Ingredients

• 2 1/2-3 lbs cooked chicken breasts (chicken pieces or whole cooked chicken)
• 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
• 1 small onion, peeled and diced finely
• 1 tablespoon curry paste
• 1 tablespoon tomato puree
• 2 fluid ounces red wine
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 lemon, juice of
• 4 canned apricot halves
• 1 tablespoon apricot jam
• 1/2 pint mayonnaise
• 4 fluid ounces whipping cream
• salt & pepper
• watercress (to garnish)

Instructions

1. Remove the skin and any bones from the chicken and cut into small pieces.

2. Heat up the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan and add the onion. Cook on a medium heat for about 3 minutes until the Onion is soft and translucent.

3. Add the curry paste, tomato puree, red wine, bay leaf and the lemon juice to the cooked onions.

4. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for about 10 minutes until reduced. Remove the bay leaf and leave to onion sauce to cool.

5. Finely chop the apricot halves and puree them through a sieve or with a hand held blender.

6. Place the pureed apricots into a bowl and mix in the mayonnaise.

7. Add the onion sauce and apricot jam and mix well.

8. Whip the cream to stiff peaks and fold this also into the mixture. Mix well.

9. Season with salt & pepper and if necessary add a little extra Lemon Juice.

10. Finally, fold in the chicken pieces coating them with the mixture well.

11. Garnish with watercress and serve.

12. Serves 4 to 6 as a salad with additional salad ingredients, or makes 8 rounds of sandwiches. Also wonderful as a vol au vents or pie filling.