Baked chicken stuffed with bread, walnuts and herbs

Ingredients:

• 1 broiler chicken carcass weighing 2.7 kg.
• Salt and freshly ground pepper
• 120 g butter
• 4 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme
• 1 French baguette, cut into 3cm cubes (about 5 cups)
• 4 cups lightly salted chicken broth

Preparation:

1. Rinse the chicken under water and pat dry. Place the chicken on a plate and refrigerate, uncovered, for 4 hours or overnight to allow the skin to dry.
2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season the inside with salt and pepper. Place the chicken on a baking sheet and tuck in the wings. Preheat the oven to 230°C.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and walnuts and cook until golden brown, about 7 minutes. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the butter mixture over the chicken. Pour the remaining butter mixture into a large bowl. Add the parsley, thyme, and bread, and mix thoroughly. Fill the chicken cavity with 2/3 of the mixture, setting the remaining mixture aside. Sprinkle the chicken with 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper.
4. Place the chicken in the oven and bake until the ground meat is browned, about 20 minutes. Add 2 cups of chicken broth and continue cooking for another 40 minutes. Remove the ground meat from the chicken and set it aside. Continue baking until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F (75°C), another 30 to 35 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken to a platter and let rest for 15 minutes. Transfer the ground meat to a bowl. Place the baking sheet on the stovetop and turn the heat to high. Pour 2 cups of broth into the pan and cook, scraping the pan with a wooden spatula to remove any stuck-on pieces of meat, for 5-8 minutes. Return the ground meat to the baking sheet and stir to absorb all the juices. Serve the chicken with the nut-bread stuffing.