Chicken with sage & rosemary stuffing, buttered cavolo nero & rosemary roast potatoes

While chicken might seem like one of the less exciting poultry meats at Christmastime, our free-range chicken breasts are something to celebrate. Slow-grown and full-flavoured, the meat is juicy, tender and anything but dry. Pair with crispy golden potatoes and cavolo nero (cooked to perfection, still with a little bite). Our stuffed chicken breasts are a festive feast that will please all palates.

1 hour 55 mins

4-6

Medium

• 1.5-1.75kg Field & Flower whole chicken, giblets removed
• ½ lemon
• Olive oil
• Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

For the sage & rosemary stuffing:
• 100g Field & Flower diced pancetta
• 15g Maryland butter
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 6 fresh sage leaves, finely chopped
• 3 sprigs of rosemary, needles stripped & finely chopped
• 100g fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
• 1 free range egg, beaten

For the rosemary roast potatoes:
• 2kg potatoes, cut into ¼ or large pieces
• 100ml olive oil
• 5 rosemary sprigs, ½ needles stripped ½ left whole
• Sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 220C/200 fan.

2. To make the stuffing, melt the butter in a frying pan over a low heat, add the onion and pancetta and cook until the onion is soft & translucent (and the pancetta is golden). Add the rosemary & sage and cook for a further minute. Leave to cool for a few minutes, then stir in the egg, breadcrumbs and seasoning.

3. Fill the cavity of the chicken with your stuffing, leaving space between the stuffing and the top of the chicken so that air can circulate.

4. Squeeze the lemon over the chicken and place into a roasting tin. Rub a little olive oil into the skin of the chicken, then season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper.

5. Roast in the oven for approximately 1 hour 20 minutes, or until the juices run clear when pierced at the thickest part of the thigh. If they don’t, pop back in the oven and check again in 15 minutes. Once cooked, remove from the oven and leave to rest for about 15 minutes.

6. While the chicken is roasting, par boil your potatoes then drain well. Pour the olive oil into a roasting tin and place in the oven to heat. Once hot, carefully add the potatoes to the hot oil and turn until they are coated. Roast for about 45-60 minutes, adding the rosemary in the last 10 minutes of cooking. Season with sea salt and serve with your chicken.

7. Cook the cavolo nero while your chicken is resting. Bring a pan of salted water to the boil, add the cavolo nero and cook for approximately 4 minutes. Drain well and then return to the hot saucepan with a small knob of butter, fry for a couple of minutes and serve.