Capon Farced – Medieval Chicken Stuffed with Sausage, Onions & Grapes (Harleian MS 279, 1430 | Baronial Twelfth Night Feast)

Twelfth Night Feast: Spatchcocked roast chicken with “farce” balls and giussel, plus pickled blueberries (a barberry stand-in).

Originally published 12/31/202 Updated 10/30/2025 

Capon Farced (stuffed capon) is a showpiece bird from Harleian MS. 279 (c. 1430): parsley and suet are parboiled, then mixed with hard-boiled egg, spices, and fruit (grapes “in time of year,” or onions), sometimes with minced pork, to stuff and roast the bird. For our Baronial Twelfth Night Feast, I adapted the recipe using a modern spatchcock roast and served the farce as sausage balls on the side for even cooking and speed at scale.

Feast Course	Companions on the Table
Second Course — Highlight	Capon Farced (this dish), Guissell, Pickle for the Mallard, Roasted Chestnuts, Turnips & Sage, Pickled Barberries

🌟 Explore the full menu: Baronial Twelfth Night Feast Hub

Humoral Balance & Kitchen Technique

In medieval dietetics, poultry was considered warm and moist—suitable to winter. Sweet fruit and fragrant spices (ginger, cinnamon, cloves—optionally saffron) moderated the richness of suet and meat. Historically, stuffing kept birds moist at a hearth; for modern feast service, spatchcocking (removing the backbone to flatten the bird) ensures fast, even roasting and crisp skin without drying the meat.

How to Spatchcock (Butterfly) a Chicken

With sturdy kitchen shears, cut along both sides of the backbone (around the “parson’s nose”) and remove it. Flip the bird breast-side up and press firmly over the breastbone until it lies flat. It’s easiest when slightly firmed from the chill; expect a few crunches—normal!

Original (Harleian MS 279, c.1430)

Modern Interpretation (Feast-Practical)

XXXV. Capoun or gos farced. — Take Percely, & Swynys grece, or Sewet of a schepe, & parboyle hem to-gederys til J^ey ben tendyr; J^an take harde plkys of Eyroun, & choppe for-w/tA; caste ])er-to Pouder Pepir, Gyngere, Canel, Safroun, & Salt, & grapis in tyme of jere, & clowys y-nowe; & for defawte of grapis, Oynons, fyrst wil y-boylid, & afterward alle to-choppyd, & so stufFe hym & roste hym, & serue hym forth. And jif ]70 lust, take a litil Porke y-sode, & al to-choppe hit smal a-mong )7«to|ier; for it wol be J^e better, & namely ^ for ]>e Capoun.

Capon Farced — Chicken with Sausage, Onions & Grapes For the chicken 1 whole chicken (roaster-size) 1 tsp salt • 2 tsp ground ginger • ¼ tsp black pepper (Optional: pinch of saffron for color/aroma) For the farce (stuffing/sausage balls) 2 small onions, minced • ½ cup chopped parsley ¼ cup water • ½ cup chicken broth • 2 Tbsp lard/suet/bacon fat 1 lb mild sage sausage (or minced pork + ½ tsp salt) 1 hard-boiled egg, chopped • ½ cup seedless grapes, halved ½ tsp cinnamon • ¼ tsp cloves • pinch ginger & pepper to taste Roast (two service options) Stuffed whole: Rub bird with salt/ginger/pepper (and saffron if using). Stuff loosely. Roast 350°F ~1½ hours to 165°F at thigh. Spatchcock + farce balls (feast method): Spatchcock and rub as above. Roast 400°F ~45 minutes to 165°F. Farce (sausage balls) Simmer onions + parsley with broth, water, and fat for 5 min; drain & cool. Mix with sausage, chopped egg, grapes, and spices. Shape tablespoon-size balls. Poach in gently boiling water until they float; drain. (Optional: pan-brown or roast briefly for color.) Serve alongside the chicken. Redaction note: This modern adaptation closely follows the source: parboiled herb/fat base; eggs, grapes/onions, spices (incl. optional saffron); and pork component. Spatchcocking is a service-efficiency update.

🥕 Dietary Notes: Contains eggs and typically pork. For gluten-free, use certified GF sausage. For no-pork, use turkey or chicken sausage (or minced poultry). For a vegetarian variant, use plant-based sausage and olive oil for suet; texture is similar though flavor will differ from period intent.

Highlights from Our Twelfth Night Feast

• Bryndons – sweet, fruity sauce (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• Mortrews of Chicken & Pork – early pâté (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• Compost – pickled veg, olives & capers (Forme of Cury, 1390)
• Let Lardes – herb custard in bacon grease (Harl. MS 4016, 1450)
• Rastons – medieval white bread rolls (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• Blawnche Perry – creamed leeks/onions/peas (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• Beef-y-Stewed – stewed beef (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• Brawn with Mustard – pork + mustard (Good Husvvifes Jewell, 1587)
• Garbage – stewed chicken offal (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• Pickle for the Mallard – onion jam (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• Guissell – bread dumplings (Harl. MS 4016, 1450)
• Roasted Chestnuts, Turnips & Sage (Le Ménagier, 1393)
• Pickled Barberries – sub blueberries/lingonberries (1682)
• Cheese & Nuts
• Spiced Apples & Pears (Chiquart, 1420)
• Creme Bastarde (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• A White Leach (Closet for Ladies, 1602)
• Jellied Ypocras
• Gingerbread (Harl. MS 279, 1430)
• Marchpane (Book of Cookrye, 1591)
• Coriander Marzipan (Callishones, 1621)
• Candied Fruit Peels (Le Ménagier, 1393)
• Candied Fruit – Quince, Plums, Pears (English Housewife, 1615)
• Fruit Pastes – Plum, Fig, Walnut & Ginger (inspired by Rapeye)
• Comfits of Anise & Coriander (Queen-Like Closet, 1670)
• Manus Christi (Closet for Ladies, 1602)
• Kissing Comfits (Delightful Daily Exercise, 1621)

Frequently Asked (Medieval) Questions

Why are fruit and meat paired so often?

Fruit (fresh or dried) provided acidity/sweetness to balance fatty meats and strong spices. In period taste, sweet-savory was a hallmark of refinement.

Do I need saffron?

It’s optional but attested in the source; a small pinch gives golden color and aroma that signal status on a feast table.

What’s the closest modern stand-in for a capon?

A plump roaster chicken (or two Cornish hens) approximates tenderness and presentation size.

Sources

• Harleian MS. 279 (c. 1430), in Two Fifteenth-Century Cookery Books, ed. Thomas Austin, 1888. Public domain text via Project Gutenberg.
• Constance B. Hieatt & Sharon Butler, Cury on Inglysch, Oxford, 1985.
• Terence Scully, The Art of Cookery in the Middle Ages, Boydell, 1995.

Kitchen Tools & Ingredients I used (helpful for feast prep):

• Heavy-duty kitchen shears
• Instant-read thermometer
• European-style butter (higher fat) for crisp skin
• Saffron threads (optional, period-accurate)