ROAST CHICKEN (Japanese Style)

Ingredients

• 1 whole whole young, tender chicken (with giblets and feet) (Choose the youngest, most tender chicken available. Ask your butcher to include the giblets (liver, heart, gizzard) and feet. A bird around 1.5–2 kg works well.)
• 1 cup rice (Use white long-grain or short-grain rice. It will be cooked dry in chicken gravy to make the stuffing.)
• 2 cups chicken gravy (Use store-bought chicken stock or gravy as your liquid for cooking the rice stuffing. Reserve additional stock from boiling the giblets and feet to make the final serving gravy.)
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (Peel and chop finely before adding to the stuffing.)
• 1 pinch mixed spices (Use a pinch of a pre-blended mixed spice powder (such as Chinese five-spice or allspice blend), as called for in the original recipe.)
• 1 teaspoon salt (Use to season the stuffing. Add more to taste when seasoning the chicken skin before roasting.)
• 0.5 teaspoon black pepper (Freshly ground black pepper preferred. Used to season the stuffing.)
• 1 dash cayenne pepper (Just a small pinch or dash — this adds a gentle heat to the stuffing without overpowering it.)
• 4 medium sweet potatoes (Scrub clean. They will be roasted whole or halved alongside or underneath the chicken.)

Instructions

1. 1Remove any packaging and take out the giblets (liver, heart, gizzard) and feet from the cavity of the chicken — set these aside. To clean the chicken, rinse it inside and out under cold running water, then pat completely dry with paper towels. To singe the chicken (removing any fine pin-feathers or hairs left on the skin), carefully hold the chicken over a low gas flame or use a kitchen blowtorch and pass it quickly over the surface of the skin. This takes only a few seconds per area — you are not cooking it, just burning off the fine hairs. Pat dry again afterwards.
2. 2Place the chicken feet into a small saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 10–15 minutes, until the outer scaly skin loosens and begins to peel away. Use tongs to remove the feet, and peel or scrape off the scabs and outer skin layer — this is normal for the era and cleans the feet thoroughly. Return the cleaned feet to the pot along with the giblets (liver, heart, gizzard). Cover with fresh cold water (about 3–4 cups), bring to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer slowly for 45 minutes to 1 hour. This creates your giblet stock and tenderises the giblets. Do not let it boil rapidly. Season lightly with salt. Set aside — you will use both the stock and the cooked giblets later.
3. 3Pour 2 cups of chicken gravy (or chicken stock) into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of rice, stir once, then reduce the heat to the lowest setting. Cover tightly with a lid and cook for 15–18 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed and the rice is fully cooked but dry — not mushy. Remove from heat and let it sit covered for 5 minutes. Then fluff the rice with a fork and stir through the finely chopped onion, the pinch of mixed spices, salt and pepper to taste, and a dash of cayenne. Mix well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Allow the stuffing to cool slightly before filling the chicken.
4. 4Preheat your oven to 190°C (375°F / Gas Mark 5). Spoon the cooled rice stuffing into the body cavity of the chicken, filling it firmly but not too tightly — the rice expands slightly during roasting. Do not overfill, as this can prevent even cooking. Once stuffed, close the cavity by sewing it shut using a large needle and kitchen twine (trussing string). If you do not have a needle, you can secure the opening tightly with 2–3 metal or wooden skewers threaded through the skin flaps and lace kitchen twine around them. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips underneath the body.
5. 5Place the stuffed chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan. Scrub the sweet potatoes clean and place them whole around the chicken in the same pan. Place the pan in the preheated oven at 190°C (375°F / Gas Mark 5). Roast for 1 hour to 1 hour 30 minutes, depending on the size and age of the chicken. A young, tender chicken of about 1.5 kg will typically take around 1 hour; a larger or older bird may need up to 1 hour 30 minutes. The chicken is done when the juices run clear when you pierce the thigh at its thickest point with a skewer, and no pink remains. The sweet potatoes are done when a knife slides through them easily. If the skin browns too quickly, loosely tent with foil.
6. 6While the chicken is in its final 15 minutes of roasting, prepare the giblet gravy. Remove the cooked giblets from the stock with a slotted spoon and place them on a cutting board. Chop the giblets finely — as small as you can manage, around 3–5 mm pieces. Strain the giblet stock through a fine sieve into a clean saucepan to remove any solids. Bring the strained stock to a gentle simmer over medium heat. Add the finely chopped giblets back into the stock. Simmer for 5–10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy reduces slightly and the flavour concentrates. Season with salt and pepper to taste. If you prefer a thicker gravy, you can whisk 1 teaspoon of flour into a small amount of cold water until smooth, then stir it into the simmering gravy and cook for 2–3 more minutes — however, thickening was not specified in the original recipe, so this is optional.
7. 7Remove the chicken from the oven and transfer it to a serving platter or board. Allow it to rest for 10 minutes before carving — this lets the juices redistribute and keeps the meat moist. Remove and discard the trussing string or skewers. Scoop the rice stuffing out of the cavity and place it in a serving bowl. Carve the chicken and arrange it on the platter. Place the roasted sweet potatoes alongside. Pour the warm giblet gravy into a jug or gravy boat and serve at the table for guests to pour over as desired.