Method

• 1.
  To prepare the stuffing, preheat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan-forced.
• 2.
  Place the hazelnuts on a baking tray and roast for 6-8 minutes, until golden, checking them frequently to make sure they don’t burn. Immediately wrap in a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins. Pick out hazelnuts and discard loose skins. Set aside to cool. Roughly chop.
• 3.
  Heat a medium non-stick frypan over high heat, then add the bacon and cook for 1 minute, turning halfway through. Transfer to a plate and, when cooled, roughly chop. Add the chicken livers to the pan and cook for 45 seconds on each side, or until lightly browned. Transfer to a plate and leave to rest for 5 minutes, then remove and discard any sinew and chop liver into small chunks.
• 4.
  Add the oil to the pan and place over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 10 minutes, or until golden, stirring occasionally.
• 5.
  Add the rosemary, thyme and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, for just 1 minute, then transfer the mixture to a bowl. Stir in the breadcrumbs, cherries and chopped hazelnuts, mixing well, then add the liver and bacon and gently stir to just combine. Set aside to cool.
• 6.
  To cook the bird, preheat oven to 220°C/200°C fan-forced.
• 7.
  Wipe the skin of the chicken and clean the inside cavity with paper towel. Squeeze the half lemon into the cavity, then fill it with half the cooled stuffing. Rub the chicken all over with half the olive oil and season with salt flakes.
• 8.
  Place a trivet or a wire rack in a shallow roasting pan. Fold the wing tips under the bird and place on the rack, breast-side up. Cover the breast loosely with foil to prevent it overcooking, then roast for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, arrange the remaining stuffing in a small baking dish in a single layer.
• 9.
  Remove the chicken from the oven and take off the foil. Brush the breast with the remaining oil and drizzle over 2 tbs of the verjuice. Add 1 tbs water to the pan to stop the verjuice from burning.
• 10.
  Reduce oven temperature to 200°C/180°C fan-forced, then return the chicken to the oven, along with the remaining stuffing, and cook for a further 40 minutes, or until chicken juices run clear when a skewer is inserted through the thickest part of the thigh joint.
• 11.
  Remove chicken from oven, and turn it over in the pan so that it’s breast-side down, drizzling with remaining verjuice. Leave it to rest, covered loosely with foil, in the roasting juices for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a serving plate. Spoon baked stuffing around the chicken and serve.