Chef recommends…Chicken and Apricot with Tod’s Blonde

YORKSHIRE-based Little Valley Brewery uses its popular Tod’s Blonde to create a perfect dish for any occasion.

Time: 70 minutes (includes preparation and cooking)

Ingredients: (4 people)

400 grams dried apricots (Dried apricots need at least 3 hours soaking in water)
3 tablespoons of sugar
1 tablespoon of lemon juice
4 chicken fillets or 4 large chicken thighs
80 grams butter
2 table spoons of oil
3 table spoons honey
200 ml Tod’s Blonde
2 spoons corn flour
1 table spoon Wholegrain Mustard

Cooking

Prepare the chicken into individual portions and sprinkle with salt and pepper
Heat 40 grams of butter and the oil in a frying pan and wait until the froth disappears. Fry the chicken on all sides for 8 minutes.
Transfer the chicken to a saucepan.
In the frying pan heat the other 40 grams of butter and stir in the honey
Cover the chicken with the honey butter mix.
Add the lid to the saucepan and place in a preheated oven at 200°C (180° fan oven). Cook the chicken for 30 – 40 minutes, basting with the honey butter mix regularly and check, if happy remove the saucepan lid and cook for a further 5-10 minutes to add colour.
Every oven is different, so do keep checking the chicken to achieve the desired colour, and cook for longer if needed.
Remove the pan from the oven and add the 200 ml Tod’s Blonde, 100 ml of steeped apricot juice and a tablespoon of lemon juice. Stir with a wooden spoon to loosen bottom bits and heat until bubbling. Cut the apricots into quarters and add to the sauce. Add salt and pepper as required. Bind the liquid with the corn flour and stir firmly. Mix with the mustard just before serving.
Serve with rice, or spicy cous cous, and the remainder of the Tod’s Blonde.