Last Updated on December 19, 2025 by Sabrina Currie
Stuffed roast chicken with Christmas stuffing and gravy is the perfect Christmas dinner for a small gathering. It has all the golden, crispy skin, sage and apple seasoned bread stuffing, and lots of yummy pan drippings. BUT it's simpler and faster than a full roast turkey! Have this delicious holiday centerpiece meal on the table in just 2 hours or less!
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Why You Will Love This
If you are cooking for a smaller crowd over the holiday season, this beautiful roast chicken is the perfect way to bring all the classic festive flavors without fuss. The cooking time is shorter, the carving is easier, and you still get juicy chicken breast, flavourful dark meat, and a fragrant, savoury stuffing that tastes like pure Christmas comfort.
A whole chicken (ideally a free range chicken if you can find one) is just right for 4 to 6 people. It makes an impressive main for holiday course meals, but also works for a cozy weeknight dinner when you feel like something a bit special.
Serve it with a few favourite sides like Brussels sprouts with crispy prosciutto, garlic mashed potatoes and a little cranberry sauce and you'll have a delicious Christmas meal that looks like you spent all day in the kitchen, even though this easy set of recipes only took you 2 hours!
Ingredients
With just a handful of ultra basic, simple ingredients, this chicken roast recipe turns into something really special.
- Whole chicken - Choose a 1.4-2.3 kg (3-5 lb) whole chicken. If you can, pick a free range chicken for extra flavour and better texture. Bring it out of the fridge 40-60 minutes before cooking so it roasts evenly. If you love brining, you can briefly soak it in lightly seasoned salt water earlier in the day, then pat dry very well before stuffing.
- Bread cubes - You will need about 4 cups of cubed bread, preferably a day or two old. Slightly stale bread holds up better and absorbs the melted butter and pan juices without turning mushy.
- Butter or olive oil - Butter adds the most flavour and richness to the stuffing and helps the chicken skin turn deep golden brown. Olive oil is a good option if you prefer a dairy-free version.
- Onion, celery and apple - Classic stuffing vegetables (and a fruit) that soften into the bread. The diced apple adds gentle sweetness that works beautifully with the savoury herbs and rich chicken.
- Fresh herbs or poultry seasoning - Use dried poultry seasoning or a mix of finely chopped fresh herbs like parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme. Fresh herbs give a wonderful aroma and really make this feel like a festive roast chicken recipe, but dry poultry seasoning tastes just like mom used to make so choose your favorite.
- Garlic - This is here in case you want to make roast garlic mashed potatoes or add some roasted garlic to your gravy. Totally optional.
Step By Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 190°C (375°F). Position oven rack in the lower third of the oven.
Step 1. Cube stale bread. If you have fresh bread, cut it ahead of time (up to 1-2 days) and let it sit uncovered in the bowl to dry out a bit.
Step 2. Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon butter or oil. When hot, add onion, celery and apple.
Step 3. Cook, stirring often, until the onion and celery are soft and translucent, about 5-7 minutes. Stir in salt, pepper and herbs and cook 1 more minute.
Step 4. Turn off the heat, add bread cubes and toss gently until everything is evenly coated. Set aside to cool slightly.
Step 5. Pat the chicken dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Remove any giblets or neck from the cavity.
Step 6. Spoon the stuffing into the main cavity. If you like, gently loosen the skin on each side of the cavity and tuck a bit of stuffing under the skin.
Step 7. Tuck any loose skin around the cavity and tie the legs together with cotton string if using.
Step 8. Rub the remaining 2 tablespoon butter or oil all over the chicken, coating the breast, thighs, wings and back. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Place the chicken breast-side down in a small roasting pan.
Step 9. Add a bulb of garlic rubbed with olive oil to the pan for for roasted garlic mashed potatoes, if you like. Roast on a lower oven rack for 45 minutes, then baste with pan drippings. Roast another 15 minutes and baste again.
(For golden crispy skin on the breasts, flip the chicken breast-side up for the last 15-20 minutes.)
Step 10. Continue roasting until the stuffing and chicken are cooked through to 74°C/165°F, about 1 hour 15 minutes to 1 hour 45 minutes in total, depending on the size of your bird. Use an instant-read thermometer or meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, not touching the bone, and into the center of the stuffing. The leg should feel loose when wiggled and the juices should run clear.
Transfer the chicken to a warm platter and let rest 10-15 minutes before carving. Spoon out the stuffing, carve the chicken and serve with the pan drippings, or use them with a splash of chicken broth to make gravy. Garnish with some fresh herbs if you like, and add some apple slices or roasted veggies around the platter for a festive touch.
Enjoy this as a relaxed alternative to roast turkey and add it to your collection of reliable roast chicken recipes for any special time of the year.
How To Make Gravy
While it rests, pour off the pan drippings into a saucepan. Add some flour and cook it a bit, then whisk in chicken broth to make a quick pan gravy to drizzle over the sliced meat and stuffing. Details in the recipe card below.
