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Rach makes an easy tray bake dinner of chicken, potatoes, apples and stuffing balls to kick off our "12 Days Of Thanksgiving." Thanksgiving won't necessarily look like years past, so we're coming up with delicious new ways to celebrate.

Rach's Note: For the stuffing balls, add sweet or spicy sausage (12 ounces, browned and finely crumbled) and/or chopped toasted pecans or walnuts (1 cup, chopped and toasted) if you want more texture. 

Rach uses Bell's Seasoning to give her stuffing balls a nostalgic Thanksgiving taste.  

Want more Thanksgiving inspiration? Right this way!

Ingredients

For the Stuffing Balls:
  • 5 to 6 cups stale white bread, cubed ½-inch
  • 2 tablespoons ground poultry seasoning (Rach like's Bell's Seasoning)
  • Salt and pepper
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 2 ribs celery with leafy tops, chopped
  • 1 large onion, chopped
  • 1 small apple, peeled and finely chopped
  • ¾ to 1 cup combined fresh parsley, sage, thyme, finely chopped
  • 1 egg
  • About ½ cup chicken broth 
For the Tray Bake:
  • 10 to 12 pieces bone-in, skin-on chicken
  • 4 to 5 Yukon gold potatoes
  • 4 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
  • 4 tablespoons grainy Dijon
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil (EVOO), plus more for apples and onions
  • 4 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • 2 apples, sliced into ½-inch wedges or chopped into bite-sized cubes
  • 1 red onion or 3 large shallots, thin wedges or chopped
  • A little freshly grated nutmeg, about ⅛ teaspoon
  • 2 teaspoons Acacia honey
  • Juice of ½ lemon

Yield

Serves: 4

Preparation

For the stuffing balls, preheat oven to 325˚F. 

Toss bread with poultry seasoning, salt and pepper and toast to dry out bread until lightly golden. Cool and place in bowl. (Also toast nuts, if using, and brown sausage, if using, about 12 ounces.) 

Raise heat of oven to 425˚F, 2 racks, one above and one below center oven. 

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat, add celery, onion, and apple, soften 6 to 7 minutes, and let cool. Add chopped herbs, egg, chicken broth and cooled cooked celery, onion and apples to bowl with cubed bread. Mix together, breaking up bread cubes as you mix, and roll into 10 to 12 balls. Arrange on parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and reserve.   
 
For the tray bake, in a large bowl, toss chicken and potatoes with balsamic, Dijon, EVOO, rosemary and salt and pepper, arrange on large parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and roast 30 to 45 minutes. Then toss apples and onions or shallots with nutmeg, honey, a drizzle of oil, salt, pepper and lemon, add to the sheet pan and roast about 20 minutes more, adding stuffing balls to the oven as well. 

Serve chicken, potatoes, and apples and onions with stuffing balls.