Cherry Stuffed Roast Chicken

This is a really delicious and surprisingly easy roast chicken, taught to me by my friend Elham (who is an AMAZING Persian cook) and then slightly modified. It looks very complicated but is very, very easy, making it a great weekend night meal.

The reason there are 2 marinades is because the first one was made at Elham's house by the wonderful chef herself, and the second one was made at home by me. I'm not sure which one made the chicken so delicious, so I'm recreating it here. If you just want to use one marinade to make your life easy, that's fine by me!

All measurements are approximate.

1 whole chicken, rinsed, emptied, and with neck cut.

STUFFING:

1/2 cup onion, finely diced
olive oil
1/3 cup dried cherries
1/3 cup dried barberries (an Iranian fruit you can order online; otherwise, can use cranberries)
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup pomegranate syrup

1. Saute the onion in olive oil over medium-high heat until it just starts to brown

2. Lower heat, then add the cherries, cranberries, walnuts, and pomegranate syrup to taste; toss around until well coated and slightly sticky, then set aside.

MARINADE 1:

1/8 cup mustard (preferably a good grainy one; my favorite is Maille)
1/8 cup A-1 Steak Sauce
1/8 cup lemon juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1 T. Old Bay seasoning
A little bit of salt and pepper

1. Mix all ingredients together. Set aside.

BASE / PUTTING IT ALTOGETHER (all slices are about 1/2 an inch thick):

1 white or yellow onion, sliced
1 large carrot, sliced
1 potato, sliced
1 stalk celery, sliced
1 cup water

1. Make shallow (about 1/2 inch deep) slits into the thickest parts of the chicken (breast and thighs). Elham taught me this trick, and it not only gets the marinade inside, but assures more even cooking!

2. Brush the marinade inside the cavity of the chicken, then all over, including into the slits; be sure to use all the marinade to ensure a nice juicy chicken.

3. Stuff the chicken with the stuffing.

4. Place onions along bottom of a baking dish (like the kind you make brownies or lasagna in, but preferably a little smaller), then put the chicken on top of the onions, breast side down.

5. Add the rest of the vegetables (potatoes, celery, and carrots) to the pan.

6. Preheat oven to 375.

7. Before placing the chicken in the oven, add a cup of water to the bottom of the pan, then place in the oven.

8. Every 20 minutes or so, baste the chicken with it's own juices.

9. The second time around (about 40 minutes later), baste with the MARINADE 2 below, then continue to baste it in its own juices (which now include the second marinade) until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 170 degrees.

10. Continue to baste it until served. Absolutely delicious!


MARINADE 2:

1/8 cup grainy mustard
1/8 cup A-1 Steak Sauce
1/8 cup lime juice
1/8 cup olive oil
1 T. pomegranate syrup