British · Authentic-ish British
Roast Chicken with Stuffing
1008 kcal a serving, against 1171 for the traditional version. That is 163 kcal off, or 14%, with 76.1g of protein. Serves 4. 1 hour 45 minutes.
What the traditional version is
The classic goes like this: a whole chicken, skin rubbed and packed with butter, salt and pepper. Inside goes a stuffing made with sausagemeat, breadcrumbs, onion, herbs and sometimes even more butter. The lot goes in the oven until the skin is deep brown, the stuffing bubbling with chicken fat, and the juices run clear. Carve, serve with roast potatoes and any green vegetable.
What changed, and what each change costs
Sausagemeat stuffing to chicken mince stuffing
Sausagemeat is pure pork fat and protein, and nearly half of it's fat if you're buying the usual stuff. Swapping it for lean chicken mince keeps the stuffing meaty but ditches most of the grease. It's a bit more like a chicken meatball, so let's not pretend it soaks up as much flavour.
What it costs you. Stuffing made with chicken mince can't match the juicy richness of pork. The traditional grey puddle is gone - this stuffing is firmer, tastes lighter, and will never make you want three helpings. If that's a win or a loss is up to you.
Butter on skin left out
Butter bastes the skin and makes it brown and crisp, but it also runs straight into the baking tray. Skipping it saves a shocking amount of fat, though some of the glamour goes out the window with it.
What it costs you. You will not get the same gleaming, crisp skin. If you find yourself apologising for its patchiness, you're in good company.
Stuffing baked separately
Stuffing inside the bird soaks up fat and keeps the middle moist, but also means you're eating every last drop. Bake it on the side and you skip half the chicken fat - plus you don't have to time the bird for the sake of the stuffing.
What it costs you. The edge bits go crunchier, but you lose that steamy, saturated centre. Some might say that's for the best, but if you miss wet stuffing, you're not alone.
Whole milk to semi-skimmed in the stuffing
A tiny change, but in a dish that's full of small moves, it's another thumb on the scale.
What it costs you. Nothing on the flavour: what came out was water and spent fat. You lose the gloss, so it looks paler.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 1171 | 1008 |
| Protein | 74.2g | 76.1g |
| Fat | 87.9g | 70.9g |
| Saturated fat | 28g | 19.4g |
| Carbohydrate | 17.1g | 12.3g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 6.3g | 7.5g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish British prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, milk.
The method is in the book
This version gets you most of the pleasure of a roast chicken lunch, minus the need for a nap and a new wardrobe. The skin won't win any beauty contests and nobody's swooning over the stuffing, but you still get gravy from the pan and enough chicken on your plate to feel like Sunday. The original has a sort of rich, sticky stuffing that's part pudding, part meat, and all nostalgia. Using chicken mince is the second change you notice (the first is staring at the skin), and it does dry out faster. But you won't be left wishing you'd just cooked plain chicken breasts, and the whole meal tastes like itself - just not quite as extravagant.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish British, along with 57 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.