicken in a deep baking dish, and rub salt and pepper into the skin.
6.  Pour remaining clarified butter over the chicken, and add remaining chicken stock to pan. Roast for 2 hours and 10 minutes, basting every 20-25 minutes with juices from the pan. Allow chicken to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

Note: To clarify butter, melt in a small saucepan over low heat. When melted, remove from heat and let the milk solids fall to the bottom of the pan. Use only the yellow liquid part of the butter. Discard the white milk solid.

Nutritional Information:

Calories: 320

Carbohydrates: 11 g

Fiber: 1 g

Protein: 19 g

Total fat: 22 g

Saturated fat: 8 g

Sodium: 230 mg