Roasted Free Range Irish Chicken
Bone out the chicken if roasting flat (optional). Season with salt and freshly ground pepper. Pre-heat the oven to 200 °C / 400 °F/ Gas 6. Roast in the oven for about 50 minutes. Cover the chicken with tin foil for first 45 minutes, reduce the temperature if the chicken is getting too brown. To check if the chicken is cooked – pierce with a skewer at the leg thigh or at the thickest area of the breast - the juices should run clear.
Chicken Gravy
Spoon off the fat from the roasting pan. De-glaze the pan juices with the fat free stock. Using a whisk, stir and scrape well to dissolve the caramelized meat juices from the roasting pan. Add the red wine (optional) and boil well. Season and add the red currant jelly.Thicken with a little roux or corn flour if you like. Add herbs and season further if required.
Cranberry Sauce
Put the fresh cranberries in a heavy-based stainless steel saucepan with the water (reduce the water quantity slightly if the cranberries are frozen) – don’t add the sugar yet as it tends to toughen the skins. Bring them to the boil. Cover and simmer until the cranberries pop and soften – about 7 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the sugar until dissolved. Adjust sweetness eventually to your own taste.
Bread Stuffing
Sweat the onion gently in the butter until soft and translucent. Remove from the heat, then stir in the crumbs, herbs and a little salt and pepper to taste. Allow it to cool until needed.Place in a tin-foil covered dish and heat gently in oven with the chicken for the last 15 minutes.
Grandma O’Connell’s Bread Sauce
Put all the ingredients except the cream into a small, deep saucepan and bring to the boil. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and simmer gently on a very low heat or cook in a low oven 160 °C/325°F/Gas 3 for 30 minutes. Remove the onion and add the cream just before serving. Ideally, the onion should have become soft to the touch – at which stage all the flavour has been imparted to the milk. Correct the seasoning and add a little more milk if the sauce is too thick. Finally, add the Marjoram about 10 minutes before service. Serve hot.