Sticky, gooey, and sweet apricot chicken loaded with flavor from a simple combination of seasonings mixed with apricot preserves. This chicken is simple to prepare, making it a wonderful choice for a weeknight or any type of meal.
This is a meal introduced to me by my Dad when he took over most of the cooking during my childhood. Honestly, when I saw it, I cringed. What the heck are apricots and why is it all over the chicken. Just eat it, he would say. So I did. And I loved it.
Of course, his recipe was from a packet mixed with apricot preserves and whatever. Me being me, I had to replicate it because I don’t want all that stuff in the packet in my food. So, here is my version and I have to say, it’s freaking delicious.
Check out the ingredients on those packets and see what you think. Now check out what you'll need to make a homemade version - kosher salt, dehydrated onion (a must for your pantry), granulated garlic, and crushed red pepper. Mix it with Dijon mustard, soy sauce, and apricot preserves. BAM!
It only takes minutes to prepare too. Mix the sauce ingredients in a bowl, coat the chicken, place it in the baking dish and bake. How easy is that?
TOOLS YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE APRICOT CHICKEN:
Since this is a sticky gooey sauce, I lightly coat the baking dish with a little oil. I’ve found that doing this makes cleaning the pan easier. Actually, I make someone else wash the dish so really it’s not a big deal for me! But it does make it easier.
Serve this with rice or potatoes and a salad or vegetables and you’ve got a great meal.
LIKE CHICKEN? THEN YOU SHOULD TRY:
Broiled mustard garlic chicken breasts
Addictive sticky teriyaki chicken wings
Grilled rosemary spatchcock chicken
Wake Up and Smell the Coffee-Rubbed Chicken Thighs
Life is too short for mediocre food.
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Apricot Chicken
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Ingredients
- 8 skin on, bone-in chicken thighs excess skin from underside removed
Apricot sauce:
- ¼ cup soy sauce* low sodium
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 cup apricot preserves
- 1 tablespoon dehydrated onion
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons granulated garlic
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven 425°
- Lightly oil a 9x13 baking dish. Optional, but this makes cleanup a little easier.
- In a large bowl, combine the apricot sauce ingredients.
- Add the chicken thighs into the bowl and coat with sauce. Reserve leftover sauce.
- Place the thighs skin side down into the baking dish and bake for 20 minutes.
- Flip thighs over and spoon leftover sauce over the top of the thighs and bake for another 25 - 30 minutes. I like mine dark and a little charred on top so I go the full 30 minutes.
Notes
Nutritional Information
I don't post the nutritional value because I don't trust the accuracy of the nutritional apps. I’m not a nutritionist and don't want to post misinformation.
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Melanie
Delicious! My kids and hubby love it!
Natalie
Great! Thank you for commenting. I appreciate it and the rating as well! 🙂
Donna
This was a really tasty recipe, my husband really enjoyed it too! I thought it was super well balanced, the apricot flavor comes through without being too over powering. I made this on the stovetop in a pan and come out really well. Thanks for the recipe.
Jackie
It was ok. I was expecting more flavour. I made according to the instructions but I found the sauce wasn’t as tasty as I thought it would be. A bit bland to be honest. I expected the apricot flavour to really come through but it didn’t.
I don’t know that I will make it again. Teriyaki is far better.
Karina–Oh!
To each his own Jackie, I always say. I'm preparing this exact recipe myself as I type this out. Actually, my son prepped it as he is my helper in the kitchen since I have limited mobility. 😁 I could really taste the dijon mustard in the sauce but I know that once the juices and fat from the chicken mix in with all the other ingredients, the taste will be better and much different. I'm thinking that the apricot preserves serve more to bring about the stickiness to the recipe then to add an abundance of sweetness to the mix. Whether a dish like this is bland to one person or just perfect to another is because it's a subjective opinion according to each individuals liking.
Barbara Anderson
I love this recipe! I don’t understand why people change the recipe before they even try it the original way! It’s a winner! Thank you! 🩷
Natalie
Great! Thank you for commenting. 🙂 This has been a family favorite for years. Enjoy!
Tina
Just put it in the oven. I did switch it up a tad. I used a lipton onion soup mix and 2 cans of halved apricots with the juice from 1 can. It smells delicious. I did try the sauce and it's amazing!! Will definitely make again!! Thank you for the delicious recipe 😋
Karina–Oh!
I like the idea of adding canned apricot halves and juice to the recipe. I think that's a great addition; more like an extension to the recipe instead of a change to it. I will definitely add the apricot halves the next go round making this!
Judi
Absolutely amazing!!! I had a jar of farm stand peach preserves. Reduced the salt to 1 teaspoon because I only had regular soy sauce. Not sure why low sodium soy sauce is recommended and then 2 teaspoons of salt😀The sauce is amazing on rice. Made 4 thighs but full sauce recipe…perfect amount.. Keeper for sure. Thank you.
Ashley
Very good! I am not a good cook and I’ve already been disappointed by two other baked chicken recipes (not from this creator). This chicken was sooooo good! Definitely going to make it again. I used half bone in thighs and half boneless because I had them. I also used yellow mustard because I didn’t know we were out of Dijon. Still very good. Husband approved!
Natalie
Thank you!
Jessica Ferrara
OMG! I made this tonight and my whole family enjoyed it! Zero left overs! This will be in my rotation for sure. Thank you so much!!
Natalie
Happy to hear it! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Bonnie
7/19/24 unfortunately I didn't have apricot preserves on hand... so I used orange marmalade. Was delish... Will try with apricot preserves next time. This is a keeper.
Natalie
Orange marmalade sounds delicious too! 🙂
K.M.
This was delicious! Will definitely be adding it to the rotation!
Natalie
Happy you enjoyed it. 🙂
Lisa
Do you think I could use peach preserves?
Natalie
Sure. I don't see why not. It will just be a different flavor. 🙂
Cassie
Any thoughts on using my crock pot?
Natalie
It's not something I've tried. I would imagine the chicken steamed rather than roasted. I'm sure it will taste good because it's all about the sauce.
If I were to do it, I would slow cook for about 3 - 4 hours then broil them to get that caramelization. 🙂
Paula C
This was EXCELLENT! The sauce…I could drink it! LOL. I used a little on the baked sweet potato that I made to accompany this and that too was a perfect match! Thank you very much for sharing this recipe. I will make it many more times 😋
Natalie
You are very welcome! Thank you for commenting. 🙂
Becca
Can you make with boneless?
Natalie
Yes, but you will have to reduce the time. I would try reducing it by 15 minutes and then check. 🙂
Susan Walters
I made this and froze it with raw chicken. I thawed it in the fridge for 2 days then followed the cooking instructions. It was fantastic !!! Thanks so much
Natalie
You're very welcome. 🙂
Laura
Could you use orange marmalade in place of apricot preserves??
Natalie
I haven't tried using orange but I bet it would work just fine. Let me know how it comes out. 🙂
Betty H
This was SO good! Does it freeze well?
Natalie
I've never frozen it. There's never any leftovers. 🙂
Crystal
Hi, could you grill this chicken?
Natalie
I've never grilled it and feel it may burn and stick to the grill. If you try it, I would set it over indirect heat. Let me know how it comes out.
Shirley
Love this sauce. I scored chicken breast and put sauce on them. Delicious! Thank you.
Natalie
You're very welcome. Thank you for commenting!