Apricot Chicken

Every year I look forward to the stone fruit season which starts around November here in Australia. Apricots peaches and mangoes are some of my favourite fruits and it’s inevitable that they will make their way into my cooking, as in this easy and delicious Asian inspired Apricot Chicken. If apricots were in season, I would add fresh quartered apricots to this one pan wonder. Otherwise, the apricot goodness comes from Apricot Nectar and Apricot Conserve only. Incidentally,Apricot nectar is also great to use in cocktails! Splash of gin, lots of ice then fill with Apricot Nectar. We’ll call this Adele’s Apricot Stunner, but this recipe is for another day.

What you need to make Apricot Chicken

As with most of my recipes, everything you need is probably already in your fridge and pantry.

• Chicken Pieces – I like to use thigh cutlets as they remain moist during the cooking process. If you are using boneless, cut them up into serving pieces. If using bone-in thigh cutlets, adjust the cooking time by about 10 minutes.
• Apricot Conserve, Apricot Nectar Drink (such as Golden Circle brand),Onion,Garlic,Ginger,Soy Sauce,Stock Powder,Flour and Salt and Pepper. If Gluten is an issue, substitute plain flour with Corn Flour. You also need a bit of oil for pan frying. Sweet Potato goes really well with this Chicken dish, but can be substituted with potatoes if you don’t have/like Sweet Potatoes.
• You need an oven proof pan ideally with a cover. Or cover with foil. Please note that this is cooked uncovered for the last 10 minutes of cooking time to thicken the sauce and to brown the chicken a little bit.

Easy does it.

• Season the chicken pieces with salt and pepper and dredge with a little bit of flour.
• Pan fry the chicken pieces in a little bit of oil until golden.
  
• Set the chicken to one side of the pan and add the garlic, onion and ginger. Then deglaze pan with Apricot nectar.
  
• Add the rest of the ingredients and cover and bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for another 10 minutes. Sprinkle with Chilli Flakes before serving, if you want it a bit spicy.

To serve and other Options:

• With Steamed Rice
• Serve with blanched Asian Greens like bok choy, Asparagus or Broccolini
• Make it Moroccan by omitting the soy sauce and substituting it with a juice of half a lemon. Add the following spices 1/2 teaspoon of cumin, 1/2 teaspoon of paprika and 1/4 teaspoon of cinnamon powder after cooking the onions.
• Love more apricots? Add a handful of sliced and pitted fresh or dried apricots before baking.
• Serve with yoghurt and a simple green salad.

Apricot Chicken

Recipe by Lola Adele

0.0 from 0 votes

Course: MainCuisine: GlobalDifficulty: Easy

Servings

4

servings

Prep time

10

minutes

Cooking time

40

minutes

Easy and Delicious Asian Inspired Apricot Chicken

Ingredients

• 500g Chicken Thigh Cutlets, with or without Bones

• Salt and Pepper to taste

• Flour for dredging

• 2 teaspoons Cooking Oil

• 1 onion, peeled and sliced

• 4 cloves garlic,minced

• Thumb sized ginger, peeled and grated

• 1 teaspoon stock powder(like Vegeta) or 1 crumbled Chicken Stock Cube

• 1/2 jar Apricot Conserve( about 150g)

• 1/2 cup Apricot Nectar drink

• 2 tablespoons soy sauce

• 1 Sweet Potato, peeled and cut up into serving pieces,optional

• Chilli Flakes,optional

• To serve:

• Steamed Rice

• Steamed Greens, such as Asparagus or Broccolini

Directions

• Cut the chicken into serving pieces. Season with salt and pepper then dredge with some flour. Preheat oven to 175°C fan forced.
• Place an oven safe pan on medium heat and add cooking oil. When oil is hot, pan fry the chicken pieces on one side, then on the other until nice and golden. Set the chicken to one side of the pan then add sliced onions, grated ginger and garlic.
• Add apricot nectar to the pan and use a spatula or wooden spoon to loosen up the bits on the bottom of the pan. Stir in soy sauce and apricot conserve. Return the chicken to the middle of the pan, and spoon some of the sauce on top.
• Nestle the cut up sweet potatoes amongst the chicken, then cover the pan and bake in a preheated oven for about 25 minutes.
• Uncover the pan, and bake for another 10 minutes, by which time the chicken and sweet potatoes will be tender and the sauce is thickened.
• Remove from the oven and sprinkle with chilli flakes if desired.
• Serve with steamed greens and steamed rice.

Notes

• Australian Standards used all throughout.