Recipe

Happy Day Chicken

This roasted chicken, which is infused with the flavours of cranberry, mustard, honey, and sage-scented bread stuffing, makes a wonderful holiday bird. As our contributor writes: "The stuffing becomes glorious, glowing shade of golden brown and produces a crust that has become a family favourite. We usually bid on it by offering to scrub the pots or shovel the drive."

"For a number of years, I lived with my sister Leah in Moosonee, a Swampy Cree village in northwestern Ontario. Many of the foods we were accustomed to were not readily available, but Leah learned traditional recipes from the Cree women, and these inspired her to create Happy Day Chicken. A neighbour supplied us with cranberries from the Saugeen Reserve, and Leah grew her own garlic.

Living in that tiny village was an invaluable experience, and learning the language and stories of the Cree enriched my life. Canada is filled with beauty and diversity. I feel very privileged to be able to share this little bit of my happy past (and present) with friends and family by re-creating Happy Day Chicken."
Clara Sheffe, Toronto, Ontario

Ingredients

1 roasting chicken
1 tsp  (5 mL)  dry mustard
3/4 cups  (175 mL)  honey
3/4 cups  (175 mL)  crushed fresh cranberries
6 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 cups  (500 mL)  bread crumbs
1/2 tsp  (2 mL)  ground sage
2 tbsp  (25 mL)  dried parsley flakes
2 celery ribs, finely chopped
salt and pepper
3 tbsp  (40 mL)  thawed orange juice concentrate
2 cups  (500 mL)  whole fresh cranberries
3 tbsp  (40 mL)  melted butter
2 large onions, peeled and coarsely chopped
4 cloves garlic, whole
1 cup  (250 mL)  orange juice

Preparation

Rinse chicken in cold water, and pat dry. Set aside.

In a small bowl, combine dry mustard and honey, and stir until well blended. Set aside to allow flavours to ripen.

Place crushed cranberries in a bowl, and stir in garlic. Gently work the cranberry mixture under the skin of the chicken until there is a thin layer throughout.

Place chopped onion in a large bowl, add bread crumbs, sage, parsley and celery. Season with salt and pepper, and mix. Moisten with orange juice concentrate until stuffing is moist but not wet.

Lightly salt the bird's cavity, and insert half the stuffing. Place eight whole cranberries on top of stuffing, and continue to fill the chicken so that cranberries are nested in the centre. Close the bird.

Brush the cavity opening and the protruding stuffing with melted butter. Brush the skin (but not the stuffing) with the honey-mustard glaze.

Preheat oven to 325F (160C).

Place coarsely chopped onions, whole garlic and remaining whole cranberries in bottom of pan. Pour in orange juice. Cover, and roast according to size and weight of bird. Check liquid level occasionally, and add extra orange juice if needed. Remove cover for last 10 minutes of roasting.

Remove bird from roasting pan, and let stand, covered, for 20 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, pour drippings into a tempered-glass bowl or measuring cup, and cool in freezer for 10 minutes. Remove surface fat, and transfer drippings to a saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then pour into a gravy boat or serving dish.

Happy Day Chicken
Serving(s)
6 to 10
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Source

Excerpted from The Great Canadian Feast edited by Laurel Aziz copyright 2002 by Key Porter Books. Excerpted, with permission by Key Porter Books. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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Happy Day Chicken

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Your Reviews

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  • Mike Lajoie wrote:

    Nov 08, 2007

    2009-09-22 10:47 AM

    Sounds very good that will be my next meal.
  • Dianne wrote:

    Jul 24, 2008

    2009-09-22 10:52 AM

    It sounds wonderful! I'm going to save this recipe for Thanksgiving this year! It will be quite a treat from my usual sage & onion dressing!
  • Deb Ferguson wrote:

    Nov 08, 2007

    2009-11-18 3:00 PM

    VERY very yummy . . . I love this. Now, when someone is down i make Happy day chicken to cheer them up . . . it really works! I serve it with glazed baby carrots and mashed taters!
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