Shredded Potato & Herb Stuffed Chicken
Add to CollectionA whole roast chicken offers a wide variety of meal options and cooking techniques. Shredded Potato & Herb Stuffed Chicken takes whole potatoes, shredded and then browned in olive oil, butter, herbs, and seasonings and then stuffed carefully under the skin of a whole chicken which keeps the chicken breast meat from drying out. This recipe seriously knocks it out of the park when it comes to a super juicy whole bird and shredded potatoes that are stuffed full of flavor!
Equipment
- Box grater
- Cheesecloth
- Cast-iron skillet, large
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 lb grated golden (or Yukon Gold) potatoes , shredded with a box grater - then measure out to 1 lb
- 1 medium white onion , diced
- 2½ tsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 2 cloves fresh garlic , minced (or substitute with 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh rosemary
- 2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tsp chopped fresh parsley
- 4-5 lb roasting chicken
- 2½ tbsp olive oil , to rub over the top of the chicken skin
- additional salt and pepper to season the top of the chicken, as desired
Instructions
- Move one rack to the upper third section of the oven (ensure you have enough room for your whole chicken and pan) and then preheat the oven to 400° F. If using a grill, heat to 400° F.
- Grate the potatoes into hash brown size. Wrap in cheesecloth and squeeze to wring out the water in the potatoes. Transfer to a paper towel.
- Heat olive oil over medium-high heat in a large cast iron skillet. Add onions and cook until softened. Add the butter to skillet with the onions over medium heat. Drop in the hash brown potatoes and season with kosher salt, black pepper, chopped rosemary, parsley, and thyme. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Add minced garlic and stir in for about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove the potatoes and onions quickly and transfer to a plate to cool.
- Place the whole chicken on a clean work surface. Starting near the tail end of the bird, breast side up, gently loosen the skin from the meat with your fingers. Be careful not to puncture the skin (but it's ok if you do). Continue to move your fingers under the skin of the breast to release it. Rotate the bird so that the neck is facing you and do the same thing under the neck to the breasts.
- Using your fingers, carefully stuff the potato mixture under the skin starting at the neck to the breasts and then from the tail to the breasts. Gently press down on top the the skin to flatten out the potatoes a bit. RECIPE NOTE: You may be tempted to fill the inside of the chicken with any leftover potatoes you have that don't fit under the skin but just leave it empty. This will allow the heat to fill within the cavity of the chicken for an even and slow cook that only takes about an hour for the entire bird.
- Brush or rub (with your clean hands) olive oil over the chicken; season with kosher salt and black pepper to your preferred liking.
- Heat the cast-iron skillet over medium heat and carefully place the whole chicken in the pan breast-side down. Allow it to brown for about 3 to 4 minutes. Gently turn the chicken over so the browned chicken breasts are facing up.
- Transfer the cast-iron skillet to the preheated oven (or grill) and cook for an hour (or longer) or until the internal temperature reaches 160° to 165°. Test the internal temperature of the chicken using a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching a bone. The time to reach this temperature will depend on the size of the bird. Cool for about 10 minutes prior to cutting and serving.
Notes
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