Salt-roasted stuffed chicken

Roasting chicken in salt gives you the juiciest, most tender meat and the crispiest skin imaginable.

More than 2 hours Serves: 4 Recipe Type: Mains Main Ingredient: Chicken

Main Ingredients

1 onion

1 glug olive oil

350 grams free-range chicken sausages

80 grams baby spinach, blanched and finely chopped

1 large free range chicken, (about 1.3-1.4kg)

1 pinch salt and milled pepper

1 lemon, cut into wedges

6 packets rock salt, (500g each)

3 egg whites, beaten

• Halve onion and finely chop one half. Cut remaining onion into wedges and reserve for stuffing.
• Heat a glug of oil in a pan and fry onion until soft. Allow to cool slightly.
• Remove sausage from casing by cutting a slit along sausage and scraping meat out with the back of a knife.
• Mix meat with onion and spinach. Using your fingers or a wooden spoon, carefully loosen skin over chicken breasts and thighs.
• Stuff an even layer of sausage meat under skin, starting at thighs and working up to neck.
• Secure skin over neck with toothpicks. Rub chicken with oil and season well.
• Stuff chicken with lemon and onion wedges and cover cavity with a piece of foil.
• Mix salt with egg whites and place a quarter of salt in the bottom of a small roasting tray.
• Top with chicken and cover with remaining salt.
• Roast for 1 hour and 45 minutes in a preheated 180ºC oven.
• Crack crust with a rolling pin and carefully peel it away. Allow chicken to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

More good ideas

• Roast chicken without salt crust if you prefer.
• Use pork sausages instead of chicken.