When we visited Cousin Joey in 1988, she showed me how to stuff a chicken with oatmeal instead of bread. It's been a family favorite ever since. Not only is it good as stuffing, but if you follow up the roasted bird with soup from the bones, the oatmeal makes a much better soup ingredient than wet bread crumbs! In fact, in theory you can mix together the same ingredients, roll them in cheesecloth & tie securely, then poach in simmering soup broth to make a sliceable "savory pudding" side dish. I have never done this myself.

The quantities are flexible. For a small chicken, use about the following amounts:

1 medium onion, chopped, then sautéed in margarine or butter

1 cup old-fashioned oatmeal

Salt & freshly ground pepper, to taste

Mix the oatmeal in with the sautéed onion & seasoning, then spoon into the chicken's body cavity. Roast as normal. Stuffing will swell somewhat as it absorbs juice from the chicken. If you are baking a larger bird, double the amounts, perhaps also adding a package of frozen, chopped spinach, sautéing the spinach with the onions until tender before mixing it into the oatmeal. We also add chopped spinach to bread crumb stuffing.

This information was placed on the web by Thomas J. Sienkewicz. If you have any questions about this document, you may contact him at tom@tomsiekewicz.com.