This Chicken With Apricot Preserves And Onion Soup Mix recipe is really one of the best of its kind. You’ll find that when you make it, you’ll want to make it again and share it with your family.

Here’s the thing: If you’ve got 20 minutes to spare and a few ingredients hanging around in your pantry, you can make this amazing, Korean-inspired chicken. And it only takes one pan. And there are four other delicious (but optional!) things you can serve with it.

Related Post: chicken with onions and peppers recipe

Classic Apricot Chicken

This classic apricot chicken is only 4 ingredients – apricot jam, onion soup mix, chicken, and French dressing. Sweet, sticky, and incredibly retro, you can’t help but be won over by this simple apricot chicken recipe!

Instead of using French dressing, you could also make your own homemade Russian dressing recipe! Or, for a different take on chicken, why not try this Honey Garlic Instant Pot Chicken Thighs recipe?

Apricot Chicken

Using preserves like apricot jam with meat might seem strange to the modern cook, but it is actually a classic way to brighten up dishes and transform even a boring chicken into an incredibly tasty dinner.

The sweetness of the apricot jam and the tart spiciness of the Russian dressing combine together wonderfully, and the onion soup mix brings all of the salty, savory flavors that you crave with roast chicken!

Ingredients for Apricot Chicken

This is SO easy you guys, very few ingredients, and tastes like you cooked all day!

Chicken

• Chicken thighs – I prefer thighs as they don’t dry out like chicken breast, but the choice is up to you
• Oil
• Salt & pepper

Apricot Sauce

• Apricot preserves
• French dressing (or Russian dressing, depending on your preference)
• Dry onion soup mix

How to Make Apricot Chicken

• Season, your chicken with salt & pepper on both sides
• Fry in oil until all sides are browned
• Mix together all of the sauce ingredients
• Brush half of the sauce on the chicken, and then bake for 30 minutes at 350.
• Add the rest of the sauce to the chicken and cook until the internal temperature reads 185.

Related Post: Red Onion Chutney

Make Sure You Use Chicken Thighs!

Chicken thighs have a bad reputation in certain places, with some people preferring to use chicken breasts instead. However, the long cooking times and sweeter taste of the sauce will basically turn a chicken breast into a dry mess if you try and cook with it, so make sure you use thighs! The choice is up to you as always, but I always let you guys know what cut of meat works the best in each recipe, then you can make your own choice!

The slow, gentle cooking time will gradually cook the thighs, releasing all of their natural flavors, and enhancing the sauce at the same time.

You could even use an entire broken-down chicken instead of just thighs in this recipe, but make sure that your breasts don’t overcook.

How to Freeze Apricot Chicken

This apricot chicken is incredibly rich and filling, so you might find yourself having some leftovers that you want to freeze for later. Despite the stickiness of the sauce, it will freeze really well – just make sure to store it all together in a lidded container in your freezer.

When you want to eat it, warm it back up in the oven set to 350. If you find the top is starting to brown too soon, you can tend it with foil to keep it from burning.

Related Post: Tomato And Onion Chutney

Apricot Chicken Recipe

Sticky, sweet, tangy deliciousness. This Apricot Chicken recipe is a much better version of that old recipe with onion soup, jam and Catalina dressing.

Many of you might be familiar with that old popular apricot chicken recipe. It’s impossible to find the origin as the recipe has been posted so many times on the internet by various authors. I do confess that it’s pretty darn tasty and very simple to make. See notes in the recipe if you’re craving it. 

I thought I’d try a homemade version (well, except for the jam) to cut back on the fat, sugar, and salt.  This version only has a few more ingredients and uses fresh onions.

So, does the result still have that sweet, tangy, fruity, oniony taste?  Definitely!

Tip: One little trick I found is to add some cornstarch to the sauce before cooking to keep the sauce on the chicken instead of sliding off it.

The recipe makes extra sauce to soak into whatever you’re serving the chicken with. Just throw all the ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add the chicken and coat well. Bake. If you want to get some char on top of the chicken, broil it for a few minutes before serving. Then dig in.

Perfect for the next holiday dinner or just a simple family meal. Try serving the apricot chicken with rice, noodles, or Basic Mashed Potatoes. I also love to serve it with Roasted Bok Choy and Broccoli or Easy Creamed Spinach.

Tailor To Your Taste

• Instead of apricot preserves (or jam), peach preserves or marmalade will work fine too.
• Garnish with fresh chopped chives, parsley, or thyme.

Shortcuts

• Chop the onions in a processor for a few seconds instead of by hand.
• Or revert to the old 4-ingredient recipe: Mix a 10 oz bottle of Catalina, Russian, or French salad dressing with 1 cup apricot preserves and a package of dry onion soup mix. Pour over chicken and bake at 350F for an hour.

Make Ahead Apricot Chicken Recipe

•  You can let the chicken marinate in half the sauce for a few hours (or even overnight). Then pat the chicken dry a bit (if watery), add the rest of the sauce, and bake before serving. Don’t marinate frozen chicken as the sauce will become watery.

Apricot Chicken

Apricot Chicken is a delicious, easy recipe that I’ve been making for years! It only requires mixing three ingredients and pouring the mixture over the chicken before you bake it in the oven for an hour. My favorite type of recipe!

Related Post: baked chicken with lipton onion soup mix

Apricot Chicken travels well and is one of my go-to dishes when I bring people meals. I have made it multiple times when we have had the missionaries over for dinner and there isn’t ever a piece left. One Elder asked what kind of sauce it was and said it was sooooooo good! It has the sweet and savory thing going on, almost like a sweet barbecue sauce.

Have you ever stopped making a recipe for no reason? I had not made Apricot Chicken in years and decided to on a whim this week. My eldest daughter said, “Oh! I remember this dinner,” when she sat down at the table. My middle and youngest girls didn’t remember Apricot Chicken at all! So interesting how we get into routines and habits. I was happy to shake up the meal plan this week since this recipe is so simple and makes enough for our family to have leftovers.