Whole Chicken Bake

Thanksgiving is a big festival that is celebrated in this part of the globe with grandeur in terms of food. It has traditionally been a time to express thanks and gratitude to a long list of people for the well being including Mother Nature for the lovely harvest each year. The impressive feast offers a full-size spread starting from the big bird Turkey to mashed potatoes to cranberry sauce to the green bean casserole finishing with a warm pumpkin pie. Thanksgiving has gained popularity over time even with us folks who were not familiar with it and we now look at it as another occasion to share joy and good food with friends and family. Though we didn’t get deep in making the big feast, we have used this mood to experiment in making a Desi- American style Whole Chicken Bake with Focassia bread stuffing.

Ingredients

Whole chicken (cleaned & marinated): 1

Marinade

Turmeric powder: 1 1/2 teaspoon
Chilli Powder: 3-4 teaspoons
Chicken Masala: 2-3 teaspoons
Garam Masala: 1 teaspoon
Garlic powder: 1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder: 1 teaspoon
Cumin powder: 1 teaspoon
Coriander leaves (finely chopped): 2 tablespoons
Mint leaves (finely chopped): 2 tablespoons
Ginger garlic paste: 2 teaspoons
Lemon juice: 1 1/2 tablespoons
Fresh Thyme leaves (shredded): 1 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Oil: 1/4 cup

Stuffing (Optional)

Celery sticks (finely cubed): 1 1/2 tablespoons
Focassia bread (cubed): 1/4 cup
chicken broth: 2-3 tablespoon (just enough to keep the stuffing moist)
Green chillies (Slit): 2-3
Garlic (chopped): 1 teaspoon
Egg (beaten): 1
Cheese (Grated): 1 teaspoon
Thyme leaves: a pinch
Pepper to taste

For garnish saute the following

Butter or Olive oil to saute
Baby potatoes: 1/4 cup
Carrots (sliced): 1/4 cup
Pearl Onions/Shallots (whole): 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Thyme leaves: a pinch

* We have used Pathak brand's spicy ginger garlic paste.
* Also we used chilli garlic sauce in the marinade to step up the spice level to our liking.
* We have used store bought focassia bread slices for stuffing.

Clean and remove the skin and fat of the chicken without doing much damage to its shape. Rinse the inside cavity thoroughly after removing the inner parts. Pat it dry. Make slight cuts on the thighs and breasts to ensure the masala seeps in well. Mix all the dry powders of the marinade with some oil and lemon juice. Add the chopped coriander, mint and thyme leaves. Adjust the salt and spice. Smear the chicken inside and out generously with this marinade. It is best to keep it refrigerated overnight or else 3.4 hours is also good enough.


Preheat oven to 400° F. Slightly toast the chopped focassia bread in the oven for about 10 minutes. Take it out from the oven and keep aside. Heat some olive oil or butter in a pan. Saute the chopped garlic and slit green chilies. Add onions and celery and saute well. sprinkle salt, pepper, thyme and stir well. Add this mixture into the toasted bread pieces and mix well. While the pan is hot pour the beaten egg to make a scramble. Add grated cheese, the egg scramble into the bread mixture. Add chicken stock to keep the stuffing moist.

Trussing is a procedure done to retain the shape of the whole chicken as it bakes. Here is the video that will help you understand the process. If you are stuffing the chicken, first fill the stuffing before you truss. Make sure not to keep the stuffing too packed giving enough room for the inside to cook.

Raise oven temperature to 450° F. Take a deep baking dish pour 1 can of chicken stock into this. Keep the baking tray over it and place the chicken and bake until meat is all cooked. Make sure to flip sides after 35-40 minutes. When you are flipping you can brush some more oil if you think the chicken is looking dry. If you are using the cooking thermometer, you know the chicken is done when the temperature reaches around 175-180° F in the thighs and breasts.

We served this baked chicken on a bed of sauteed baby potatoes, carrots and shallots. You can also serve this on a bed of lettuce. Cut the chicken and enjoy it hot with any side of your liking.