This stuffed chicken recipe just can’t be beat. The carrots and paprika in the stuffing lend it a beautiful orange color, making for a lovely presentation and a delicious meal!

Guys, you are in for a real treat today. This chicken is something else. (What else? I’m not sure. But something.) 

No, but seriously here. This whole, roasted, stuffed chicken is one of the best chicken recipes out there. My mother would make it sometimes when I was a kid, and it was always my favorite dinner. (Thanks, Ma!) 

So of course, I had to get the recipe from her to make for my own family.

Her recipe was along the lines of “add paprika till it’s a red color, then add a generous amount of garlic powder and pepper….” Make no mistake, I am fine with that kind of recipe. I made it and it came out great, no problems whatsoever.

Problem is, I can’t exactly post a recipe like that on my blog. “Ok guys, just dump some oil and flour into the bowl, not too much, and mix it till it looks right.” Somehow, I don’t think that would go over very well… 

So I actually measured it out this time. It was quite a trip. I was adding flour a half cup at a time, and then oil a few tablespoons at a time, till I got the stuffing to where it needed to be. (Where did it need to be? Inside the chicken, and then inside my belly…)

But before we get down to the hard-earned details of the recipe, let’s discuss some questions you may have.

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Common Stuffed Chicken Questions

Is it safe to stuff a whole chicken?

Yes! All the dire warnings about stuffing are really about turkey. Turkeys are huge, and have a huge amount of stuffing that absorbs its uncooked juices. It takes a really long time for the heat to reach the inside of the stuffed turkey to cook it, and in that time, bacteria can grow.

Fortunately, chickens are a different story. They are small enough that the chicken + stuffing can still cook in a safe amount of time. But still, in order to be extra safe, don’t actually stuff the chicken till right before baking in order to minimize bacteria growth.

And if you want to be extra extra safe, check that the internal temperature of the stuffing is 165F with a meat thermometer.

Don’t have a meat thermometer? Get one from Amazon here!

How long do you cook a stuffed chicken?

This really depends on the size of your chicken, with larger chickens needed to be cooked for longer. I generally cook my fairly-average-sized chickens for around 2 1/2 to 3 hours.

Here is a handy-dandy chart I found that lays out chicken cooking times really clearly.

How do you make stuffing?

Most traditional stuffing recipes seem to call for cubed bread, and eggs, and herbs. Guess what? This stuffing recipe uses none of that stuff! My chicken stuffing (or rather, my mother’s chicken stuffing) is made of grated carrot and onion, flour, oil, and spices.

Wait, I need to grate vegetables for this recipe?

Technically, yes. In reality, no.

And why is that, you may ask?

Because you can grate the carrots and onion using a spiralizer, using the same method I used for my spiralizer potato latkes! Simply make one or two horizontal cuts down the length of the carrot before spiralizing, and it will fall out of the spiralizer in neat little half-curls, perfect for making into stuffing.

Need a spiralizer? Get one here!

Okay, now let’s get down to the good stuff:

Stuffed Chicken Recipe

First, make the stuffing.

Spiralize or grate a couple of carrots and an onion. Add paprika, salt, pepper, garlic powder, flour, and oil. Mix well.

Next, prepare the chicken

Slice a small onion into rings and scatter it into your baking pan. Add a few tablespoons of water, and then place your whole chicken on top. Sprinkle it generously with a mixture of paprika, garlic, and pepper.

Then, stuff the chicken

Exactly like it sounds. Fill the inside of the chicken cavity with the stuffing mixture. If the stuffing doesn’t all fit, mound it up outside the chicken or form it into logs and place alongside the chicken.

Last, bake!

Bake the chicken until it is cooked through.

Continue to Content

Stuffed Chicken

Yield: serves 4

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours 30 minutes

Total Time: 3 hours

This stuffed chicken recipe just can't be beat. The carrots and paprika in the stuffing lend it a beautiful orange color, making for a lovely presentation and a delicious meal!

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Ingredients

For the Stuffing

• 2 large carrots, grated or spiralized
• 1 large onion, grated or spiralized
• 1/2 tsp each pepper, garlic powder, and salt
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 3/4 cup flour
• 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp oil

For the Chicken

• 1 medium whole chicken
• 1 small onion, sliced in rings
• 1 tsp each paprika, pepper, and garlic powder

Instructions

First, make the stuffing:

Grate or spiralize the carrots and onion. Place them in a mixing bowl and add spices, flour, and oil. Mix well and set aside.

Then, prepare the chicken:

Mix the paprika, pepper, and garlic powder in a small bowl and set aside.

Slice a small onion in rings and place over the bottom of a baking pan. Add a few tablespoons of water, and then place the whole chicken on top. Sprinkle the mixed spices generously over the chicken. If you have enough, rub some of the spices on the inside of the chicken cavity as well.

Stuff all the stuffing into the chicken cavity.

Cover with aluminum foil, and bake at 350F/180C for 2 hours. Uncover and cook for an additional hour.

Notes

Cooking time may vary depending on the size of your chicken. Always check that chicken is fully cooked before eating, either with a meat thermometer or by checking if the juices run clear.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 658Total Fat: 28gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 132mgSodium: 286mgCarbohydrates: 51gFiber: 4gSugar: 3gProtein: 48g

Nutrition information was provided by a third-party nutrition calculator.

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