Apricot Grilled Chicken Recipe From Scratch

Certain recipes always work when it comes to cooking for the family. Easy Apricot Grilled Chicken will make dinnertime both delicious and easy. You might have made apricot-grilled chicken using a packet of French onion soup. Yes, it is! This recipe for homemade apricot-roasted chicken uses fresh ingredients and a homemade Moroccan spice mix, as well as a sweet apricot aioli that will make your taste buds dance.

This post will show you how to make a delicious, wholesome, and simple apricot-flavored chicken. It’s also easy to prepare. You can make a delicious dish with just a few ingredients and some time.

Why make Apricot chicken from scratch?

Why bother to make apricot & chicken from scratch when you can use pre-packaged French Onion Soup Mix or another quick fix? Although these shortcuts are convenient, there is something very satisfying about cooking a meal from scratch, especially when it’s about the taste.

You can control the entire dish by making your apricot chicken from scratch. You can decide whether the sauce should be sweet or savoury, the number of spices and the consistency. This recipe is made with all-natural ingredients, without preservatives and artificial additives.

You can also tweak the recipe according to your family’s taste when you make the apricot chicken from scratch. You can increase the spice by adding extra cayenne or chilli to the Moroccan spice mix. If you don’t like couscous, you can substitute it with rice or steamed vegetables. This recipe is flexible and easy to adapt, making it perfect for families of different tastes.

What you’ll need to make Apricot chicken

This simple apricot chicken recipe is made from scratch and only requires a few ingredients. You probably already have a few of these ingredients in your home. What you will need is listed below:

Ingredients for the chicken:

• Use half a cup of plain flour to coat the chicken. This will give it a golden, crispy exterior.
• Eight chicken fillets– The preferred cut of meat for this dish is the chicken thigh because it’s juicy, flavorful and tender. If you prefer, drumsticks or chicken breasts can be substituted.
• 2 tablespoons olive oil– To cook the chicken and sauté the aromatics.
• One large brown onion — This will enhance the sweetness and depth of taste when cooked.
• 2 cloves of garlic — Fresh garlic adds flavour to the sauce.
• Moroccan Spice Blend: A blend of spices such as ground ginger, coriander,r cum, in turn,ric cinnamon, and allspice gives the dish its distinctive flavour. You can find the instructions in the recipe.

Ingredients for the Sauce

• A 405ml can of apricot syrup is used to make the sauce. It adds sweetness and fruitiness.
• A half cup of dried apricots — The dried apricots add sweetness, but they also absorb flavours from the sauce when cooked.
• Pepper and salt– Season the chicken and sauce.

You can serve:

• 1 cup couscous– Couscous pairs well with apricot-flavored chicken. You can substitute it with rice or steamed veggies if you like.
• To prepare couscous, you will need 1 cup of boiling water.
• A small bunch of parsley — Fresh parsley brings freshness and colour to the dish, balancing the richness and flavour of the sauce and chicken.

How to prepare the Apricot Grilled Chicken Step-by-Step

This recipe is very easy to make. This is a step-by-step breakdown that will guide you.

Step 1: Prepare your chicken

Prepare the chicken fillets first. It’s best to remove the chicken skin from the thighs if your butcher hasn’t done it already. After you’ve sorted out the chicken thighs, put the flour into a medium-sized bag and season it with pepper and salt. Shake it well to distribute the seasoning.

Add two or three chicken pieces at a moment into the bag. Seal it and shake the bag until all the pieces are coated with flour. The chicken will have a crispy, light coating after this step. Set the chicken aside once it’s been coated, and repeat this process until you have all of the chicken fillets floured.

Step 2: Browning the Chicken

Over medium heat, warm a tablespoon of oil in a heavy-bottomed pan. Once the oil has heated, add the fillets of chicken in batches and cook each side until golden brown. The chicken doesn’t have to be cooked through yet, as it will continue cooking in the sauce. Transfer the chicken to a warm dish and cover it. Set it aside.

Step 3: Sauté the Aromatics

Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the pan and sauté the onion slices and garlic. Cook the onions for 5 minutes or until they are translucent and soft. This will bring out the sweetness of the garlic and onions, which will complement the apricot syrup in the sauce.

Step 4: Add Moroccan Spice Blend

Sprinkle the Moroccan spice mixture over the onions and the garlic after they are cooked, and stir to coat them with the spices. The heat from the spices will release their essential oils, which gives the dish its aroma. Stir the spices thoroughly to ensure an even distribution.

Step 5: Add Apricot Nectar to the Simmer

It’s now time to add the nectar. Pour the 405ml apricot syrup into the pa and bring it to a rolling boil. After it begins to boil, turn down the heat and simmer it for a few moments. The nectar thickens, and the aromatics and spices are infused, creating the base for the sauce.

Step 6: Return Chicken to the  Pan

After the sauce simmers for a few moments, add the chicken fillets that have been browned to the pan. Cover the pan and let the chicken cook in the sauce for about 20 minutes. The chicken will continue cooking through and absorb the flavours of the sauce.

Step 7: Add Apricots

Add the dried apricots into the pan once the chicken has been cooked. Push them down to the sauce. Continue to cook the chicken for another 20 to 25 minutes. The apricots soften and plump, infusing the sauce with sweetness. The sauce will thicken, and the chicken will become tender and flavorful by the end of the step.

Step 8: Prepare Couscous

Prepare the couscous while the chicken cooks. Pour 1 cup couscous into a heatproof dish and 1 cup boiling water on top. Cover the dish and allow it to sit for 5 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. After 5 minutes, use a fork and fluff up the couscous to separate the grains. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl or individual serving plates.

Step 9: Serve

Pour the sauce on top of the chicken and couscous. For a splash of colour and flavour, garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

Notes on the Recipe

• Moroccan Blend The Moroccan spice blend is the secret behind the unique taste of this dish. Make your spice mix by mixing one teaspoon of each ground ginger, coriander and turmeric with 1/2 teaspoon of each white pepper, cumin, cinnamon and allspice. This spice blend adds a rich, aromatic flavour that is both exotic as well as comforting to apricot-glazed chicken.
• Serving Ideas If you don’t like couscous, you can substitute it for rice or even steamed vegetables. Rice and couscous both absorb the sauce well.
• Cuts: This recipe calls for chicken thighs, but you can use chicken drumsticks or breasts. You can also choose to make chicken thigh cuts, depending on your family’s preferences. This recipe is best made with chicken thighs because they are juicy and full-flavoured However, you can adjust the recipe according to your taste.
• Yield This recipe can serve 5 to 6 people depending on how big and what type of chicken is used. You can easily double this recipe if you are cooking for more people.

Conclusion 

This delicious and easy apricot chicken recipe is one that the whole family will love. This dish is both comforting and exciting, thanks to the combination of tender, juicy chicken, sweet apricots, and fragrant Moroccan spices. It’s also made with fresh, healthy ingredients and is easy to customize according to your family’s taste.

Next time you want a delicious, hearty dinner that’s easy to make, try this homemade recipe for apricot-glazed chicken instead of pre-packaged mixes. This recipe is easy to make, full of flavour, and sure to become a favourite in the family for many years.