Stuffed Whole Boneless Chicken 
Yield 6 servings
Ayam kodok, which translates as frog chicken, gets its name from how the chicken looks after the bone and meat is taken out. By keeping its skin intact, the result is something that looks remarkably like a frog.
The dish is basically a stuffed chicken and we all know that a baked whole chicken with stuffing is a delicious and impressive main dish. This is the first time I attempted to cook Ayam Kodok, I wanted to impress my family as we gathered to celebrate the arrival of the year of the Dragon. I succeeded with one note: I did not put any boiled eggs inside the cavity along with the force meat mixture, I was afraid to overstuff the chicken.
So, I think you get the idea that this is not an everyday dish, it is a dish for when you want to impress. It is a little bit complicated but it really is not difficult. Once you have taken the bones and meat out of the chicken, the rest is real easy.
Ingredients:
- one 3 – 4 lbs. free range chicken or Long Kong chicken. Long Kong chicken’s skin is especially good, thicker with nice snap and less flabby fat, it is also much leaner and do not have the fatty blobs in the cavity and on the leg joints like a regular chicken. You can find Long Kong chicken at 99 Ranch Market in California.
- Butcher’s twine
- 3 tablespoons butter
- salt and pepper
Ingredients for stuffing:
- 12 oz ground pork
- 1/2 cup bacon, diced
- 1 cup ham, diced
- 1/4 cup sweet green peas
- 1/4 cup carrot, diced
- 1/4 cup breadcrumb
- 5 whole eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Mix in a bowl and set aside, this is the stuffing or force meat mixture.
Directions:
- To bone the chicken, start at the neck. Loosen the skin around the wings and breast and cut the wings at the joint, freeing them from the body. Slip your index finger under the skin and carefully loosen the skin from the back, the skin is most firmly attached to the spine of the bird. As you loosen the skin, pull it down over the breast. When you get to the wings, cut them loose from the body. Take your time so you don’t tear the skin. Push out the first joint of the wing (the drumette), . twist the bone to remove it from the elbow joint. To remove the drumstick (the leg of the chicken) use the back edge of a cleaver to break the bone about an inch from the bottom. Push the leg up and pull it away from the skin.
- Stuff the wings, the legs and the main cavity with the force meat mixture. The reconstituted chicken will be flatter than when it still had its bones, rather more frog-like in appearance.
- I use butcher’s twine to tie the stuffed chicken. There really is a reason to tie a meat before roasting, it’s not done just for looks. It help to ensure it keeps a neat, compact round shape. That means it cooks more evenly instead of having that little dried out wings or legs. Keeping in stuffing is another reason for tying. If you learn how to classic tie a roast, you can use the same technique to hold together stuffed roasts, stuffed chicken, even stuffed fish filets. Read HOW TO TIE MEAT
- Rub the chicken with butter and season with salt and pepper.
- Roast for 1 hour at 350 °F, breast side up until chicken is cooked. Measure the internal temperature using food thermometer, it should read 165 °F.
- Let the chicken rest for 15 minutes before carving.
- Serve warm with mashed potato, steamed vegetables (carrots, green beans, broccoli), and brown sauce.
Recipe by my Mom and Dad and cousin Stephanie
