Apricot and Thyme Chicken
Ingredients
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, finely sliced
3 rashers bacon, finely chopped
4 fresh apricots, chopped into small chunks
3 boned chicken thighs (about 200g), minced
2 tablespoon fresh lemon thyme, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 large boned chicken
extra salt and oil
1 cup chicken stock or white wine for gravy (optional)
Description
This would make a great dish to take on a picnic as there will be no left-over bones. It is also a good recipe when you want to serve cold chicken, as it slices beautifully when chilled. Get the butcher to bone your chicken so it is easy to slice and even easier to eat. The stuffing is sweet and tasty, and the chicken can be served hot or cold. A little note of caution here: always let stuffing cool completely before filling the chicken and rolling it up, as adding warm stuffing to chilled raw chicken creates a serious health risk.
Method
Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onion and bacon. Cook gently for about five minutes. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. When cool, add the apricots, minced chicken thighs, thyme, salt and pepper. Preheat the oven to 200°C.
To stuff the chicken, lie the chicken skin side down on a clean board. (If the skin has torn in the boning process you may need to stitch up the tears with string and a darning needle.) Spread the stuffing evenly over the surface of the meat and roll up neatly. Tie with string at 3cm intervals. Season the surface with salt and a little oil.
Place the chicken in a roasting pan and cook for an hour and 10minutes. To test the chicken is cooked through, check that the juices run clear when you pierce it with a skewer.
Let the chicken stand for at least 15minutes, covered loosely with foil. Remove string and cut into neat slices. You may like to make a gravy by scraping the pan juices with a wooden spoon and then stirring in a cup of chicken stock or white wine, if you have some on hand.
Categories
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