Clive's Chinese "Red" Chicken

As we celebrated the Chinese New Year of the Ox (sometimes Bull) Clive was looking for a way of cooking something genuinely Chinese but that is easy to do. Look no further than the Apricot Jam Sweet and Sour French Onion Chicken Recipe phoned in by Lillian. Not very Chinese but certainly easy.

Our food guru Bill Buckley raised an eyebrow, especially at the notion that you use any salad dressing as long as it's red! I have now tried this recipe using Sainsbury's Taste the Difference Pepper and Piri Piri salad dressing, it's not that red and a little bit spicy but it definitely did work.

Here's the recipe - try it at your own risk!

Ingredients
1 bottle of red salad dressing (some say Russian Style - if you can't find this in the shops, you can make your own)
1 packet of dried french onion soup mix
8 chicken thighs or 4 chicken breasts
1 drained tin of mushrooms
1/2 a cup of apricot jam
1 teaspoon of mustard powder

Put all six ingredients into a dish and into a pre heated oven for 75 minutes at 190C (375F, Gas Mark 5).

Do let me know if you dare try it!

Russian Salad Dressing
1/4 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons water
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup ketchup
juice of 1 lemon, 2 to 3 tablespoons
1 tablespoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 1/2 teaspoons celery seed
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup grated onion