This whole roasted chicken recipe features the most delicious bacon and sage stuffing. This dish is gluten-free, grain-free and paleo-friendly, perfect for Christmas, Thanksgiving or a Sunday roast dinner with the family.
I wanted to make a special roast chicken recipe in the lead up to Christmas so I decided to experiment with some paleo-friendly stuffing. I had an idea but I wasn’t sure if it would work out as well as I tasted it in my head. It turned out even BETTER than I hoped and I am very excited to share this recipe with you.
Whether you’re planning a Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner menu, or you want something a little extra special for a Sunday roast, I really hope you try out this fantastic chicken and sage stuffing combo.
Sage Stuffing With Bacon & Nuts
The stuffing is made with so many delicious things – sage, bacon, leek, garlic, nuts – that I decided to keep the chicken super simple and just focus on making it nice and moist. They pair so wonderfully together as the stuffing is just the right amount of salty with a little chewiness and crunch. I am salivating just typing about it. Serve with your favourite veggies and maybe some fluffy roast potatoes.
How To Make Roast Chicken & Sage Stuffing
I season and rub the chicken with coconut oil straight in the baking tray so it gets greased at the same time. You can use a butcher’s string to tie the legs and thighs closer to the body. This is totally optional as you will still have a lovely chicken if the legs stick up in the air.
This is what the stuffing looks like once you’ve added and processed all the ingredients. You could try chopping everything by hand but it’s much much easier with a food processor.
As you can see, my chicken legs actually popped back out after 45 minutes of cooking. The skin is starting to get nice and golden and the juices are dripping into the tray, just in time for our stuffing to go in.
The stuffing is salty and full of flavour and pairs beautifully with the milder taste of chicken meat. Truly delicious!
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Ingredients
- 1.6 kg free-range chicken
- Sea salt
- 1/2 lemon
- 7-8 fresh sage leaves
- 1 tablespoon coconut oil
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
For the stuffing
- 1 teaspoon butter ghee, coconut oil or olive oil can also be used
- 6-7 rashers bacon diced
- 1 large leek pale and light green part, diced finely
- 1 1/3 cup mixed nuts or seeds; macadamia, almonds, pecans and pumpkin seeds
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 3 cloves garlic
- 2 anchovies optional but amazing, not fishy at all
- 10 fresh sage leaves
- Generous pinch of salt
- 1/4 cup tapioca flour arrowroot, rice, potato or buckwheat flour could also be used
- A few extra sage leaves for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200° C / 395° F.
- Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken with sea salt and stuff the lemon half and sage leaves inside. Tie the legs together (optional, will work just as well if they are not tied).
- Melt coconut oil and rub all over the chicken. Sift through paprika and turmeric over back and front of the chicken and sprinkle liberally with sea salt. These spices will add a lovely yellow/orange colour to the skin. Rub everything in and place the chook in a large baking tray, breast side up.
- Place the tray in the oven, middle shelf, not too close to the grill to prevent burning. Cook for 45 minutes and in the meantime start on the stuffing
- Heat a large frying pan with butter over medium heat. Add bacon and leeks and cook for 4-5 minutes, until softened and lightly golden.
- Place nuts, lemon zest, garlic, anchovies, sage and a little sea salt in a food processor. Process into fine crumbs, for about 20-30 seconds. Then, add the cooked leeks and bacon and process for 5-10 seconds. Add tapioca flour and process for a further 5-10 seconds, until well combined and the mixture starts coming off the sides. Set aside.
- After 45 minutes, take the chicken tray out of the oven. Bathe the chicken with some of the oily juices in the tray and then spread the stuffing mixture around the chicken (see pics). You might have a bit of chicken juice inside the cavity, I recommend to tiIt the chicken slightly to let some of it spill out into the tray to mix with the stuffing. It’s a wonderful thing. Place back in the oven for 30 minutes. Half way through, give the stuffing a little stir so it browns evenly.
- Let the chicken and the stuffing rest out of the oven, covered loosely with foil or a towel, for about 10 minutes before carving. You could also turn the chicken upside down so that the juices rush back to the chicken breast.
- Serve a few pieces of chicken with a side of stuffing on the side.
- Tip: if the chicken breast skin looks like it’s browning too quickly, cover it lovely with a piece of foil to protect it from burning. You can do the same to the legs.
Nutrition
It was great. Thank you
I love this idea, and your stuffing looks amazing! I would have never thought to use nuts and seeds but it looks so perfect!
I am not normally a huge fan of stuffing, but I can not wait to try your inside out paleo version! It sounds so flavorful and packed with yummy flavors.
The turkey looks delicious and I have to try that stuffing! Mmmmm…
Love all the ingredients! Such a pretty dish, it’ll look great on a holiday dinner table.
Thank you!
This was incredible! I love the flavor that the anchovies add! Such a brilliant idea!
The stuffing ingredients are so creative – it really looks like stuffing and those flavors are classic yet so unique with the nuts etc – I bet it tastes amazing!
I love the spices used in this recipe, especially the turmeric and paprika that help give the chicken a golden brown color. Brilliant!
I want to eat all that stuffing!! Yum! Such a fun and unique recipe and beautiful ingredients.
Thanks you, Megan 🙂
Oh my goodness that bird looks so golden delicious! I love this inside out stuffing ideas, too! How neat and clever !
This stuffing!!! Wow! It has the most amazing flavors and fillings – I especially love the bacon, citrus and anchovy flavor added to this, such a brilliant idea! This one is a winner for the holidays or sure.
Thanks Emily! That stuffing is indeed delicious, hope you try it over the holidays.
This is such a perfect holiday meal! We usually have a smaller Thanksgiving at our house since not many people can travel, and this is just what we need since a turkey is a way too big for us.
Wow, that stuffing sounds yummy! I don’t think I’ve had stuffing since cutting out grain.