Orvieto chicken
Overview
Prep time
20 mins
Cook time
1 hr 30 mins
Serves
4 to 6
Ingredients
1 large or 2 small fennel bulbs
2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for roasting
1 small onion, finely chopped
250g pancetta, chopped
50g black olives, pitted, half of them roughly chopped
Finely grated zest of ½ lemon
Leaves from 3 sprigs of thyme
200g waxy potatoes, cut into chunks and boiled until tender
1.8kg whole chicken
1 head of garlic, split into unpeeled cloves
250ml dry white wine
500ml chicken stock
To serve
Green salad
Roasted red peppers
Any Italian bread
Method
Step
Quarter 1 large (or 2 small) fennel bulb(s) and remove the discoloured outer leaves. Slice off the base and the hard core. Remove any little tufts of fennel leaves and fronds and reserve them. Cut the fennel flesh into small cubes.
Step
Heat 1 tbsp olive oil in a pan and cook the fennel and 1 small onion for about 4 minutes. Add 250g chopped pancetta and cook until it is golden, and the vegetables are soft.
Step
Add the remaining 1 tbsp olive oil to the pan and, once hot, add 200g cooked potatoes. Fry until they are golden then add them to the bowl. Season and leave to cool.
Step
Heat the oven to 210C/200C fan/gas mark 6½. Remove the excess fat around the cavity of the 1.8kg chicken, then stuff it with the filling, pushing it as far down as you can. Use small skewers to close the cavity. Put the bird in a roasting tin, rub with olive oil and season.
Step
Roast for 15 minutes, then turn the heat down to 190C/180C fan/gas mark 5, toss 1 head of garlic (split into unpeeled cloves) around the bird and roast for another 45-50 minutes. Check whether the chicken is cooked by piercing between a leg and the rest of the body. The juices that run out should be clear, with no hint of pink.
Step
Put the chicken on a warm platter and cover with foil and a couple of tea towels. Scoop up the garlic cloves and put them in a warm bowl.
Step
Pour the juices from the roasting tin into a glass bowl and skim off the fat. Set the roasting tin over a medium heat, add 250ml dry white wine and stir to scrape up the bits that may be stuck to the base.
Step
Boil until you have about 50ml left, then add 500ml chicken stock and the roasting juices, and boil until they are reduced by three quarters. Add the garlic and 25g whole olives.
Step
Cut the chicken into 8 joints or leave it whole. Put the stuffing on the platter with the chicken and pour the stock with the olives and garlic over the top. Serve with a green salad or roasted red peppers (or both), and Italian bread.
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