What To Serve With Christmas Stuffed Roast Chicken
This stuffed chicken roast happily takes the place of roast turkey on smaller holiday tables, so you can pair it with all the classic sides. Try:
- Creamy mashed potatoes or roasted potatoes
- Simple steamed or roasted veggies like carrots, parsnips and peas.
- Brussels sprouts steamed or pan fried
- Mashed or candied yams
- A bright green salad to cut through the richness
- Warm rolls or crusty bread to mop up every drop of jus or gravy
- Cranberry sauce
- Gravy
Wine Pairings and Drinks
The classic choices to serve with stuffed roast chicken are a crisp, buttery white wine like Chardonnay or a bright, minerally Pinot Gris. They both pair well with the rich chicken and stuffing. For red wine lovers, a light red like Pinot Noir or for something a little deeper, I like a a French Syrah from the Northern Rhone.
For non-alcoholic options, I like cranberry juice, 7-Up or Gingerale, or a cranberry punch garnished with frozen cranberries and orange segments.
Leftovers + Storage
I might be biased, but I think this is the best Christmas chicken roast you'll ever make and leftovers are just as good! Let any leftovers cool to room temperature, then pack them into an airtight container and refrigerate within two hours. Use or freeze within 3 days.
- Leftover meat and stuffing are wonderful the next day in sandwiches with extra cranberry sauce or make simple protein bowls with cooked grains and roasted veggies topped with leftover roast chicken.
- Soup is another classic and delicious way to use up the whole chicken. Use the carcass to make chicken stock. then add carrots, onion and celery. Add leftover chicken at the end. Wild rice or small noodles are great additions to chicken soup as well.
- Chicken pot pie or shepherds pie is a great way to use up leftover chicken and any veggies.
Save This Recipe
Love this stuffed roast chicken with Christmas stuffing and gravy? Save it to Pinterest or Facebook for next time!
More Great Christmas Recipes
If you have any questions or comments, you can find me on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook. I try to answer any recipe related questions quickly as I know you might be in the middle of making it.
Also check out my FREE PRINTABLE meal planner to make menu planning and grocery shopping a breeze and my shopping guide. And if you like this recipe, I would love it if you give it a star rating in the recipe card.
Cheers and happy cooking, Friends! Sabrina
📖 Recipe
Stuffed Roast Chicken With Christmas Stuffing and Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon butter or olive oil, divided
- ½ cup diced onion
- ½ cup diced celery
- ½ cup diced apple peeling optional
- 1 teaspoon salt plus more for seasoning the chicken
- ½ teaspoon ground black pepper plus more for seasoning the chicken
- 2 teaspoon dry poultry seasoning or 2 tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme
- 4 cups cubed bread do this the day before if your bread is not stale
- 1 3-5 lb roasting chicken brought to room temperature for 40-60 minutes before roasting.
- cotton string for trussing optional
Gravy
- ¼ cup pan drippings from the chicken (add butter or olive oil to top up if you don't have enough from the chicken)
- 6 tablespoon 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups chicken broth or stock from the giblets
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 375°F and place the oven rack in the bottom third of the oven.
- Heat a large frying pan over medium heat and add 1 tablespoon of the butter, let it melt and then add the onion, celery and apple. Fry, stirring frequently until the onion and celery are translucent. Add the salt, pepper and herbs and fry for 1 more minute. Pour in the bread cubes and turn off the heat. Toss gently until the crumbs are seasoned and the ingredients look evenly mixed. Set aside.
- Pat your chicken dry with paper towels, removing any giblets or neck if they are in the cavity. Start stuffing the bread mixture into the chicken cavity. If you like, loosen the skin on either side of the cavity as shown above, and stuff some stuffing into each side as well. Tuck any loose skin around the stuffing and tie the two legs together to help hold the stuffing in. Rub the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter all over the chicken and then season generously with salt and pepper.
- Place the chicken breast side down in a roasting pan that is just a little larger than the chicken and place it on a lower rack in the oven. (If you are making gravy, place the giblets/neck into a small pot with water and set over medium-low heat to simmer.)
- Baste the chicken with pan juices after 45 minutes, and again 15 minutes later.
- Roast until the center of the stuffing and chicken reaches 165°F/°C and the skin is golden crisp. This will take approximately 1 ¼ -1 ¾ hours depending on the size of your chicken. If you don't have a thermometer, check that the leg feels loose like it could easily be pulled off and the juices run clear when pierced in the thickest part of the chicken.
- Transfer the chicken to a warm platter and let it rest for 10-15 minutes before carving. Spoon out the stuffing, carve the chicken and serve with pan drippings or the gravy recipe below.
Gravy
- To make gravy, pour the pan drippings into a saucepan. Sprinkle in flour and cook it over medium-low heat, stirring until medium brown. Gradually whisk in chicken stock and cook over medium heat, whisking, until it is smooth and thickened.Season with salt and pepper to taste and keep warm over the lowest heat setting until ready to serve.
Notes
Nutrition
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