The weather’s getting cooler, and there’s just something about fall weather that cries out for a roasted chicken. Moist, flavourful spice roasted chicken with crispy skin, stuffed full of apples. Yum! Plus, roast chicken means homemade chicken vegetable soup the next day. Hey, we believe in recycling everything – including our chickens! – in this house.
Preheat the oven to 400 F. Core and chop up three small apples, enough to stuff your chicken. I normally use Gala or Ambrosia apples for the stuffing, but today I only had Golden Delicious. I wouldn’t use them again though. They turned out way too soft and mushy once cooked. Lesson learned!
Sprinkle half a teaspoon of cinnamon, half a teaspoon of ground ginger, and a quarter of a teaspoon of fresh ground black pepper over your apples. The simplest way to spice them is just to put a lid on the dish and shake it up until the apple pieces are evenly coated. Go ahead and sneak a few pieces of apple at this point. The seasoning is incredible on fresh apples too!
Pick out a nice size whole roasting chicken. There’s no need to rinse the chicken, but make sure it’s as dry as you can get it inside and out. The drier the chicken, the less it will steam, and the crispier the skin will be. Stuff the whole chicken with your spiced apple pieces and close both ends with skewers. Coat the entire outside of the stuffed chicken with olive or coconut oil. You can use a basting brush or just the back of a tablespoon. Then mix up your spice blend in a small bowl using 1 teaspoon each of garlic powder, chili powder, ground sage, and cumin, and half a teaspoon each of sea salt and fresh ground black pepper.
Sprinkle the spice mixture all over the chicken as evenly as you can.
Put your stuffed, oiled, and spiced chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up. I rarely bother with trussing the chicken, but feel free if you feel it makes that much of a difference. Pop the chicken in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes to help the skin crisp up. After 30 minutes, turn the oven down to 350 F and put the cover on the roasting pan, making sure the vents are closed. Roast the bird for another two hours.
The girls love this apple stuffing so I usually make extra. I make a second batch of spiced apple pieces in an oven-safe glass dish with a cover and put it in the oven about 45 minutes before the chicken is done.
And when you’re done with your delicious chicken dinner? Don’t throw out the bones and scraps. Make some chicken vegetable soup from scratch. No canned soup will ever compare!
Spice Roasted Chicken with Apple Stuffing
Ingredients
- One whole roasting chicken
- 3 small apples
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
- 2-3 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400 F.
- Drain any residual liquid in the whole chicken and pat dry with paper towels, inside and out.
- Core and cut apples into small bite-size pieces and add cinnamon, ginger, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Mix until apple pieces are evenly coated.
- Stuff chicken cavity with apple pieces and close both ends with skewers.
- Drizzle oil over all sides of chicken and use basting brush or the back of a tablespoon to spread oil over the entire surface of the chicken.
- Combine remaining spices together in a small bowl and sprinkle spice mixture evenly over all sides of the chicken.
- Place stuffed chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up. Put in the oven uncovered for 30 minutes.
- After 30 minutes, turn oven temperature down to 350 F and put cover on roasting pan (make sure roasting pan vents are closed).
- Roast for an additional 2 hours.
Notes
If cooking extra apple stuffing, place spiced apples in an oven-safe glass dish, cover, and put in the oven about 45 minutes prior to finish.
Oh my gosh. I bet this smells incredible while roasting away. You’ve achieved such a perfect color on your chicken. Roasted chicken is something I always have trouble with. I’m not sure why, but I like to blame my inconsistent oven! Thank you for sharing with See Ya in the Gumbo this week. Sorry it has taken me a while to stop in!
Thank you, Michelle! It does make the whole house smell yummy! 🙂 We got a new oven a couple of years ago, and it did make a difference in a lot of the dishes we make.
YUM! This looks amazing! My grandma was telling me today that she wants to start the Paleo diet (did I say that right?). In any case, I told her you share so many amazing recipes and I’d have to give her some. Thank you so much for always linking up to Delicious Dish Tuesday (and linking up such amazing recipes)! <3
Yes, that’s right, or I sometimes say “eating paleo” so people don’t confuse it with going on a calorie-restricted diet. Please do share! I’d love to know what she thinks of the recipe(s).
Can not say I have tried stuffing with apple before. This looks like a good recipe.
It’s really easy, and the kids love it.
That’s an interesting twist. I’m not a big fan of “sweet” dishes so I’m not sure I would try it though.
I am so looking forward to trying this,thanks so much
Thank you Olivia ! The best tasting roast Chiicken that’s ever came out of our oven my only regret was I should have done two . I’ve been on the paleo diet for a couple of months and my wife was exclaiming ! At last real food I can eat that tastes delicious . Thanks for sharing the recipe. Hamish.
You’re so welcome! Glad you liked it. This is a stand by in our house for sure.
Can’t seem to find your amours for the ingredients for your cabbage rolls
This recipe sounds really good and I love the combination of spices you have in your spice rub, but I’m really surprised about using apples for stuffing because I’ve never heard of it before