Turn on the oven to 200 °C.
Take one free-range chicken and cut it through the backbone. (Kitchen scissors are best for this butchery!)
Lay it out and lean on the breastbone so it splays out flat. Season both sides well with salt, pepper, Ina Paarmans spice for chicken and any mix of herbs. Add some paprika and a small shake of cayenne pepper for zing.
In an oven dish, melt a few cubes of butter (or a tablespoon of olive oil) on top of the stove briefly, and add an onion that has been peeled and sliced so that it just starts to soften. Then place the chicken on top of the onion slices, skin side up.
Dissolve half a block of chicken stock in half a cup of boiling water. Add a tablespoon or two of tomato sauce, two tablespoons of apricot jam (or some fruit chutney) and a table spoon of sweet chilli sauce. Pour this over the chicken so it runs off to surround the chicken but doesn't drown it. You can add a few veges to the sauce - peeled, cubed butternut and sweet potato is good.
Bake in the oven for about an hour and a half depending on the size of the chicken. (Rule of thumb is 20 mins per 500 g and 15 mins extra, but its hard to overcook chicken!)
When cooked it should be soft and spicy and yummy. Slice up hunks of it with the kitchen scissors and serve with the veges and some couscous or rice.
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