This whole roasted chicken recipe features the most delicious paleo stuffing. This dish is perfect for paleo Christmas, Thanksgiving or a Sunday roast dinner with the family.
I wanted to make a special roast chicken recipe in the lead up to Christmas so I decided to experiment with some paleo-friendly stuffing. I had an idea but I wasn’t sure if it would work out as well as I tasted it in my head. It turned out even BETTER than I hoped and I am very excited to share this recipe with you. Whether you’re planning a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu, or you want something a little extra special for a Sunday roast, I really hope you try out this fantastic chicken and stuffing combo.
The stuffing is made with so many delicious things – sage, bacon, leek, garlic, nuts – that I decided to keep the chicken super simple and just focus on making it nice and moist. They pair so wonderfully together as the stuffing is just the right amount of salty with a little chewiness and crunch. I am salivating just typing about it. Serve with your favourite veggies and maybe some fluffy roast potatoes.
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This recipe will serve about four people. If cooking it for a larger group, I recommend doing two chooks in one tray and making the stuffing in another tray. Scoop and add some of the chicken juices to the stuffing tray as that’s when the magic happens. Alternatively, make the chicken first and then while it’s resting, bake the stuffing. If avoiding nuts, use seeds instead.
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Preheat oven to 200° C / 395° F.
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Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken with sea salt and stuff the lemon half and sage leaves inside. Tie the legs together (optional, will work just as well if they are not tied).
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Melt coconut oil and rub all over the chicken. Sift through paprika and turmeric over back and front of the chicken and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. These spices will add a lovely yellow/orange colour to the skin. Rub everything in and place the chook in a large baking tray, breast side up.
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Place the tray in the oven, middle shelf, not too close to the grill to prevent burning. Cook for 45 minutes and in the meantime start on the stuffing
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Heat a large frying pan with butter over medium heat. Add bacon and leeks and cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened and lightly golden.
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Place nuts, lemon zest, garlic, anchovies, sage and a little sea salt in a food processor. Process into fine crumbs, for about 20-30 seconds. Then, add the cooked leeks and bacon and process for 5-10 seconds. Add tapioca flour and process for a further 5-10 seconds, until well combined and the mixture starts coming off the sides. Set aside.
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After 45 minutes, take the chicken tray out of the oven. Bathe the chicken with some of the oily juices in the tray and then spread the stuffing mixture around the chicken (see pics). You might have a bit of chicken juice inside the cavity, I recommend to tiIt the chicken slightly to let some of it spill out into the tray to mix with the stuffing. It’s a wonderful thing. Place back in the oven for 30 minutes. Half way through, give the stuffing a little stir so it browns evenly.
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Let the chicken and the stuffing rest out of the oven, covered loosely with foil or a towel, for about 10 minutes before carving. You could also turn the chicken upside down so that the juices rush back to the chicken breast.
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Serve a few pieces of chicken with a side of stuffing on the side.
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Tip: if the chicken breast skin looks like it’s browning too quickly, cover it lovely with a piece of foil to protect it from burning. You can do the same to the legs.
Calories: 924kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 49g | Fat: 71g | Saturated Fat: 20g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 14g | Monounsaturated Fat: 33g | Trans Fat: 0.3g | Cholesterol: 170mg | Sodium: 374mg | Potassium: 805mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 818IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 83mg | Iron: 5mg
I season and rub the chicken with coconut oil straight in the baking tray so it gets greased at the same time. You can use a butcher’s string to tie the legs and thighs closer to the body. This is totally optional as you will still have a lovely chicken if the legs stick up in the air.
This is what the stuffing looks like once you’ve added and processed all the ingredients. You could try chopping everything by hand but it’s much much easier with a food processor.
As you can see, my chicken legs actually popped back out after 45 minutes of cooking. The skin is starting to get nice and golden and the juices are dripping into the tray, just in time for our stuffing to go in.
The stuffing is salty and full of flavour and pairs beautifully with the milder taste of chicken meat. Truly delicious!