Scottish-Style Roast Chicken (Howtowdie)
Traditional Scottish roast chicken with oat stuffing.
Ingredients
- Stuffing:
- 1 onion
- 1/4 C margarine
- 1 C oats
- 1/2 t salt
- 1/2 t coriander
- 1/4 t pepper
- 1/8 t nutmeg
- Chicken:
- 3 to 4 lb chicken
- 6 onions, halved
- 1/4 C margarine
- MODERN KITCHEN NOTES — no additional ingredients required
Instructions
- Make oat stuffing in skillet.
- Stuff chicken and roast at 375°F with onions, basting occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.
- MODERN KITCHEN NOTES (2026 addition; not part of the original cookbook): The steps below expand the brief historical directions.
- For the oat stuffing, finely chop the single onion listed under Stuffing. Melt the 1/4 cup margarine for stuffing in a skillet over medium heat; cook the chopped onion until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Stir in the oats, 1/2 teaspoon salt, coriander, pepper and nutmeg. Cook, stirring, until evenly coated and lightly toasted, about 3–5 minutes. Let the stuffing cool before handling the chicken.
- Heat oven to 375°F. Remove any giblets from the chicken; pat it dry. Spoon the prepared stuffing loosely into the cavity just before roasting; do not pack it tightly.
- Put the chicken breast-side up in a roasting pan with the six halved onions. Melt the remaining 1/4 cup margarine and brush it over the chicken. Roast, basting occasionally, starting to check doneness before the original estimated 1 1/2 hours.
- Check with an instant-read food thermometer: the thickest parts of the breast and thigh must reach at least 165°F, and the center of the stuffing must also reach 165°F. If the chicken is done before the stuffing, remove the stuffing to a baking dish and continue cooking until it reaches 165°F.
- Rest the chicken before carving. Serve with the cooked onions and stuffing. Modern option: cook stuffing separately in a covered, buttered baking dish, uncovering near the end to toast the top, and check that it is heated throughout.