Surprise Pumpkin(Chicken in a Pumpkin)

Chicken in a pumpkin

This is a special one. It’s of a whole chicken cooked inside the cavity of a pumpkin. It’s perfect as the main Halloween course and gives out the impression of eating a chicken that grew inside a pumpkin. It’s not much more complicated to prepare than your regular roasted chicken and the only trick is to get a pumpkin that will be large enough to contain the whole chicken. This recipe will definitely surprise your guests when you bring the cooked pumpkin the the center of the table and remove the top to a roasted chicken. The pumpkin will become really soft during the cooking process and juice can leak so using a shallow baking tray is a good idea.

Ingredients

•  
•  
• 1 large pumpkin, about 12 inch of diameter;
• 1 chicken, about 4 pounds;
• 2 tbsp butter, lard, tallow, duck fat or coconut oil;
• 1 leek, finely chopped;
• 1 red bell pepper, diced;
• 2 chopped garlic cloves;
• 1 tsp dried herbes de provence, optional;
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg, optional;
• Freshly ground black pepper and sea salt to taste;

Technique

1. Place the oven grill at the bottom position and preheat your oven to 375 F.
2. Remove the top of the pumpkin with a knife, like you’d to to carve it. Remove the seeds until interior is smooth and season the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place the pumpkin in a shallow backing dish.
3. Brown the chicken on all side in a pan with the cooking fat and place inside the pumpkin, breast side up.
4. In the same pan with added cooking fat is desired, soften the other vegetables (leeks, bell pepper and garlic) for about 4 or 5 minutes. Add the nutmeg and herbes de provences near the end, if using.
5. Pour the cooked vegetables with all the cooking fat on top of the chicken inside the pumpkin.
6. Put some aluminium foil around the peduncle on the top part of the pumpkin you remove and put back of top of the pumpkin.
7. Oil the top of the pumpkin with a bit of melted cooking fat and place in the oven to cook for about 2 hour 40 minutes, util the chicken is well cooked.
8. Serve at the center of the table to an amazed audience. The cooked pumpkin flesh is delicious when served with a generous amount of lard, coconut oil or melted butter.