Whole Roasted Chicken

Ingredients:

• 1 medium sized whole chicken (about 2 lb)
• 1.5 tbsp red chili powder (or substitute with cayenne pepper)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• For the stuffing:
• 20-30 whole peeled chestnuts (see note)
• 2 cups shallots thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp minced garlic
• 1/2 cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tbsp thyme
• salt to taste

For the gravy:

• 1/2 cup diced onions
• 1/2 cup diced tomatoes
• 1/4 tsp ginger paste
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1 cup hot water

Method:

• Clean and dry the chicken, remove as much skin as you can without breaking the chicken. Make a paste of the chili powder, salt and vinegar and apply liberally on the chicken inside and out. Marinate in the refrigerator for about 3 hours or more.
• Place a large roasting pan or a large oven-proof pan on the stove, heat 1 tbsp oil, and brown the chicken on all sides. Remove the chicken from the pan and keep aside.
• Add more oil to the pan if necessary, and add the whole peeled chestnuts. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the shallots, garlic and bay leaves to the pan and mix well.
• Add the chili powder and salt and saute for about three minutes. Add the white wine and thyme and cook till the wine is reduced down to a glaze. Remove from the heat.
• Stuff the chicken with the chestnut mixture, and tie the legs with a kitchen twine to secure the stuffing.
• Pre-heat the oven to 425F.
• In the meantime, prepare the gravy. Add a little more oil to the pan, if needed, and add the diced onions and saute till onions are soft. Add the red chili powder and coriander powder and saute till the spices start to brown. Add the ginger paste and saute a bit more.
• Now add the diced tomatoes, mix well and cook till the tomato pieces are cooked. Add the hot water and salt and boil till the gravy is medium thick.
• Place the stuffed chicken back into the pan, and pour some gravy over the chicken with a spoon, if it is too thick, rub some over the chicken with the back of the spoon.
• Roast the chicken for 20 minutes breast side down. Keep some hot water ready. Turn the chicken over, baste with the juices from the pan (if the juices have dried out, add some hot water to the pan.) and roast for an additional 40 minutes, basting the chicken every 15 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and let it cool a bit. Untie the chicken and scoop out the chestnut stuffing into a bowl. Cut the chicken into eight pieces and serve with the chestnuts and lemon wedges on the side.
• Note: It is really tough to peel the fresh chestnuts, because the inner skin sticks to the nuts when raw. Make a small opening on the skin with a sharp knife, and cook the chestnuts in the microwave on high for 3 minutes. Let it cool a bit, not completely, the skin will come off easily when hot.