Roast Chicken With Rice And Fruit Stuffing

Total Time: 1 hr 35 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 1 hr 20 mins

Ingredients

• Servings: 4
• 1/2 cup cashew halves
• 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup rice
• 1 1/2 cups hot chicken soup
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• salt and pepper
• 10 dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon finely grated fresh lemon rind
• 4 lbs roasting chickens
• salt and pepper

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 400 degrees f
• 2 toast the cashews lightly in the oven for 5 minutes
• 3 heat 4 tablespoons of oil in a saute pan
• 4 add the onion and the celery
• 5 cook over low heat for 5 minutes, or until tender
• 6 add the rice, saute over medium heat for 2 minutes
• 7 add the hot soup, orange juice, salt and pepper, and bring to a boil
• 8 cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes
• 9 add the apricots and raisins to the rice, stir gently with a fork
• 10 cover and cook for 5 more minutes, until the rice is nearly tender
• 11 stir in the cinnamon, lemon rind and cashews
• 12 taste for seasoning and correct if necessary
• 13 set aside to cool
• 14 sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper on all sides and in the cavity as well
• 15 spoon enough of the stuffing into the chicken to fill it, packing lightly
• 16 keep the extra stuffing at room temperature
• 17 place the chicken in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for 1 hour
• 18 when a fork stuck into the thickest part of the chicken causes the juices to run clear, the chicken is ready
• 19 if the juices are still pink, add a few more minutes until you get the clear juices
• 20 let the bird rest for about 5-10 minutes
• 21 heat the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil in a skillet and saute the leftover stuffing until hot, about 3 minutes
• 22 serve the stuff chicken on a platter, with the sauteed stuffing on the side
• 23 you can also serve the roasting juices in a sauceboat