Classic Apricot Chicken (Printable Version)

Tender chicken in sweet apricot sauce with garlic and thyme. A comforting 45-minute meal perfect for family dinners.

# What You'll Need:

→ Poultry

01 - 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 1.5 lbs)

→ Sauce

02 - 1 cup apricot preserves
03 - 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
04 - 2 tablespoons soy sauce (use gluten-free if needed)
05 - 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
06 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
07 - 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
08 - 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

→ For Cooking

09 - 1 tablespoon olive oil
10 - Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

→ Garnish (optional)

11 - 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
12 - Sliced fresh apricots

# How To Make It:

01 - Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels and season both sides generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
02 - Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add chicken breasts and sear for 3–4 minutes per side until golden brown. Remove chicken from skillet and set aside on a plate.
03 - Lower the heat to medium. Add minced garlic to the same skillet and sauté for 30 seconds until fragrant, being careful not to burn it.
04 - Stir in apricot preserves, chicken broth, soy sauce, Dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, and dried thyme. Whisk thoroughly to combine and bring the mixture to a gentle simmer.
05 - Return chicken breasts to the skillet, spooning sauce over the top. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 20–25 minutes, turning the chicken once halfway through, until chicken is cooked through (internal temperature reaches 165°F) and sauce has slightly thickened.
06 - Remove the lid and continue simmering uncovered for an additional 3–5 minutes if a thicker, more concentrated sauce is desired.
07 - Transfer chicken to serving plates and spoon remaining sauce generously over the top. Garnish with chopped fresh parsley and fresh apricot slices if desired. Serve immediately with jasmine rice, couscous, or steamed vegetables.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The sauce achieves this magical balance where sweet meets tangy meets savory, and suddenly you're licking your plate
  • It comes together in under an hour but tastes like something that simmered all afternoon
  • Even picky eaters who claim they hate 'fancy' sauces go back for seconds without realizing how little effort went into it
02 -
  • The sauce thickens as it cools slightly, so don't panic if it looks thinner than you want while it's still bubbling hot
  • Dried thyme works fine here, but fresh thyme stems added during simmering and removed before serving makes it taste somehow more expensive
03 -
  • Pound your chicken to even thickness before cooking, it's the difference between uniformly juicy meat and that one piece that's somehow dry in the middle
  • Let the chicken rest for a few minutes after cooking so the juices redistribute instead of running all over your cutting board

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