My family adores this chicken any time of year, but especially around Easter as it has the subtle promise of sunnier spring days with the addition of the apricots. They’re not at all overwhelming but add a lovely sweetness to balance out the spices – so much so that even my young children can’t get enough. If you can, make the butter and marinate the chicken a few hours before, or even overnight. You can also roast it up until it is just cooked through and finish the last 10 minutes on the barbecue, if it is an exceptionally warm day – which has happened! It’s a great barbecue dish. However you cook it, serve on the bed of onions, with lots of coriander to finish, and lots of buttery crushed new potatoes, roasted whole carrots and a peppery, lemon-dressed rocket salad.
You can ask your butcher to spatchcock the chicken. Alternatively, cut down either side of the chicken’s backbone with a pair of sharp scissors and discard it. Then lay the chicken out flat like a book, skin side up. Press firmly on the breast bone with the palm of your hand to really flatten it out.
