Butterflied Roast Chicken with Spiced Feta Stuffing

FEATURING MONJAY MEZZA’S MARINATED GOATS FETA

Not much needs to be done to enjoy our products, Break open a packet of your favourite crackers or cut a carrot into batons and dip away. Or simply arrange our delicious finger foods on a platter and watch them crowd around. But the potential of our range is so much more, and we want to prove it. So we've created our very own recipe page to show you the versatility of our products. Dips to marinate or bake with, finger food transformed into main meals - the limit is your imagination.

YIELDS: 4 Servings
COOK TIME: 1hr 30min

Gluten free meals don’t have to be a compromise. There are plenty of amazing dishes that need absolutely no alteration to be gluten free. Case in point: this spectacular roast chicken, stuffed with garlic and feta and spices and general deliciousness. Served with roasted carrots and a simple green salad, you’ll miss nothing.

Don’t be put off by the ‘butterflied’ part of this meal. If you buy your chicken from a butcher, then just ask them to do it for you. But it really is a simple and quick process you can do yourself. Place the chicken on a board with the spine facing up and the tail facing you. Cut down either side of the backbone with a pair of kitchen or poultry shears (or just a sharp knife) until the backbone is removed entirely (freeze it for later use in a stock). Turn the chicken over and press down gently but firmly on the breast until the chicken is flattened, or butterflied.

Butterflying is a great technique to master; it exposes more of the chicken to the source of heat, reducing cooking time. It’s hard to beat butterflied chicken cooked on the barbecue with a squeeze of lime.

Ingredients

2kg chicken
Olive oil

Stuffing

1 tsp cumin seeds
I tsp fennel seeds
4 garlic cloves
½ onion, finely chopped
125g butter, at room temperature
2 tbsp chopped flat leaf parsley
125g Monjay Mezza Marinated Goats Feta
Juice of a lemon

How to Prepare

Preheat oven to 160 degrees.

To begin the stuffing, lightly toast the spices in a dry frying pan until slightly coloured and fragrant, then crush in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of salt. Add the garlic cloves and crush to a paste. Add the onion and give it a bash. Mix the butter and parsley through, followed with MonJay’s creamy fetta and the lemon juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Make sure the chicken comes out of the refrigerator an hour before it’s to go in the oven. Butterfly it (see above for instructions on how to do this). Separate the skin from the meat by sliding your finger in between and gently loosening. A chopstick is also good for this. Take a small handful of the stuffing and slip it under the skin on both legs, a little at a time, and then repeat with the skin over the breasts. Smooth out the stuffing so it covers as much area as possible.

Rub olive oil all over the skin and season generously, then place in a roasting tin and stick in the oven for 45 minutes. Turn the heat up to 180 degrees and given the chicken another 15 minutes to golden up. Take out of the oven, cover with foil and rest for twenty minutes.

When you remove the foil, there should be plenty of juices in the bottom of the tray. Drain these off into a jug, then put the chicken on a board. Remove the legs and cut into thighs and drumsticks, and slice each breast into two. Arrange it all on a serving dish and pour over those lovely juices.

Serve alongside baby carrots that have been tossed in balsamic vinegar and roasted, and a simple green salad.

Monjay Mezza is the home of traditional Middle Eastern Dips, Finger Food and Desserts.

Featured Product

Marinated Goats Feta

Our soft, spreadable goats feta has been marinated in oil with herbs and spices to create a luxurious and versatile cheese perfect for every occasion.

Why not try it in a wrap with our delicious falafels? You’ll find the rich creaminess of the feta a perfect compliment to all our finger foods! It is amazing in salads, the perfect compliment to a mezza plate and adds extra flavour and nutrition to wrap and sandwiches. This product is only available in Victoria.

Learn more about our Goats Feta View our full Cheese range