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This recipe is sponsored by Sprouts Farmers Market, but all thoughts and opinions are my own.
This apricot chicken recipe is truly amazing! Made with chicken thighs, the skin is crispy and golden brown, covered in a delicious pan sauce you’ll want to drink! Lightly sweetened with real maple syrup, the apricots add a crazy good fruitiness and tartness to the recipe, and fresh rosemary takes it all to the next level. Healthy and paleo, too!
I love apricots. First, I feel like they are so underrated. And second? Well, they’re super delicious and tender, sweet with a subtle, tart flavor.
And they make the perfect pairing with Sprouts Maple Syrup. Believe it or not, but the Sprouts maple syrup actually brings out more of the natural sweetness in the apricots. We’re adding Sprouts organic chicken stock (or Sprouts bone broth) and fresh rosemary too, to really bring it to the next level, both with flavor and nourishing ingredients.
This apricot chicken recipe is the best of both worlds – sweet and savory. You just can’t go wrong!
Why This Recipe Is So Good
- It’s super quick and easy to make! The entire dish comes together in just over 30 minutes from start to finish.
- The sweet and savory combo of this Apricot Chicken is to die for!
- The chicken thighs cook through in the oven, giving you time to prep the remaining ingredients!
- This apricot chicken recipe is healthy, paleo, and can be made Whole30 friendly, too!
How to Make It
Start by preheating your oven to 375 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large, ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Season your chicken thighs with salt and place in your skillet skin side down. Cook the chicken thighs for about 7-8 minutes, or until they easily release from the pan and are crispy and golden.
Flip your chicken thighs so skin side is up and place in your oven. Cook for 15 minutes.
While the chicken is cooking, prep the apricots, shallots, garlic, and rosemary.
Use a potholder or towel to remove your skillet from the oven, transfer the chicken to a plate, and pour out the oil into a heatproof bowl. Be sure to keep the potholder or towel on the handle of the skillet while continuing to cook as it will be very hot.
Add 1 tablespoon of your drippings to the skillet and place over medium heat. Add the apricots and saute for 4-5 minutes, or until softened, then transfer them to the plate with your chicken.
Those apricots? They should be about this size:
Then, add another 1 tablespoon of your drippings to the skillet and place back over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute for 3 minutes, or until softened, then add your garlic and while stirring constantly, saute for 30 seconds, or until fragrant.
Pour in your white wine and stir with a whisk or wooden spoon to pick up any brown bits. Bring to a boil, then add the Sprouts organic maple syrup, Sprouts organic chicken stock or bone broth, and fresh rosemary. Return to a boil and cook until reduced by half.
Return the chicken and apricots to the skillet and use a spoon to coat your chicken with the sauce. Finish with 1 tablespoon of Sprouts organic extra virgin olive oil. Serve over grains or any starch of choice.
Tips & Variations
- Use avocado oil to properly sear your chicken thighs at a high heat. Olive oil is too unstable and vegetable oil is not the healthiest option.
- Do not touch the chicken thighs during the first sear to ensure the skin gets extra crispy and golden.
- Make sure you use a potholder or towel during and after removing the skillet from the oven as it will be very hot!
- Prep the apricots, shallots, garlic, and rosemary while the chicken is cooking in the oven for a quick and easy meal!
- To dice apricots evenly, first slice in half, twist, and remove the pit. For each half, slice horizontally down the middle, then slice into thirds vertically. There should be 12 pieces per whole apricot.
- Serve the apricot chicken over your grains or starch of choice such as rice, quinoa, couscous, mashed potatoes, or my favorite, cauliflower rice!
FAQs
Do I need to peel apricots?
Nope! Unlike peaches with fuzzy skin or nectarines with waxy skin, apricots do not need to be peeled because their skin is so smooth. One less step to amazing apricot chicken perfection. That’s what makes cooking with apricots so much fun!
How do I know if the chicken thighs are cooked through?
The best way to know for sure if your chicken thighs are cooked through is to use an internal thermometer. After the 15 minutes in the oven, check to make sure the internal temperature is at least 160 degrees F by sticking the thermometer into the thickest part of the meat, without touching the bone. The carryover cooking during rest will allow the temperature to rise to the required 165 degrees F, which means juicy chicken thighs every time!
Can I make this apricot chicken recipe Whole30 compliant?
You sure can! Simply replace the white wine with an equal amount of chicken stock and omit the maple syrup completely. It won’t be quite as amazing, because the maple syrup really draws out the sweetness from the apricots. But if you get nice, ripe apricots, you’ll have a delicious chicken thigh and fruity pan sauce on your hands! Serve over cauliflower rice for a complete meal.
Other Recipes You’ll Love:
- 5-Ingredient Whole30 Chicken Thighs with Raspberry Balsamic Sauce (Paleo)
- Perfect Pan Seared Chicken Thighs with Pan Sauce
- Paleo Cranberry Apple Chicken Thighs with Rosemary (Whole30)
Hey – you’ve made it this far, and now we’re best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook, too!
Amazing Apricot Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon oil like avocado oil. See Note
- 4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
- salt to taste
- 10 fresh apricots pits removed and diced. See Note
- 1 large shallot minced, about 1/2 cup
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons dry white wine
- 2 tablespoons Sprouts organic maple syrup
- 1 cup Sprouts organic chicken stock or bone broth
- 1/2-1 tablespoon fresh rosemary minced
- 1 tablespoon Sprouts organic extra virgin olive oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 375º F.
- Heat 1 tablespoon avocado oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle chicken thighs on both sides with salt. Carefully place chicken thighs, skin side down, in skillet. Cook for 7-8 minutes or until the chicken releases easily from the pan and skin is golden.
- Flip chicken thighs so skin side is up and place in oven. Cook 15 minutes. Remove from oven and carefully transfer chicken to a plate; set aside. Pour out oil into a heatproof bowl and set aside.
- Be careful to use a potholder or towel as you proceed with the recipe; the handle of the skillet will be very hot.
- Add 1 tablespoon of drippings to skillet and place over medium heat. Add the apricots and sautée about 4-5 minutes until softened. Remove to plate with chicken; return skillet to stove.
- Add 1 tablespoon of drippings to skillet. Add shallots and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring constantly, about 30 seconds or until fragrant.
- Pour in white wine and stir with a wire whisk or wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Bring to a boil then add maple syrup, chicken stock, and fresh rosemary. Return to a boil and cook until reduced by half.
- Return chicken and apricots to skillet and use a spoon to coat chicken with sauce. Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil to finish. Serve over grains or starch of choice, like rice, quinoa, couscous, cauliflower rice, or mashed potatoes.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Nice recipe. It is apricot season but it is 100 degrees outside in Sacramento (home) so I did not want to light the oven. The recipe worked very well done completely in a cast iron Dutch oven on an induction cook top on our back deck.
John
Hi Cheryl,
Do you think this recipe could work with rehydrated dried apricots? I’m having trouble finding fresh ones in the stores here now that stone fruit season has passed. Thanks!
Melanie
Yes, we think that would work!
This recipe is so fantastic!! I substituted Sprite for the white wine since I didn’t have any. I thought it might be too sweet with the apricots, maple syrup and Sprite but the onions, garlic and rosemary pair with it PERFECTLY. Another incredible recipe Cheryl!
Wow! You are so creative!