Good Times Roasted Garlic Chicken with Mushroom and Black Olive Stuffing

MAKES 6 SERVINGS

Ingredients:
• 2 cups toasted whole-wheat or bran bread, cubed
• ½ cup black olives, diced
• ½ cup mushrooms, chopped
• ½ cup onion, diced
• ¼ cup celery, diced with leaves
• ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon thyme
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon black pepper
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted

Baste:
2 cloves of minced garlic mixed with 2 tablespoons melted butter or margarine

Chicken and Vegetable:
• 1 whole chicken, about 5 to 6 pounds
• 6 small red potatoes, rinsed, with skins on
• 6 to 8 carrots, rinsed and halved

Preparation:
Stir all the stuffing ingredients together. Spoon the stuffing into the cavity of the cleaned roasting chicken and pin the body cavity shut. Enclose any remaining stuffing in tin foil and place it inside the roasting pan with the chicken. Add ½ cup water to the pan.

Arrange the potatoes and carrots around the chicken. Brush the basting sauce over the outside of the chicken, potatoes, and carrots. Bake at 375° according to weight (about 1½ hours). Repeat basting of the chicken with drippings after about 45 minutes. Chicken is done when the thigh moves freely in socket or thigh temperature is 180°. Remove the chicken from the oven and let it sit in the pan for about 15 minutes before slicing.

This Chicken recipe was published in 'The Book Lover's Cookbook by 'Shaunda Kennedy Wenger and Janet kay Jensen' - Ballantine Books'