Roast Chicken Rolled and Stuffed

Delicious hot or cold and perfect for a picnic, this stuffed chicken will be a real family favourite. Much easier as you would imagine. Ver impressive for guests. Add different ingredients for the stuffing e.g. roasted red peppers instead of the apricots....

• Ready In: 1 hr 50 mins
• Serves: 8

Ingredients

• 4  ounces couscous
• 3⁄4 cup  chicken stock, boiling
• 2  ounces butter
• 1  onion, finely chopped
• 1  garlic clove, crushed
• 4  ounces pine nuts
• 4 1⁄2 ounces  dried apricots, roughly chopped
• 2  ounces parsley, roughly chopped
• 2  tablespoons mint leaves, roughly chopped
• 1  lemon
• 1  egg, beaten
• 6  boneless skinless chicken breasts
• 16  slices streaky bacon

Directions

1. Put couscous in a large heatproof bowl, pour over stock, then cover with plastic wrap for 5 mins until liquid is absorbed.
2. Melt half the butter in a pan, then gently cook onion and garlic for 5-8 mins until soft. Set aside.
3. Dry-fry pine nuts for a few mins until golden. Combine onions, pine nuts, apricots and herbs with couscous.
4. Add a good squeeze of lemon juice, season, then stir in egg. Leave to cool.
5. Using the back of a knife, stretch bacon slices to 1½ times their original length. Lay, slightly overlapping, on a large sheet of foil to form a rectangle.
6. Make a few slashes in the thickest part of each chicken breast and lay between 2 sheets of plastic wrap. Use the base of a heavy pan to bash the chicken until about 1/2in thick.
7. Arrange chicken over the bacon, fitting so there are no gaps, but leave a border on longer sides. (This helps to roll up the chicken.)
8. Spoon stuffing over chicken in a strip along one of the longest sides. Using tin foil to help, roll bacon and chicken around stuffing like a log. Wrap tightly in foil, twisting the ends to secure, then chill for 2 hrs or up to 1 day.
9. Heat oven to 350°F Place chicken, join-side down, in a roasting tray. Cook for 30 mins, then unwrap foil and brush roast with remaining butter.
10. Cook, uncovered, for 20-30 mins more until cooked through, and the stuffing is hot (a metal skewer inserted into the chicken's centre should come out hot).
11. Cool and wrap in fresh foil to transport if taking to a picnic.