How do you plump up dried apricots please?

kiwitrish, Oct 27, 2:52am
x2
Have a Kg of dried apricots that I need to plump up for the apricot chicken.How do I go about it?

cookessentials, Oct 27, 2:55am
Soak in hot water for 15-20 minutes or you can leave overnight in cold water.

kiwitrish, Oct 27, 2:58am
Thank you for that.Do I completely cover them with the water?

cookessentials, Oct 27, 2:59am
just enough to cover them should be fine

kiwitrish, Oct 27, 2:59am
Thanks again.

grannypam, Oct 27, 3:02am
I zap them in the microwave for a few minutes..depending on how many..

alebix, Oct 27, 3:28am
I dont plump mine up before cooking as its happeins during the cooking process (i generally slow cook them though).

elliehen, Oct 27, 5:16am
Following the advice of Alison Holst, I plump up sultanas and sometimes currants before using in baking - saves them from sucking liquid from the mixture.

uli, Oct 27, 5:21am
Yeah could be problem if the apricots suck the moisture out of the chicken ...

juliewn, Oct 27, 9:07am
Hi Kiwitrish.. if there's any liquid left over from soaking the apricot's, use it as part of the liquid in the recipe.. this add's a little extra flavour from the apricots..

skydancing, Oct 28, 9:38am
i do a stuffed rolled boned chicken that uses cream cheese and dried apricots which have been soaked in orange juice overnight. Mix with seeded mustard. Delicious.

korbo, Oct 28, 6:28pm
sky..could you tell me more a bout how you get a boned chicken, or do you do it yourself. sounds devine and have always loved this, but dont know how to make it.....thanks.

uli, Jun 30, 11:54am
Deboning a chicken or duck is quite easy korbo. All you need is a small sharp knife (or several) and some patience.

I personally start at the breast bone - some other articles I saw on the net when I first tried it start at the back.

So I cut along the breast bone of the chicken and then work my way along the sides - always close to the ribs. I do that on both sides.

I then cut through the joints of the legs and wings, so they stay attached to the meat and skin and then turn the chook over and do the back.

You end up with a nice soup carcass (I freeze it and roast several lots of bones together before making a big pot of soup) and a very flat chicken.

You can then stuff it (hundreds of nice stuffing ideas) - then roll it up and sew it together and roast it.