Stuffed Christmas Chicken

This is another backlog post!  I bake this Chicken for Christmas Eve last year.  This is not the first time I cook this dish, and with my table top Convention Oven, I prefer to use chicken instead of turkey.  This recipe is a keeper!

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken (cleaned and wiped dry)
25g butter (melted for basting)

Seasoning for chicken: (Mix together in a small bowl)
1/2 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
1 tsp salt
1 tsp Lea & Perrins sauce

Filling:
1 tbsp cooking oil
1 tbsp butter
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped big onion
5 fresh chestnuts, shelled and diced
50g carrot, diced
1 small potato, peeled and diced
5 pieces button mushrooms, diced
1 slice day-old white bread, crust removed and diced
1 egg, beaten

Seasoning for filling:
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1 tsp sugar
Dash of ground black pepper

Glaze for chicken: (combine)
1/2 cup water
2 tbsp vinegar
2 tbsp maltose

Methods:

1. Rub chicken inside and out with combined seasoning ingredients.  Place the chicken standing on a bottle over a round container and place in the fridge to dry overnight.
2. Parboil potatoes and chestnuts until tender.  Simmer carrots in boiling water until soft.  Drain and set aside for later use.
3. Saute garlic and onions in melted butter and cooking oil until fragrant.  Add button mushrooms, cooked chestnuts, potatoes and carrots.  Mix in seasoning and stir-fry well.  Dish out to cool slightly.
4. Add bread and beaten egg, Mix well.
5. Stuff filling into cavity of chicken. (Do not over pack the chicken with filling or the skin will burst during cooking).  Secure the openings with wooden skewers or satay sticks.
6. Bring the combined glaze ingredients to a low boil for 5 to 10 minutes.  Leave aside to cool completely.  Brush chicken evenly with cooled glaze mixture.
7. Place chicken on a baking tray, breast side down, brush lightly with melted butter and  bake in a preheated oven of 190 degree Celsius for 30 to 35 minutes.
8. Turn the chicken breast side up.  Brush with glaze and bake for 10 minutes.  Brush chicken with melted butter and glaze, then continue to bake for a further 50 to 60 minutes or until cooked through.
9. To test if the chicken is cooked, pierce a skewer at the thickest part of the chicken, the juice will run clear and not pink.
10. Cut open the chicken and let's enjoy this 'Stuffed Christmas Chicken'....

This recipe is adapted from Amy Beh with slight amendments to suit my cooking.