Marinated Apricot and Olive Roast Chicken

My mom introduced me to this recipe about 5 years ago, and every time I've served it at a dinner party, people literally lick the bowl. I've found it does turn out best when marinated ahead of time, but I've only ever done 2-6 hours, not the 24 hours the recipe originally called for. And the sauce is flavorful enough that even if you don't have time to marinate, it can still work. Could also be an excellent sauce for a white fish like tilapia.

Yield: 6 servings.

Boneless skinless chicken breasts to serve 6 (you can also do thighs,
other pieces, etc, I just like the white meat best)
1 1/2 t salt
5 large cloves garlic, peeled
4 t. ground cumin (1T + 1t)
1 ½ t paprika
1/3 c sherry vinegar (you can also do regular distilled white vinegar
with a tablespoon of sherry mixed in)
1/3 c orange juice
¼ c honey
3 T olive oil
Rice
4-5 oz. dried apricots
24 whole black olives

Wash and dry the chicken pieces thoroughly. Press down on the breasts with your hand to flatten slightly. With a sharp knife poke slits in both sides of each chicken piece to allow marinade to penetrate. Put chicken in a large bowl. Toss with 1 ½ t salt. Crush the garlic cloves, sprinkle with a little salt, and mince into a fine paste, and add to bowl and coat chicken with it.

Put cumin, paprika, sherry vinegar, OJ, honey and olive oil in a small bowl, whisk to thoroughly combine.

Scrape the above ingredients the big chicken bowl and marinate the chicken, plus 4-5 oz. dried apricots and 24 whole black olives, for 4-6 hours (up to 24 hours for maximum flavor). Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate while marinating. Makes sure everything has marinate coating it.

Up to an hour ahead, remove the chicken from the refrigerator. Pour chicken and marinade into baking dish. Tuck apricots and olives under and around the chicken pieces. Let it sit at least 20 minutes to warm up a bit. Meanwhile heat oven to 400.
Bake the dish about 25 minutes at 400, check at 20 minutes to make sure it isn't overcooking.

Serve over rice.