Apricot-Glazed Roast Chicken

Ingredients

• 1 whole chicken, about 1.8 kg
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1½ tsp fine salt
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 80 g apricot jam
• Black pepper

Method

1. Mix the cumin, cinnamon and fine salt. Pat the chicken dry, then season the cavity with black pepper and a pinch of the spice mix.
2. Rub the remaining spice mix all over the chicken, working it into the creases and beneath the breast skin where you can reach without tearing it.
3. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, or overnight. Take the chicken out while the oven heats so it loses the hard fridge chill, but do not leave it at room temperature for longer than 30 minutes.
4. Heat the oven to 190°C fan. Sit the chicken breast-side up in a roasting tin and rub the olive oil over the skin.
5. Roast for 60 minutes. The skin should be bronze and the juices should be running into the tin, but the chicken will finish cooking after it is glazed.
6. Warm the apricot jam in a small saucepan for 1 minute, until loose enough to brush. Add a pinch of salt if it tastes flatly sweet.
7. Brush the chicken generously with the jam, including the legs and wing joints. Turn the oven up to 220°C fan and roast for another 10 to 15 minutes, brushing once more halfway through, until the glaze is bubbling and mahogany-dark. Watch the edges closely because the sugar catches quickly.
8. Check the thickest part of the thigh reaches 75°C for 30 seconds. Rest the chicken loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes, then carve and spoon over the glossy pan juices.