I always have at least 7 jars of various different relishes, pickles, sauces etc in my fridge at any one time and I periodically go on a mission to use up the contents of the jars.  That’s how this recipe was created.  I had a jar of mustard apricots that we were given a couple of Christmases ago and they had managed to make their way to the back of the fridge and get forgotten about.  They had never been opened so were still perfectly fine and added a deliciously sweet tang to the dish.  Don’t panic if you haven’t got a jar of mustard apricots languishing at the back of your fridge, I have recreated the recipe using mustard powder and dried apricots and it tasted just as good as the original.  You could use any veges to make this. I just used what I had and it is a great recipe for cleaning out the vege bin.  Recipe serves 4

You will need:

3 chicken breasts cut into chunks
1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced
1 tsp mustard powder
1 potato, peeled and cubed
1 capsicum, cored and sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced into rounds
1 onion, finely sliced
handful of green beans, topped and tailed and cut in half
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 chicken stock cube
2 tsp flour
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 180ºC.  Add 1/2 cup of boiling water to a bowl with the mustard powder and chopped dried apricots.  Stir and leave to one side so the apricots plump up.  Add the other cup of boiling water to a glass or jug and add your stock cube to dissolve.

Mix all of your chicken and veges together in an ovenproof dish.

Add your plumped up apricots and mustard along with any remaining liquid and mix well.  Pour over the stock cube and water once it is completely dissolved.

Cover the dish with a lid if it has one, or with some tinfoil, and cook in the preheated oven for 30 mins.  Remove from oven and mix the 2 tsp flour with enough water to form a paste and mix this into the stew.  Return to the oven and cook uncovered for a further 20 mins or until the sauce is nice and thick.  Season to taste with some salt and pepper.

Serve with rice or just by itself (or with some relish if you have more jars in the fridge that need using up)