Ginger Apricot Chicken

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Without a question, this dish is all about the ginger apricot sauce!! It delivers sweet, umami and zip all at once. I love this Ginger Apricot Chicken served over rice to enjoy all that saucy goodness.

The apricot jam is such a flavour hack in this recipe, delivering sweet fruitiness and giving the finished sauce nice body. This flavour-packed dish takes about 30 minutes so no wonder it’s one of my go-to weeknight meals.

I originally developed this as a Whole30 recipe but realizing it was easily one of the best things I made the entire program, I’ve since tested the recipe with pantry and fridge basics without dietary limits, with notes for simple substitutions for gluten-free and Whole30 versions.

One of the reasons people give up on Whole30 is food fatigue from eating the same ‘compliant’ foods over and over and over. Eggs, bacon, avocados, nut butters and sweet potatoes became so off-putting for me. And dried dates…I had to lay off those for a bit afterwards. I was determined not to fail the program on account of food boredom and that’s when I came up with this GINGER APRICOT CHICKEN which is anything but tired. It delivers so much flavour!

Eat well and be well,

Sonia

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Recipe Head Note - Ginger Apricot Chicken

1. Substitute options for soy sauce/water:

   a.     Whole30/Paleo – use 6 tbsp coconut aminos, no water

   b.     Gluten-free – use 3 tbsp tamari plus 3 tbsp water

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Ginger Apricot Chicken

Yield: 4

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Ginger Apricot Chicken

This dish is ALL about the ginger apricot sauce - it delivers sweet, umami and zip all at once. I love this Ginger Apricot Chicken served over rice to enjoy all the saucy goodness.

Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 30 MinTotal time: 40 Min

Cook modePrevent screen from turning off

Ingredients

• 2½ lbs (454g) skin-on boneless chicken thighs (or 8-10 bone-in thighs)
• 1/3 tsp kosher salt (increase to 2/3 tsp for Diamond Crystal kosher salt)

For the ginger apricot sauce:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce – see note 1
• 4 tbsp water – see note 1
• 4 tbsp apricot jam (use juice sweetened no sugar added jam for Whole30/Paleo)
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar (sub with lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for Whole30/Paleo)
• ¾ tsp grated fresh ginger (easiest from frozen ginger knob; with skin is fine)
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1-2 Thai red birds eye chilis, thinly sliced (optional)

For garnish:

• 1 scallion, sliced

Instructions

1. Lightly season chicken pieces with kosher salt on both sides. Heat 11" cast iron pan over medium-high heat. Meanwhile, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.
2. Once pan is hot, arrange chicken thighs skin-side down (no oil needed) in 2 batches so as not to overcrowd them. Cook 1-2 minutes or when fat has started to render out of the skin. Lower heat to medium without disturbing the chicken and continue cooking for 8 minutes or until almost all of the fat under the skin is rendered and the skin itself is golden brown and crispy. Flip chicken and cook on the other side 3-5 minutes or whenever cooked through i.e. juices run clear when pierced with a knife or meat thermometer 165f inserted at the thickest part. Set aside and repeat for remaining chicken thighs.
3. Once all chicken pieces are cooked, there is likely quite a lot of chicken fat in the pan. If you like, feel free to keep the fat as we all know there is lots of flavor in it. Personally, I pour out (or mop with a paper towel) all but a tablespoon of the fat before proceeding.
4. Turn heat down to low and pour sauce ingredients into the pan, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen the good bits from the chicken. Simmer gently to thicken slightly, about 2 minutes. Return chicken pieces to the pan and coat on both sides with sauce OR coat only the bottom side to keep the skin crispy.
5. Serve over steamed rice along with a favorite green veggie -- I like bok choy, Chinese broccoli or broccolini. Drizzle everything with the extra sauce from the pan. Garnish with scallions. Enjoy!

Notes

1. Substitution options for soy sauce allergy – replace soy sauce and water in the sauce with: 

• Whole30/Paleo – use 6 tbsp coconut aminos, no water
• Gluten-free – use 3 tbsp tamari and 3 tbsp water

Nutrition Facts

Calories

679

Fat

47 g

Sat. Fat

13 g

Carbs

15 g

Fiber

0 g

Net carbs

14 g

Sugar

9 g

Protein

47 g

Sodium

779 mg

Cholesterol

278 mg

Disclaimer: nutritional information is auto-generated and should be used as an approximation.

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