Albanian Roast Chicken

Ingredients

 * 1 lrg Chopped Onion
 * 3 tbl olive oil
 * 7 cup (about 3-1/2 pounds) drained sauerkraut
 * 1 tbl paprika
 * 2 tsp caraway seeds or cumin seeds
 * 6 lb Roasting Chicken
 * salt and pepper as desired

Directions

 * 1) Here's another recipe which is a great favorite of ours, and which I clipped from a newspaper (Washington Post?) about 15 years ago. It's called
 * 2) "Albanian Chicken", although I've never seen an Albanian Cookbook, and have never seen another Albanian recipe, it seems like something my great grandmother would have cooked. The use of sauerkraut as a stuffing seems weird, but is characteristic of Middle European cooking. You often find it mixed with Apples...here it's mixed with paprika and caraway seeds. The stuffing is sensationally delicious, and the Chicken comes out extremely tender, every time. This is a recipe you have to cook to understand.
 * 3) Saute Onion in oil until golden, stirring often. Combine sauerkraut, paprika, and caraway seeds with Onion. Spoon as much kraut mixture as possible into the body cavity of the Chicken. Reserve remainder of kraut for later
 * 4) Place Chicken on roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 325 degrees for 1-1/2 hours. Remove pan from oven, take Chicken out. Pour off fat in bottom of pan. Spread remaining kraut in bottom of pan and set Chicken in pan. Bake another 1/2 to 1 hour to brown. Season as desired.
 * 5) Leftovers make great sliced Chicken and sauerkraut sandwiches.