Giving Chicken A Spicy Pineapple Kick

Sweet and spicy are always a winner and go so well with chicken.  We decided to spice up our Sunday roast with a curried pineapple stuffing.  Chickens tend to be rather thick-skinned, and flavours don’t penetrate the skin, so we loosened the membrane beneath the skin and popped our stuffing right under the skin. 

We filled the cavity with leftover stuffing and lemon quarters.  We kept the skin clean, and a simple layer of olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper made up the flavouring.  Into the kettle went our bird for 75 minutes, and voilà: we carved a beautiful, crispy chicken with a spicy pineapple flavour for our luncheon.  Served with roasted butternut and a fresh garden salad.  Do give this recipe a go; it's perfect for winter days and just the right dish for hot, summer days on the veranda.

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Roast Chicken Stuffed with Pineapple

1. Melt the butter in a pan, then sauté the onion, adding the garlic and ginger. When the onion is translucent, add the spices. 
2. Stir-fry for a minute until the spices have developed their flavour. 
3. Add the apricot jam, then the grated pineapple. 
4. Cool down completely.
5. Carefully separate the skin from the flesh and stuff as much of the chicken with the stuffing. 
6. Try to keep the skin clean on the outside (it’s difficult)
7. Wipe the skin, fill the cavity with the leftover stuffing and close the cavity with the lemon quarters.  
8. Truss the chicken with butcher’s string to close the cavity.
9. Wipe the skin, massage a generous dollop of olive oil over it, and season with salt and pepper.
10. Pop into the Weber or oven (170C) for 75 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through.

Bon Appétit, amigo.