Name: Chicken stuffed with fruit and nuts
Cook time: 105 min
Total time: 105 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1/2 cup tightly packed dried apricots; 1 cup hot water; 1 large onion, finely chopped; 2 tart apples, peeled and chopped; 2 stalk celery, scrubbed and chopped; 3 tablespoon butter; 1 teaspoon salt; 2 tablespoon chopped parsley; 2 tablespoon chopped tarragon; 1/2 cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts, coarsely chopped; 1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes; 1 medium free-range egg (size 6), lightly beaten; 1 cup sourdough breadcrumbs; 1 size-14 boned, free-range chicken

Ingredients

1/2 cup tightly packed dried apricots

1 cup hot water

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 tart apples, peeled and chopped

2 stalk celery, scrubbed and chopped

3 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoon chopped parsley

2 tablespoon chopped tarragon

1/2 cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup chopped pitted prunes

1 medium free-range egg (size 6), lightly beaten

1 cup sourdough breadcrumbs

1 size-14 boned, free-range chicken

Method

1.To make the stuffing, put apricots in a small pan with the water and cook gently for 5 minutes until tender. Drain and chop coarsely.

2.Put onion, apples and celery in a large frying pan with 2 Tbsp butter and cook gently for about 15 minutes, until everything has softened. Cool, then tip into a large bowl and season with 1 tsp salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Add parsley, tarragon, hazelnuts, prunes, chopped apricots, egg and breadcrumbs. Mix well.

3.Preheat oven to 180°C fan-bake. Spread chicken out, skin-side down, peeling back the smaller parts of the breasts to make chicken as flat as possible. Using string and a sharp trussing or darning needle, stitch together the V-shaped split in the skin at the vent (parson’s nose).

4.Season chicken lightly with salt and a little pepper. Spread over about half of the stuffing, roll chicken into a neat shape as best you can and stitch the skin together to hold it in shape. Transfer to a rack set in a shallow roasting tin, stitched-side down (line tin with baking paper to make washing up easier). Melt remaining 1 tbsp butter and brush over the chicken. Season with a little salt.

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Ingredients

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