1. To make stuffing, melt butter in a medium saucepan. Add onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until onion is soft. Add stock to pan and bring to boil. Transfer to a large bowl. Add stuffing mixture, walnuts, apricots and parsley. Season with salt and pepper.
2. Trim excess fat from chicken. Keeping double breasts intact, use a meat mallet or rolling pin to flatten chicken between two sheets of plastic wrap until they are about 1.5cm thick.

3. Divide stuffing evenly over chicken breasts, leaving a 2cm border. Make sure to press the mixture firmly onto breasts.

4. Lay a chorizo sausage down the centre of chicken where the two breasts connect. Bring both sides of chicken to meet in the middle to enclose stuffing and sausage. Secure with kitchen string at 3cm intervals. Place in a baking dish. Brush with oil. Season with salt and pepper.
5. To make glaze, combine jam and brandy in a small saucepan. Stir constantly over low heat until jam has melted, then bring to boil. Remove from heat once boiling.
6. Cook chicken in a moderate oven (180C) for 30 minutes. Remove chicken from oven, then increase oven temperature to hot (200C). Brush glaze over chicken, then return to oven and cook for a further 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is cooked through. Remove from oven. Stand for 5 minutes before slicing.
7. Serve chicken with steamed snow peas and roast potatoes and pumpkin.

Tip: Chorizo is a Spanish spicy pork sausage, but you can substitute any kind of sausage for the chorizo. Stuffed chicken can be prepared up to one day in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.

For more great Barbara Northwood recipes, check out the latest issue of New Idea, on sale now!