"Polish" Roasted Chicken

We are finally starting to feel better in my house so I am going to share this roasted chicken recipe I had made a few days ago and head out to a local farm for some Autumnal fun with the toddler.

My "Polish" Roasted Chicken recipe is just one version of the same idea.  Certain ingredients are quintessential in Polish cuisine (can you spot them in this recipe?) and many typical recipes in the USA are either influenced by the large mass of Polish immigrants over the years or by another country's immigrants who share similar styles.

The recipe for Roasted Chicken is always very easy and comforting for many.



Ingredients:

1 Chicken for roasting, rinsed well inside and out
2-3 Garlic cloves, chopped
1/2 a stick of Butter
1 tablespoon Paprika
Salt and Pepper


Stuffing:

enough Bread for stuffing (depends on the size of the chicken, this one only held 4 slices)
1 Egg
1 tablespoon of Marjoram, Curly Parsley, or Dill
1 chicken liver, chopped finely
1/4 stick of Butter or 2 tablespoons of chicken broth or bacon fat
Salt and Pepper


Prep the chicken:

Preheat oven to 400-425 degrees. 

Sprinkle salt, pepper, and paprika all over the outside of the chicken. 

Rub the inside cavity with the garlic cloves and place inside. 

Place pats of butter under the skin next to the breast meat.



Prep the stuffing:

Mix the ingredients together. 

Stuff inside chicken. 

Use a very thin slice of bread end, if you like, to help seal in the stuffing.  This is a trick my grandmother-in-law, our Busia, used to use. 

Truss the chicken if you do that.  I usually just tuck in the wings because I have two small children and never enough time.



Place stuffed chicken in roasting pan with a little bit of water on the bottom.  Add washed potatoes and onions around the outside, if you like.

Bake for about 15 minutes then turn down the temperature to 350 degrees and roast for an additional 30-45 minutes, depending on the size of your chicken.  The meat should reach an internal temperature of 180 degrees.

A trick my mother taught me to know when a chicken was done was to see how the drumstick felt.  If it felt as though you could easily pull it right off to eat, the chicken was definitely done.  I did this trick and my older daughter started squeaking right away for the drumstick.

You can serve this with a basic gravy made from the juices in the bottom of the pan if you like or a Hunter's Gravy (pictured here, recipe to come later) or mushroom gravy.

Smacznego!

Forgive the less than perfect photos, I was dealing with a croupy toddler and feeling under the weather myself.

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