This apricot chicken is so quick to make and couldn’t be more delicious if it tried!
This is such a nifty recipe that I know you’re going to have it on repeat; mainly because it’s so easy, but also because it’s unbelievably tasty! Follow me…
Apricot Sauce for Chicken
Chicken pairs nicely with a range of different fruits, but apricot has to be one of my favourites. And please don’t be put off if you’re not a huge fan of apricots, I’m confident you’ll still love this!
The sauce is actually more of a sticky glaze. It only requires 4 ingredients:
- Apricot Conserve – I couldn’t confidently tell you the difference between jam, conserve and preserve without probably being wrong, but I buy apricot conserve. Either way, try and get a good-quality pot as it makes up the bulk of the sauce.
- Soy Sauce – This balances out the sweetness with some salty flavour.
- Vinegar – This is also used to cut through the sweetness. I use rice vinegar but any clear vinegar will work (white wine, apple cider etc).
- Sriracha – Adds a very gentle background heat. You’ll barely notice it, but it helps to balance the flavours.
Process shots: add ingredients to bowl (photo 1), stir to combine (photo 2).
Preparing Apricot Chicken
I prefer using chicken thigh over breast in this recipe for a couple of reasons. First is that it’s fattier, meaning the excess fat can be used to fry the onion (plus more fat = more flavour). It’s also more difficult to overcook, meaning you can build up a nice crust without the meat drying out.
Coating the chicken
I coat the chicken in seasoning and flour before frying it. The flour is important as it helps build up a crust on the chicken, which in turn helps absorb the sauce and help it cling to the chicken. Otherwise, it just slips off.
Cashew nuts
I LOVE adding cashews to this recipe. They not only bulk out the dish, but they pair beautifully with both the chicken and the sauce (fruit + nut = heaven). Please don’t skip them unless you can’t have them.
Process shots: season chicken then add flour (photo 1), stir to coat (photo 2), add cashews to oil (photo 3), fry then remove (photo 4), add chicken (photo 5), fry photo 6).
Sticky Apricot Chicken
The final step is adding the onion to the leftover oil. The onion helps further provide some savoury depth to the dish and balance out the apricot jam.
After you’ve fried the onion you can add the chicken, cashews and sauce to the pan and give it all a good stir. Because this sauce is so thick you don’t need to spend time simmering it. Just bung it in the pan, give it a mix and you’re good to go!
Process shots: remove chicken (photo 7), add onion (photo 8), fry (photo 9), add everything back to pan and stir (photo 10).
Serving Apricot Chicken
You can serve this with a variety of different things (check out my Side Dishes for inspo). I actually love serving with giant cous cous. I typically free-ball the quantities, but just toss the cooked cous cous with a knob of butter, plenty of finely diced fresh parsley and plenty of lemon juice (work to taste). Season well too.
Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this apricot chicken shall we?!
How to make Apricot Chicken (Full Recipe & Video)
Sticky Apricot Chicken
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Equipment
- Sharp Knife & Chopping Board
- Large Mixing Bowl (for chicken)
- Small Mixing Bowl (for sauce)
- Large Pan, Tongs & Wooden Spoon
- Slotted Spoon
Ingredients
- 600g / 1.3lbs boneless skinless Chicken Thighs
- 1/2 tsp EACH: Salt, Ginger Powder, Garlic Powder
- 1/4 tsp White Pepper
- 3 tbsp Plain Flour
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
- 100g / 3.5oz unsalted Cashews
- 200g / 7oz Apricot Conserve/Jam (see notes)
- 1 1/2 tbsp Light Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Rice Vinegar (sub white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar)
- 1/2 tbsp Sriracha
- 1 medium White Onion
Instructions
- Dice the chicken into bite-sized pieces then combine in a large bowl with garlic powder, ginger powder, salt and white pepper. Stir in the flour until evenly coated then place to one side (it'll be a little sticky which is fine).
- Add 2 tbsp oil to a large pan over medium heat. Add the cashews and fry until deep golden, then use a slotted spoon to transfer them to a bowl to one side, leaving the excess oil behind. Be vigilant as you fry them because they burn quickly.
- Increase the heat to medium-high and space out the chicken. Fry for around 4 minutes each side, or until the chicken forms a golden crust on the outside and is cooked right through the centre (timings will depend on the size of the chicken pieces). Use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to one side with the cashews, leaving any excess oil behind. While the chicken is cooking you can combine the jam, soy sauce, vinegar and sriracha in a bowl and also finely dice the onion.
- Lower the pan heat to medium and fry the onion until soft and golden. Add the cashews, chicken and sauce and give it a good stir until everything is evenly coated in the sauce.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Notes
b) Chicken coating – The flour is important as it helps build up a crust on the chicken which in turn helps absorb the sauce and help it cling to the chicken. Otherwise it just slips off.
c) Apricot jam – I couldn’t tell you the difference between jam and conserve without probably being wrong, but I typically pick up apricot conserve from the shops. Try and get a good quality pot as it makes up the bulk of the sauce.
d) Cashews – These not only bulk out the dish, but they pair beautifully with both the chicken and the sauce (where there’s fruit there’s nuts!). Please don’t skip them unless you can’t have them.
e) Serving – I serve with giant cous cous. I typically free-ball the quantities, but just toss the cooked cous cous with a knob of butter, plenty of finely diced fresh parsley and plenty of lemon juice (work to taste). Season well too.
f) Calories – Whole recipe divided by 4 (just the chicken – no side).
Nutrition
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