Roast Chicken with Crunchy Stuffing & Bacon Rolls - Ainsley Harriott

Ingredients

• 1 x 1.75-kg (4-lb) chicken
• a small bunch of thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• 1⁄2 lemon
• olive oil, for rubbing
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• For the Crunchy Stuffing & Bacon Rolls
• 15 g (1⁄2 oz) butter
• 1⁄2 onion, finely chopped
• 1 small leek, cleaned and thinly sliced
• 1 small celery stick, thinly sliced
• 100 g (4 oz) thickly sliced smoked ham, finely chopped
• 50 g (2 oz) Gruyère or Cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
• 75 g (3 oz) white breadcrumbs, made from day-old bread
• 1⁄2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons beaten egg
• 100 g (4 oz) rindless streaky bacon
• For the Gravy
• 75 ml (3 fl oz) dry white wine
• 1 teaspoon plain flour
• 300 ml (10 fl oz) chicken stock
• 2–3 tablespoons double cream