Roast Chook With Dried Apricots

Step 1: Take chook out of the oven one hour before cooking.

Step 2: Preheat the oven to 200C.

Step 3: Prepare an oven tray and rack that sits inside it then place your chook onto the rack, with one cup of water underneath.

Step 4: In a blender pulse your apricots until chopped but not smooth then add the tarragon, butter, almond meal, and Verjuice and pulse together.

Step 5: Free up the skin from the breast of the chicken by gently using your fingers.

Step 6: Place the mix under the skin and on top of the breast meat, evenly on both sides all over.

Step 7: Drizzle the chicken with olive oil and sea salt then place a piece of foil over the breast only; place into the preheated oven.

Step 8: After 30 minutes take off the foil then turn the oven down to 180C. After 30 minutes, check that the chook is cooked (juices will run clear) and if not, cook for a further 10 minutes.

Step 9: Remove from the oven, turn upside down and rest for 15-20 minutes, serve with roasting juices.

Step 10: TIP: To reconstitute the dried apricots, place apricots and 1/4 cup of verjuice or water into a heatproof bowl and cook in the microwave on defrost for two minutes and then drain and set aside to cool.