Roast Chicken with Cranberry Relish

50g/2oz butter,
½ red onion, peeled and chopped,
50g/2oz ready to eat dried apricots, chopped,
50g/2oz pecans, chopped,
175g/6oz fresh breadcrumbs ,
1 tsp dried thyme 1 tbsp snipped fresh chives,
1 egg, beaten,
1.6kg/31/2lb chicken,
2 tbsp olive oil

Relish
225g/8oz fresh or frozen cranberries,
¼ tsp ground cinnamon,
75g/3oz light brown sugar,
3 tbsp Mizkan Rice Vinegar,
2 tbsp ruby port.

Method
Melt the butter in a pan, add the onion and fry gently for 5 minutes until softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the apricots, pecans, breadcrumbs, thyme, chives and beaten egg.

Preheat the oven to 190C/375F/Gas mark 5. Rinse the chicken inside and out and pat dry with kitchen paper. Spoon a little of the stuffing into the neck end, fold the loose skin under the chicken and tuck it under the wing tips to hold it in place. Roll the rest of the stuffing into walnut-size balls and place in a shallow, greased ovenproof dish.

Lift the chicken into a roasting tin and brush with the olive oil. Roast in the oven for 1 hour, basting occasionally. Place the dish of stuffing balls in the oven and cook with the chicken for 30 minutes. At the end of this time, check the chicken is cooked by piercing the thickest part of the meat with a skewer, if the juices run clear it is done.

While the chicken is cooking, make the relish. Place the cranberries, cinnamon, sugar, vinegar, port and 4 tablespoons water in a pan and simmer gently for 10 minutes until the cranberries have softened.

Serve the chicken and stuffing with gravy and vegetables. Serve with the cranberry relish.