Sweet Plantain & Pepper Stuffed Chicken
Submitted by me09854
Whole roasted chicken marinated in lemon and garlic, stuffed with a mofongo-inspired filling of browned plantains, crispy bacon, Anaheim chilies, and red bell pepper. Latin-Caribbean Sunday dinner at its golden, crispy-skinned best.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
COOK
READY
4 hrsThis bird is a fiesta waiting to happen. A whole chicken gets rubbed down with fresh lemon juice, garlic, Mexican oregano, and olive oil, then sits in the fridge soaking up flavor for a couple of hours before the real magic begins.
The stuffing is where Caribbean soul meets Latin fire. Sweet plantains browned in bacon fat, diced Anaheim chilies, red bell pepper, fresh oregano, and cubes of country bread all come together in a stuffing that’s smoky, sweet, and just a little spicy. The recipe calls it mofongo, and it earns that name.
Roasted breast-side down first so the juices run into the meat, then flipped for a golden, crackly-skinned finish. Carve it at the table and let the stuffing spill out. That’s the moment people start asking for the recipe.
Chef Tips
- Use a ripe plantain with a yellow-to-black skin for sweetness. Green plantains are starchy and won’t caramelize the same way in the bacon fat.
- Marinate the full two hours if you can. The lemon juice and garlic need time to penetrate the meat and tenderize it.
- Roasting breast-side down for the first half hour is the secret to juicy breast meat. The juices flow downward into the breast instead of dripping away.
Ingredients
Directions
To make the marinade: In a small bowl, combine the juice of the lemons, garlic, dried oregano, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Rub all over the chicken and allow it to set in the refrigerator 1 to 2 hours.
To make the stuffing: Over mediumhigh heat, sauté the bacon until crisp.
Remove from the pan.
Place the plantains to the pan and cook until lightly browned.
Add the garlic, peppers and oregano and cook 2 to 3 minutes more.
Pour in the chicken stock to deglaze the pan, about 1 to 2 minutes.
Add the bread, salt and pepper.
Stir gently to combine.
Preheat the oven to 350℉ (180℃).
Remove the chicken from the refrigerator and stuff it with the plantain pepper mixture.
Tie the legs together and place on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side down.
Cook for ½ hour, turn the chicken breast side up and roast for another ½ hour or until the skin is golden brown and the chicken is cooked through.
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