Recipe - Stuffed Chicken Provencal-Martha Stewart Living

1 3lb chicken, preferably
freerange or kosher
Salt & freshly ground pepper
1 tablespoon Olive oil, plus more for
rubbing chicken
2 small Cloves garlic, peeled and
chopped
2 Shallots, minced
1 lg Onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup Chopped pitted Gaeta or oil
cured black olives
Zest of 1 lemon
One fourth cup Dry white wine
One half cup Chopped flatleaf parsley
1 tablespoon Chopped fresh rosemary
(if unavailable, omit; do
not substitute dried)
1 tablespoon Chopped fresh tarragon OR
1 teaspoon Dried tarragon
One fourth cup Bread crumbs, made from a
few slices of fresh white
bread

1. Using poultry shears, split chicken down the center of the backbone.
With a knife, crack the breastbone so it will lie flat. Lay chicken on a
work surface skin side up, legs pointing away from you.

2. Loosen skin by working your hand under the end facing you, working down
to and including the drumsticks, being careful not to tear the skin. Leave
skin attached at bottom of breast. Season chicken with salt and pepper, rub
skin with a little olive oil, and refrigerate until needed.

3. Place oil and garlic in a large saute pan. Cook over low heat for 1
minute. Add shallots and o@on and cook over medium heat, stirring
occasionally, until soft and transparent, about 20 minutes. Add olives and
lemon zest, and cook 1 to 2 minutes more. Add wine and turn up heat. Cook
until just a little liquid remains, about 2 minutes. Stir in herbs and
bread crumbs, season with pepper, and set aside to cool.

4. Distribute stuffing evenly beneath chicken skin, starting at legs and
working back toward breast. With clean hands, smooth the surface. Cut a
small slit in the web of skin between each thigh and bottom of breast; tuck
in ends of drumsticks. (Bird can be prepared a day ahead to this point.)

5. Heat oven to 375'. Reform the bird into its original shape and wrap a
string around it underneath the drumsticks; pull string tight to plump bird
up, and tie a knot. Tuck wings underneath and place bird in a roasting pan.
Roast, basting often, for 1 to 1 One fourth hours. Remove from oven and let
chicken rest for 10 minutes, To carve, cut breasts from the bones in one
piece, then slice crosswise with a serrated knife.

Martha Stewart Living/Feb. & March/94 Scanned & fixed by Di and Gary
Posted to MMRecipes Digest V4 #037 by John Merkel jmerk@doitnow.com on
Feb 4, 1997.