Apricot Chicken: an irresistibly delicious way to make chicken 

When it comes to amazing flavor, apricot chicken has it all. Deliciously sweet, perfectly savory, with just the right amount of spice, apricot chicken is a wonderful dish to make for any occasion. The tender pieces of chicken are coated in a rich, sticky sauce that's impossible to resist.

Made with fresh apricots, spices, and hot sauce, every bite is packed with flavor. Apricot chicken is super easy to make and is a fantastic meal to serve when you want to impress people with your cooking skills. Serve it over steamed rice or egg noodles for a mouthwatering meal that will have everyone coming back for seconds.

Apricot Chicken Ingredients

To make this gorgeous dinner, you'll need chicken breasts. You can use chicken thighs if you prefer, but keep in mind you may need to cook them a little longer.

To give the dish its sweet-tangy flavor, you'll need the fresh apricots, some apple cider vinegar, and some sugar.

Hot sauce adds an incredible spicy kick, while cinnamon adds a warm spiced note.

You'll also need some chicken stock to make the sauce, plus a handful of chopped parsley to garnish the dish.

How to Make Apricot Chicken

Making apricot chicken at home is super easy, which is fortunate because it's such a delicious dinner, you'll want to make it again and again! Start by combining the apricots, sugar, and vinegar in a bowl. Put them off to the side.

Next, sauté the first batch of chicken in your pan. Season it with salt, and cook until the chicken is nicely browned on both sides. Take the chicken out of the skillet with a slotted spoon and pop it in a bowl. Cook the remaining batches of chicken.

Once all the chicken has been cooked, sauté the onions until they start browning. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. This step is a must as it will add so much flavor to your dish. Deglaze the pan with chicken stock and give everything a good stir. Set 1 2/3 cups of apricots off to the side.

Pour the remaining apricots plus any additional juices into a blender and puree until totally smooth. Pour the puree into your pan, then mix the cinnamon, rosemary, and hot sauce into the sauce. Let the mixture come to a simmer, then reduce the heat and cook the sauce for 10 to 20 minutes. The sauce should be slightly thickened.

Finally, put the chicken and apricots into the skillet. Simmer the dish for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with parsley and serve over rice or noodles.

Apricot Chicken Variations 

There are a few tasty apricot chicken variations to try. Instead of using fresh apricots, you can use apricot jam.

For more spice, use fresh chilis instead of hot sauce.

If you want a more savory dish, try adding a splash of soy sauce or Worchestershire sauce.

You can also add some veggies to your apricot chicken to make it even tastier.

No apricots? Try this recipe with nectarines, peaches, or plums.

Jewish apricot chicken adds carrots, plus dried prunes and dried apricots.

Moroccan apricot chicken is another fabulous dish to try. Just add ginger, bell peppers, cumin, coriander, turmeric, tomatoes, and garnish with mint – delicious!

What to Serve with Traditional Apricot Chicken

Serve your apricot chicken with a side of steamed rice, noodles, cauliflower rice, or roasted potatoes, bell peppers, squash, or sweet potatoes. Don't forget some freshly baked crusty bread so you can mop up that gorgeous apricot sauce!

Tips for Making Easy Apricot Chicken

If you don't have fresh apricots, you can use a mixture of apricot jam and dried apricots as a substitute. Dice about 12 dried apricots, mix them with the jam, then stir them into the stock.

Instead of cooking your apricot chicken in a skillet, you can bake it in the oven at 350F for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165F internal temperature.

To make slow cooker apricot chicken, cook on low for 6 to 8 hours or on high for 3 to 4 hours.

You can also grill your apricot chicken. Grill it for 10 minutes on each side, or until the breasts reach 165F internal temperature.

How to Store Apricot Chicken

Let the chicken cool slightly, then transfer it to an airtight container and put it in the fridge for up to 4 days. To reheat it, warm it in a pan until the chicken is completely heated through.

Can You Freeze Apricot Chicken?

You can freeze your apricot chicken to enjoy later. Frozen apricot chicken will last up to 3 months.

More Recipes You'll Like

• Baked honey chicken
• Honey dijon chicken
• Sesame chicken

Instructions

Combine apricots, sugar, and vinegar in a bowl. Set aside.

Heat 1 tablespoon of butter and 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Place the first batch of chicken in the pan. Season with salt.

Brown on one side, then flip the chicken and brown on the second side. Remove with a slotted spoon to a bowl, then cook the remaining batches of chicken and remove then again.

Heat the remaining oil in the pan. Add the onions and sauté until they start browning. Scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Deglaze the pan with chicken stock. Reduce the heat to medium.

Place 1 2/3 cups of apricots aside. Pour the remaining apricots plus juices into a blender. Puree until smooth, then add to the skillet.

Add in cinnamon, rosemary, and hot sauce, then let the mixture come to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 10 to 20 minutes until the sauce thickens. Season with pepper.

Add the diced peaches.

Place the chicken into the skillet.

Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Garnish with parsley.

Serve and enjoy!

Notes

Use low-sodium chicken stock to reduce the salt content of this dish.