Wild Rice & Herbs Stuffed Roaster Chicken

• lbs whole roasting chickens5
• kosher salt↗
• fresh ground black pepper↗
• olive oil↗
• (6 ounce) package long grain and wild rice blend↗1
• cups fresh white button mushrooms, sliced↗3
• medium green apples, cored and chopped↗2
• cup fresh carrot, shredded↗1
• cup green onion, sliced thin↗3⁄4
• cup celery, coarsley chopped↗1⁄2
• egg, beaten↗1
• cup milk↗1⁄4
• 1/4 teaspoon each
• onion powder, paprika, dried rosemary, dried sage↗
• tablespoons apple jelly, melted↗4
• apple, wedges (Garnish)↗

Step-by-step instructions

1. 1

   Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2. 2

   Remove giblets from roaster; thoroughly rinse it and pat dry with paper towels. Season the cavity with salt and pepper, pour in a spoonful of olive oil; set roaster aside.

3. 3

   To prepare the stuffing, cook the rice according to the package directions, EXCEPT add the mushrooms, apples, carrots, green onions, and celery to the rice before cooking. Once cooked, stir in enough egg and milk to moisten the stuffing.

4. 4

   To stuff the chicken, spoon some of the stuffing loosely into the neck cavity. Pull the neck skin to the back; fasten with a small skewer. Next, lightly spoon the remaining stuffing into the body cavity. Tuck the drumsticks under the band of skin that crosses the tail. (If there is no band, tie the drumsticks to the tail.) Twist the wing tips under the chicken.

5. 5

   Rub the roaster's skin with olive oil, onion powder, paprika, rosemary, and sage.

6. 6

   Place the stuffed chicken, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Fill the pan with about a 1/4-inch of water, and cover.

7. 7

   For the first 15 to 20 minutes cook at 400 degrees F -- This will sear in the juices and keep the chicken from getting rubbery.

8. 8

   Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F and roast for about 1 1/2 hours; baste often with the juices from the bottom of the pan. Roast until the meat thermometer registers 175 degrees F. At this time the chicken should no longer be pink and the drumsticks should move easily back and forth.

9. 9

   Now that the chicken is two-thirds done roasting, uncover it and cut the band of skin/string between the drumsticks so that the thighs will cook evenly. Brush the the skin with the melted apple jelly once or twice during the last 15 minutes of roasting.

10. 10

    Remove the chicken from the oven; cover with foil. Let stand for 10 to 20 minutes before carving.

11. 11

    To serve, transfer the roaster to a warm serving plater; spoon some of the stuffing around it and garnish with apple wedges.