Pollo con olive, cipolla e rosmarino ripieno Poussin stuffed with olives, onion, and rosemary

Pollo con  olive, cipolla e rosmarino ripieno Poussin stuffed with olives, onion, and rosemary

Spit-roasted chicken and potatoes in foil, eaten on a park bench in winter is one of my great memories from my trips to Sicily.I  bought family-run eateries dotted around Catania. The hand- cut potatoes cooked in the juices dripping from the chickens added another dimension to the repast. There are lots of different flavors here, and  the combination stimulates all the taste buds. It is very
easy to increase the stuffing in order to make this dish serve more people.
Preheat the oven 400°F (200°C). In a bowl, combine the onions, olives, and rosemary. Finely chop the garlic with the dried chilies. Add to the onion mixture with the 2 tbsp olive oil and the lemon juice. Mix well and season with salt and pepper. Stuff each chicken with a generous amount of the stuffing.
Heat a little oil in a heavy ovenproof frying pan over medium-high
heat. Season the outside of the chickens with salt and pepper. Brown the chickens in the pan, turning once to brown on all sides. When browned, transfer the whole pan to the oven and roast for 30–35 minutes until the meat is tender, basting regularly with all the roasting  juices. (If cooking a larger chicken, allow a longer cooking time usually 1 hour to 1 hour 20 minutes or so.)
To check, insert the tip of a small knife near the bone; if the juices run clear, the chicken is cooked.

Serves 4
4 onions, thinly sliced
3½oz (100g) black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped
5 fresh rosemary sprigs, chopped
4 garlic cloves, halved and any green inner shoot discarded
2 small dried red chilies, crushed
2 tbsp olive oil plus a little extra juice of 1 lemon
4 poussins or baby chickens, about
1lb 2oz (500g) each
salt and freshly ground black pepper
this fabulous takeaway dish