Apricot Chicken Casserole.

 Serves 4

Ingredients

1kg Chicken Pieces.

Seasoned flour.

1x 415ml can Ardmona Apricot Nectar.

I packet French Onion Soup Mix

Toasted almond Slivers.

6 spring onion curls.

Method

1. Coat chicken pieces with seasoned flour.
2. Place in shallow casserole dish for conventional cooking or in a single layer shallow dish for microwaving.

Conventional Cooking:

1. Combine Armona Apricot Nectar and soup mix in a saucepan.
2. Heat until thickened.
3. Pour over chicken pieces, cover and bake in moderate oven 180 degrees for 1 to 1 ½ hours.

Microwave Cooking:

1. Combine Armona Apricot Nectar and soup mix together in a jug.
2. Microwave on High for 4 minutes on high.
3. Pour over chicken, and then cover with plastic wrap.
4. Microwave casserole on high for 20-30 minutes or until cooked.

 
MUM'S TIPS
1. Seasoned flour consists of plain flour, salt and pepper.
2. Always grease the baking dish.
3. Add some dried apricots to the recipe. Sometimes the dried apricots were cut into halfs or slices, whilst other times, mum just kept them whole.  It depended on how she felt when she was cooking.  
I cannot be certain, but I think she used to place the apricots into the casserole dish in the last 10-15 minutes, although I do remember she sometimes put  the sliced apricots into the apricot nectar sauce and then poured it over the chicken pieces before cooking it as in the conventional manner outlined above.
NB: I am not sure what she used to do with the slivered almonds or onion curls but I am assuming she might have used these for decorations or perhaps put into the dish in the last few minutes.  I really dont know what she did.

4. When mum made this casserole, she always cooked it in the conventional way, since mum never used a microwave in her life.  She always said that she left it too late in life to change.
Still, I can vouch for the taste success test when I used the microwave to cook this casserole.
This recipe is certainly suitable to freeze and reheat as required in the microwave.

This recipe can be served with rice and/or potatoes and vegetables of your choice.