How to make apricot chicken with canned apricots

It’s easy to see why this retro fave is making a comeback. It’s quick, it’s easy and it’s a one-pot marvel that will feed the whole family. This new version has a few tweaks to mum’s go-to recipe.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Yes, this recipe is easy to turn into a slow cooker meal. Sear chicken thighs and add to slow cooker. Add remaining sauce ingredients except the drained apricots and cook High 3-4 hours or Low 5-6 hours. Adding drained apricots in the last ½ hour of cooking. Serve with herby rice.

For quick cooking, use chicken thigh fillets, they take about 15 minutes. For a richer, deeper flavour use bone-in thigh cutlets, drumsticks or wings. The bones amp up the chicken flavour in the final dish, but they’ll need a longer cooking time, over 30 minutes depending on the cut and thickness.

 

If using skin-on chicken cuts, make sure to sear them in a hot pan before adding to the sauce. Browning the skin not only makes the meat look more appealing, but it crisps it up and begins to render the fat in the skin, adding great depth of flavour to your sauce. If slow cooking is your preferred method, remove the chicken skin before placing in the slow cooker because it can become soft and pale when slow cooked. For a shorter cook time, in the oven or stove top, leaving the skin on is desirable because it retains its crispiness.

Yes, choose from canned, fresh, or even dried varieties depending on the season. Canned apricots are a good quality product available throughout the year. If you wish to retain the shape of the apricots, add canned fruit during the last 10-15 minutes of cooking. For dried and fresh apricots, add them at the beginning of the cook as they will require longer cooking times. Apricot nectar is an essential ingredient for a flavoursome dish. Nectar is thicker than fruit juice, with a syrupy texture and sweet taste. Find it in the canned fruit aisle of your supermarket.

Traditional apricot chicken recipes use a packet of French onion soup. Substituting it with onion powder will provide that oniony flavour without the extra salt and additives, and it's great if you don't have French onion soup mix on hand.

It provides a good balance of sweetness and acidity to the recipe by enhancing the saltiness from the onion powder and the sweetness from the apricot nectar. Rosella Organic Tomato Sauce also provides a great glossy colour and texture to the final dish.

Now that you know the tricks to elevating this dish, give it a go. It may become your family’s new go-to midweek meal. Check out more dinner delights below, with nostalgic dinner ideas just like mum used to make.

 

Want another easy chicken dinner? This chicken cacciatore won't disappoint.

 

 

Bangers and mash has been given a tasty upgrade with a rich tomato sauce gravy.

 

 

No slow cooker? No worries, you can make this classic stew on the stove too.