Serves 4-6
4 1/2 pound Chicken, roasting, remove wings
For Marinade
2 tablespoons White wine, dry
3 tablespoons Olive oil
1 teaspoon Thyme, fresh, chopped
1 teaspoon Basil, fresh, chopped
1 teaspoon Flat leaf parsley, fresh, chopped
1/4 teaspoon Salt
To taste Pepper from the mill
Filling
2 cups Spinach, fresh, baby leaves
2 tablespoons Butter
2 cups Leeks, white parts only, cleaned and julienne
1 cup Green onions, white part and 1 inch green part, thinly sliced
6 ounces Goat Cheese
6 ounces Buffalo Mozzarella or Cow’s Milk mozzarella
2 tablespoons Flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
2 tablespoons Thyme, fresh, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon Pepper, white
1/2 cup Chicken Stock
Directions:
1) Combine all the marinade ingredients.
2) Moisten fingers with marinade and separate skin from the meat at the neck end of the chicken leaving the tail end intact. Being careful not to rip the skin, carefully slip moistened fingers under skin of legs, thighs and breast portions of the chicken. Place chicken in a bowl and cover with marinade for 2 hours
3) Blanch spinach in boiling salt water for 20 seconds. Drain and run cold water over the leaves.
4) With cheesecloth, wring all the excess moisture from spinach and chop coarsely.
5) Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat; add leeks and green onions, cook until very soft, 7-10 minutes, cool
6) Remove any rind from the goat cheese and combine all the filling ingredients in a food processor, process until well mixed.
7) Remove chicken from the marinade, reserve marinade for basting.
8) Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
9) Stuff chicken by taking small amounts of stuffing and pushing it evenly under the skin. The legs should have as much stuffing as the breasts.
10) Pat chicken all around, so that the stuffing is distributed evenly.
11) Tie wings and legs to the body. Set chicken on a roasting pan and roast at 400F degrees for 15 minutes.
12) Reduce oven to 375F degrees and cook until nicely browned, 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes. Check for internal temperature, 160.
13) Remove to a cutting board, let rest 10 minutes before carving.
For Marinade
Filling
Directions:
1) Combine all the marinade ingredients.
2) Moisten fingers with marinade and separate skin from the meat at the neck end of the chicken leaving the tail end intact. Being careful not to rip the skin, carefully slip moistened fingers under skin of legs, thighs and breast portions of the chicken. Place chicken in a bowl and cover with marinade for 2 hours
3) Blanch spinach in boiling salt water for 20 seconds. Drain and run cold water over the leaves.
4) With cheesecloth, wring all the excess moisture from spinach and chop coarsely.
5) Melt 2 tablespoons butter over medium heat; add leeks and green onions, cook until very soft, 7-10 minutes, cool
6) Remove any rind from the goat cheese and combine all the filling ingredients in a food processor, process until well mixed.
7) Remove chicken from the marinade, reserve marinade for basting.
8) Preheat oven to 400F degrees.
9) Stuff chicken by taking small amounts of stuffing and pushing it evenly under the skin. The legs should have as much stuffing as the breasts.
10) Pat chicken all around, so that the stuffing is distributed evenly.
11) Tie wings and legs to the body. Set chicken on a roasting pan and roast at 400F degrees for 15 minutes.
12) Reduce oven to 375F degrees and cook until nicely browned, 1 hour, basting every 15 minutes. Check for internal temperature, 160.
13) Remove to a cutting board, let rest 10 minutes before carving.
