Roast Chicken With Apricots - cooking recipe

Ingredients

6 None soft dried apricots, chopped
3-4 tbsp apricot liqueur
150 g long-grain rice
30 g fresh flat-leaf parsley, little reserved for garnish, remainder cut into strips
1 None ready-to-cook chicken (about 1.6kg)
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
4 tbsp olive oil
200 g full-fat natural yogurt
1-2 tbsp lemon juice
1 None iceberg lettuce, torn into bite-sized pieces

Preparation

Soak the apricots overnight in the liqueur.
Preheat the oven to 400\u00b0F. Cook the rice according to package instructions. Refresh with cold water and mix in the apricots and parsley. Spoon the apricot mixture into the chicken, then seal shut with toothpicks and tie the legs with kitchen string. In a bowl, mix the salt, paprika and 3 tbsp oil and rub on the chicken to coat. Place in a roasting pan and roast for 1 hour, checking for doneness.
In a bowl, mix the yogurt, lemon juice and 1 tbsp oil. Season with salt, black pepper and a pinch of sugar and drizzle over the lettuce. Carve the chicken and arrange on a platter with the rice filling. Garnish with parsley and serve with the salad.