Apricot-Orange Chicken Bake

Submitted by KateL

"Delicious chicken variation, not too fancy. I made this for my elderly mother-in-law from The America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook of 2006, and it cries out to be featured in my First Day of Spring celebration."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 13
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, trimmed (6-8 ounces each)
• salt and pepper, to taste
• 2⁄3 cup apricot preserves
• 1⁄2 cup dried apricot, chopped
• 1⁄2 cup orange juice
• 1⁄4 cup honey
• 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1⁄3 cup sliced almonds

directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the upper position and heat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Coat 9 by 13-inch baking dish lightly with vegetable oil spray.
3. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels, then season with salt and pepper.
4. Lay the chicken in prepared 9 by 13-inch baking dish.
5. Whisk the apricot preserves, dried apricot pieces, and orange juce into the saucepan with the honey, vinegar, soy sauce, curry powder, and Tabasco sauce, over medium-high heat.
6. Simmer, whisking often, until the mixture has thickened, about 8 minutes.
7. Quickly dissolve the cornstarch in the water, then whisk into the honey mixture.
8. Pour the apricot-orange sauce over the chicken, then sprinkle with the almonds.
9. Bake until the chicken registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, 15-18 minutes.

Reviews

[appleydapply]

This was a great dinner for us. The sauce would've been enough for 1 more serving, and it was so good I couldn't bear to throw it away. So I saved it in the fridge - in the next day or so I'll heat it up on top of some rice as part of a leftover lunch. :) I only used 3 T honey, and my apricot jam was also short by about 1 T, but otherwise I made exactly as directed. The hot sauce added just the right amount of spice to contrast with the sweetness.

 

[momof2leos]

Excellent! I made this as an alternative dish for Easter supper and it went over fabulously!! I cooked some Jasmine rice to accompany it and I cut the chicken into bite-sized pieces before baking but that was the only modification I made. This one is something I'll make again and again, thanks KateL!

 

[PalatablePastime]

This was delicious! We used a sugar-free honey substitute, and it worked out great. Very easy yet flavorful dish. And that was even fogetting the almonds! Thanks for the recipe! ~Sue

 

[Sydney Mike]

Made this recipe pretty much as directed ~ Used a mild honey & slivered almonds along with everything else & the results were ABSOLUTELY GREAT! Served this with a simple mix of peas & brown rice! Another time I'll slice the chicken into strips or bite-size pieces so that each person can take as much or as little as they like! A definite keeper! Thanks for posting! [Tagged, made & reviewed in 1-2-3 Hit Wonders cooking game]

 

[WiGal]

Good, attractive, and I always have these ingredients on hand. I did think the sauce was a bit too sweet for my taste, so next time will try less honey-maybe 2 tablespoons. Also, my chicken breasts were on the big side and took 35 minutes to bake, so the almonds got too dark. Next time, I will add them the last 10 minutes. Thanks KateL for sharing a keeper! Made for Spring PAC '08.