Cherry roast chicken with sage-advice-from-mum

• 2kg Steggles Family Roast Chicken
• tablespoon olive oil, plus extra to drizzle
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery sticks, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 200g rindless streaky bacon rashers, finely chopped
• 2 cups fresh sourdough breadcrumbs
• 2 teaspoons finely chopped sage
• ½ cup cherry jam
• 400g can black stoneless cherries

1. Heat oil in a frying pan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 3 minutes, until soft.
2. Add bacon and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Cool slightly. Add breadcrumbs and sage. Season with salt and pepper. Mix to combine the stuffing.
3. Preheat oven to 200°C/180°C fan forced. Fill chicken cavity with stuffing and secure with toothpicks.
4. Tie drumsticks together with kitchen string. Rub 2 tablespoons of the jam over the skin.
5. Place chicken in a large baking dish. Drizzle with oil and cover loosely with foil. Roast in oven for 1 hour and 30 minutes.
6. Remove foil and brush with remaining jam. Bake for a further 30 minutes or until golden brown and cooked through (juices run clear when tested with a skewer).
7. Transfer chicken to a heatproof plate to rest for 5 minutes.
8. While chicken is resting, strain cooking juices into a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add canned cherries and bring to the boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer for 5 minutes or until reduced slightly.
9. Serve chicken with stuffing and sauce.

NOTE: If you don’t have much in the way of cooking juices, add ¾ cup of water to the saucepan with the cherries.