Recipe: The doctor's apricot chicken

This great dish was made for us during our trip to the Kimberley mid-2016.

Rob and Rosie were our travelling companions for a few weeks and she cooked up this delicious meal one evening. Given to her by a friend who works as a doctor in South Africa, it will definitely become one of our go-to meals for when we are away (and at home).

INGREDIENTS
Serves: 4 to 6
6-8 chicken pieces
1 cup dried apricots
½ cup sultanas (more or less to taste – optional)
2 med onions – cut into wedges
2 large carrots – cut into large chunks
2 celery sticks – cut into large chunks
10 baby potatoes
For the sauce
2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp sweet paprika powder
2 tbsp curry powder
2 tbsp mango chutney
¼ cup mayonnaise
1 med can apricot nectar
3 cups water

DIRECTIONS
Prep Time: 15-20 mins (prep veggies)
Cooking Time: 30-45 mins (depends on chicken size)
• Prepare your coals. You don’t need to preheat your camp oven. If baking at home, preheat your oven to 180°C.
• Make sure you buy the ‘big’ oven bags, and use two (one inside the other) to add strength and stop the bag splitting.
• If baking in your camp oven, line the oven with foil just in case the oven bag splits. That’ll save you cleaning up a mess.
• Prepare the chicken – cut thighs in half, or if using Maryland cut the leg from the thigh so you have two pieces.
• Prepare all the vegetables – cut into large pieces so they hold their shape and don’t fall apart before the chicken is cooked.
• Make up the sauce by mixing all the dry ingredients together first in a large bowl or jug and then add the wet ingredients and mix through well to combine.
• Now you’ve got everything ready, place the oven bag in your camp oven, or in an ovenproof dish if baking at home.
• Place the chicken in the bottom of the oven bag, add the veggies and then pour in the sauce.
• Seal the bag, poke in a couple of holes near the top of the bag.
• Place your camp oven on a bed of coals, put on the lid and add some coals to the lid. You don’t want the coals to be too hot as this meal is best cooked slowly. Allow to simmer away gently.
• If you don’t want to cook over coals, cook on your gas stovetop.
• You can serve it as is or on a bed of rice.

VIV’S HINTS
YOU could add whatever vegetables you like, including sweet potato that is peeled and cut into large chunks. Also some green beans cut into large pieces.

Add more water if feeding a crowd – that way you’ll have plenty of flavoursome juices. You may need to forgo the oven bag due to the quantity required. No problem if you don’t have an oven bag, just put everything straight into your camp oven.

For more tasty ideas, visit 4X4 Australia's Bush Cooking recipes.