Stuffed Chicken with Walnuts, Apples, and Prunes

This festive dish is best served during Christmas dinners! The stuffing adds a little crunch and a lot of texture to the classic roast chicken.

Serves 6  Prep Time 15 minutes  Cooking Time 1 hour and 45 minutes

For the stuffing
1/2 white onion, finely chopped
1 head garlic, cloves peeled and minced
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter
1 apple, cubed
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
2 cups cooked long-grain rice
10 pieces dried prunes, cubed
4 tablespoons apple juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons cream
salt and pepper, to taste

1 whole chicken (about 1.3 kilos)
salt and pepper, to taste
Spanish paprika
3 to 4 tablespoons butter, melted

1  Preheat oven to 350ºF.

2  In a pan, sauté onion, garlic, and celery in butter. Let them sweat and turn a little golden brown. Remove from heat.

3  In a bowl, combine apples, walnuts, rice, and prunes. Mix in the sauteed onion, garlic, and celery. Add apple juice, lemon juice, and cream; season with salt and pepper. Mix well.


4  Stuff the chicken with the mixture, truss it, and arrange on a baking pan. Sprinkle salt, pepper, and paprika over the chicken, then drizzle with melted butter. Roast for 1 to 1 1/2 hours. The chicken is ready when you pierce the thickest part of the leg and the juices run clear with no blood in sight.

RELATED: 3 Ways to Know if Your Chicken is Cooked, How to Defrost a Chicken,
Roast Chicken recipes, How to Truss a Chicken

Photography by Patrick Martires | Food Preparation by Maj Lazatin | Prop Styling by Liezl Yap | Props from Yummy Prop Library and stylist’s own