Chicken crown roast stuffed and trussed

A crown of chicken is the entire double breast portion that has been carefully deboned, but with the skin intact. It is then stuffed and trussed with kitchen string. Here’s a variation on the traditional sageand-onion stuffing, using orange as the chief aromatic to balance the herb.

Sage and orange stuffing

1 onion, finely chopped

1 leek, sliced thinly

1 small celery stalk, diced

3 Tbsp butter

1 glass of dry white wine

2 Tbsp chopped sage leaves

Zest and juice of 1 orange

1 cup breadcrumbs

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

1 beaten egg (optional)

1 large chicken, cleaned and dried, wing tips removed

Method

• For the stuffing, melt the butter and sauté the onion with the celery, leeks and sage, stirring, until softened.

• Add the wine and cook it almost entirely away. Add the orange juice and zest and simmer, stirring, until the mixture is a bit sticky. Stir in the breadcrumbs off the heat and season with salt and pepper. I felt this stuffing did not need egg, but if you want to use one to bind it, let the mixture cool down before stirring it in.

• Cut away the leg-and-thigh portions and wings and remove the parson’s nose. Put these aside for another meal. Snip out the “wish bone” too. Be careful not to damage the breast skin.

• You’ll be left with the carcass and both breasts. That’s the crown. But it still has the ribcage and keel bone. Bear this in mind as you begin to debone it: your goal is for the crown to be intact, with the rib cage and keel bone gone but the breasts and their skin intact, in one piece, “hinged” in the middle. This is not as difficult as you might think if you’ve never tried to do it.

• Using a sharp paring or boning knife, cut in right against the bone cage towards the middle (below the breast and against the bone), slowly and carefully. Once both breasts are loosened but still covered with skin, work the knife in small push-and-pull movements to disconnect the remaining part of the bone while leaving the skin intact at the centre.

• Place it skin-side down on a clean board, season the inside with salt and pepper, and spoon in some of the stuffing (not too much or it will spill out when you tie it). The remainder can go into ramekin/s to be cooked in the oven with the chicken.

• Push strands of kitchen string under in four or five places and tie in the centre. Place another piece of string under it lengthwise and tie it up. You’ll have a chicken parcel.

• Brush olive oil all over and season with salt and pepper.

• Roast the chicken in a preheated 180°C oven for 30 to 40 minutes. Let it rest for 10 minutes before carving and serving.