Fruit fillings are fairly common in Italy, and this apple filling will contribute beautifully to this salt-roasted chicken, making it even moister and more flavorful. To serve 4-6:

See Also

About Salt Roasting and Other Recipes

An Illustrated Recipe for Rost Pork Loin

Another Salt Roasted Chicken Recipe

Ingredients

• A cleaned chicken weighing about 2 2/3 (1.2 k)
• 2 Granny Smith apples
• A thin slice of pancetta, minced
• The grated zest of an organically grown lemon, and the juice too
• 1 tablespoon dry white wine
• About 9 pounds (4 k) coarse grained marine or kosher salt

• Prep Time: 20 minutes
• Cook Time: 90 minutes

• Total Time: 110 minutes

Preparation

Preheat your oven to 480 F (240 C).

Grate the lemon, take a large bowl, and mix the grated zest into the salt.

Flame the chicken to remove stray pinfeathers and down if need be, rinse it inside and out, and pat it dry.

Core and dice the apples, without peeling them, sprinkle them with lemon juice, combine the minced pancetta with them, and stuff the chicken with the resulting mixture. Close the opening to the cavity with a skewer or needle and thread.

Take a casserole deep enough to contain the chicken and put down a layer about 3/4 of an inch (2 cm) thick. Set the chicken on it, and add sufficient salt to cover it to an even depth of 3/4 inch.

Roast the chicken in the oven for 90 minutes, remove it from the oven, crack the salt crust, and remove the chicken, brushing away excess salt.

Cut the chicken into portions and serve it with the stuffing, the vegetable of choice, and a light red wine along the lines of a Bardolino. Yield: 4 servings salt-roasted chicken stuffed with apples.