GREEK STYLE ROASTED HEN

Greek Style Roasted Hen image

Provided by Skip Davis @Grandpaskip

Categories Chicken

Number Of Ingredients 8

1 large 4 to 5 pound roasting hen - split or whole
1.4 cup(s) oil packed sun dried tomatoes
1/3 cup(s) fresh mint
1/4 cup(s) kalamata or black olives - pitted,chopped
1/4 cup(s) golden raisins
2 clove(s) garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon(s) lemon zest, grated -- reserve lemon for squeezing juice over bird
1/4 teaspoon(s) salt

Steps:

Preheat the oven to 425. In a small saucepan bring 1 cup of water to boil. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes to blanch.
Reserving 2 Tablespoons of the cooking liquid, drain the tomatoes. Place the reserved cooking liquid in a medium bowl. When cool enough to handle, coarsely chop the sun-dried tomatoes and add them to the bowl.
Add the mint, olives, raisins, garlic, lemon zest and salt to the sun-dried tomatoes, stirring to combine. Using your fingers, carefully lift the hen's breast skin and as much of the thigh skin as you can without tearing it.
Place the stuffing mixture under the skin of chicken. Rub olive oil over bird. Lightly salt & pepper and squeeze juice from zested lemon over chicken.
Place bird, skin side up, on a rack in a roasting pan, Roast for 1 hour to 1 hour & 15 minutes or until cooked through. (170 degrees F. in thickest part of thigh)
Remove the skin before eating.