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Nonna’s rice-stuffed chicken

SERVES 4-6 // PREP TIME 25 MINS // COOK 1 HR 45 MINS (PLUS COOLING, RESTING)

“This dish is a special treat that I make for a family meal for staff at the restaurant, especially after we have a big, eventful week.”

“I hold this dish very close to my heart. It has a certain nostalgia about it that doesn’t just remind me of family, but transports me to moments that have helped shape my career and my love affair with everything that is food, especially the rustic rawness of Sicilian cuisine. It would be a very special occasion where this roasted bird would hit a family gathering, perhaps Christmas, a christening or even just a wog barbecue where my nonna wanted to treat the family with something other than her famous impanata Siciliana, or crisp yet soft Sicilian doughnuts known as Sfinci di San Giuseppe.

“Me being the ‘golden child’ – the first male grandson and with the biggest appetite – I would always get first go at the bird and Nonna would always be eagerly awaiting my response as I devoured the crunchy rice bits that stuck to the side of the baking tray. Most times, only one bird would be cooked and there would be pushing and shoving to get a piece of chook (or sometimes turkey). I always thought it was my nonna’s way of making us bond as we discussed the oily goodness. Now this dish is a special treat that I make for a family meal for staff at the restaurant, especially after we have a big, eventful week.”

1.8 kg chicken
100 ml olive oil
1 cup each coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley, rosemary and sage
Juice of 2 lemons
5 roasting potatoes (such as sebago or King Edward), quartered

RICE STUFFING

60 ml (1/4 cup) olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
300 gm (1½ cups) vialone nano rice or good-quality short-grain risotto rice
600 ml chicken stock
80 gm (1 cup) Parmigiano-Reggiano or Grana Padano, finely grated
50 gm (½ cup) fine breadcrumbs
1 egg
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp each finely chopped oregano and flat-leaf parsley

For rice stuffing, heat oil in a casserole over low-medium heat. Add onion and garlic and stir until translucent and aromatic (4-6 minutes). Add rice and stir (1 minute), then add chicken stock and cook, stirring continuously, until rice has absorbed the liquid and is al dente (6-8