Description
One Pan Apricot Chicken is a quick, easy recipe that’s impressive enough for a special occasion but simple enough for a weeknight meal. Pan seared chicken breasts are covered with a thick, sweet apricot sauce that’s made with fresh apricots.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
- 4 chicken breasts
- Salt and pepper
- 2 teaspoons olive oil or coconut oil
- 8 to 9 ripe apricots (about 2 cups when chopped)
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (such as Pinot Grigio, or Chardonnay)
- 1/2 cup chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest (set it aside)
- Juice of 1 orange
- 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon Honey (or more if needed depending on the sweetness of your apricots)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
Instructions
- Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Place your chicken breasts on a plate and sprinkle the side facing up with salt and pepper. Heat up the oil for a minute. Place the chicken breasts seasoned side down in the skillet. Sprinkle the bare side facing up with salt and pepper. Cook chicken breasts 5 to 8 minutes per side, or until the internal temperature reaches 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove chicken breasts onto a clean plate or dish and cover with foil to keep warm.
- While the chicken is cooking chop up your apricots into 1 inch pieces and zest the orange, then measure out the liquid ingredients for the sauce.
- To make the sauce add wine, chicken broth, orange juice, chopped apricots, honey, and salt to the pan. Turn the heat up to high and allow the sauce to come a boil. Boil, uncovered, for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce should reduce by half and the apricots should break down a little but still be pretty chunky. The sauce should be pretty thick and cling to the back of your spoon.
- NOTE: If you need to thicken the sauce a little add ½ teaspoon arrowroot powder or cornstarch to a small bowl. Whisk it with a little water and stir it into the sauce. Allow it to cook for 1 minute until the sauce thickens a little. I didn’t always find this to be necessary but it’s good to do if the apricots start falling apart too much.
- Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more salt for saltiness, or more honey if the sauce is too tart.
- Remove from heat and stir in the thyme leaves and the orange zest. Spoon over the warm chicken breasts. Serve immediately.
- Store leftovers in separate containers, keeping the sauce separate from the chicken. Reheat gently.
Notes
In the picture I have some roasted broccoli. To make the broccoli preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Place 1 head of broccoli florets on a large rimmed baking sheet. Toss with 2 teaspoons olive oil and some salt and pepper. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, flipping halfway through. The small bits should be slightly charred and crispy. Serve immediately.
