Imperial Christmas Chicken

Born, raised, and slaughtered in Italy. Celebrate with AIA and cook the Imperial like this:

Roasted Imperial Christmas Chicken

Prep time: 3 hours and 30 minutes
Ingredients:

- 1 Imperial Christmas Chicken AIA
- 200g dried chestnuts
- 200g apple
- 150g dried prunes
- 100g veal mince
- 60g walnut kernels
- 30g streaky bacon 
- 2 slices of bread soaked in milk
- Sage
- Rosemary
- Bay leaf
- Nutmeg
- Marsala
- White wine
- Olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper

Preparation

Soak the chestnuts for 12 hours, then boil them in lightly salted water flavored with the bay leaf. Drain and chop them. At the same time, soak the prunes in lukewarm water. 

Prepare the stuffing: in a bowl with the chestnuts add the finely ground veal mince, the pitted and chopped prunes, and the thinly sliced apple.

Add also the chopped walnut kernels, then the bacon (also chopped), together with the well-squeezed bread slices. Salt and pepper the mixture, and flavor it with one third of a glass of Marsala and a little nutmeg.

Mix everything well to obtain a homogeneous filling to stuff the Imperial. Sew the openings shut with white thread and place it in a roasting pan. Season the Imperial also on the outside and flavor it with rosemary and sage; drizzle with a little oil and roast in an oven preheated to 190°C for about two hours and 30 minutes, basting during cooking with its own juices and a glass of wine. 

When ready, remove the sewing threads and serve hot with roasted potatoes. The gravy should be served separately, hot, collected in a gravy boat.