I’ve based this on one of my Mum’s classic recipes. But rather than using a super-sweet combo of apricot nectar and french onion soup, I’ve given it a more grown-up vibe with tomatoes, onion and juicy dried apricot. This works really well as lunch the next day so don’t be afraid to double or even quadruple the recipe.
Apricot Chicken
Ingredients
- 4-6 chicken pieces on the bone I used drumsticks
- 1 onion peeled & chopped
- 1 can tomatoes 400g / 14oz
- 2 small sweet potatoes
- 100 g dried apricots.
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180C (350F).
- Place chicken, onions, tomato, sweet potato, and apricots in an oven proof pot. Season cover with a lid or foil.
- Cook for 1 hour.
- Remove the lid or foil and cook uncovered for another 15-30 minutes or until sweet potato is tender and chicken is golden and cooked. Serve hot!
Variations
short on time – replace chicken on the bone with 2 chicken breast fillets and roast for 30 minutes. Skip the sweet potato, onion and tomato and make a super quick sauce by covering dried apricots with boiling water and leaving them to stand while you pan fry the chicken in a little oil. Drain apricots and serve with the chicken and lots of salt and pepper. Or you could just try this chicken salad instead.
vegan / vegetarian – replace chicken with firm tofu sliced into chunks or large mushrooms and eggplant. Be generous with the seasoning.
herby – lovely with a few sprigs of rosemary or thyme.
spicy – add in a few sliced red chillies or a teaspoon of dried chilli powder.
less sweet – halve the amount of apricots.
more summery – use the short on time option for the apricot chicken.
carb lovers / more substantial – serve with steamed rice.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
chicken – freeze.
onion, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, dried apricots – pantry.
Problem Solving Guide
tough chicken -this is usually a sign of overcooked chicken. Not much you can do now but check earlier next time.
watery sauce – if your sauce hasn’t reduced down enough, either pop in the oven with the lid off for half an hour or so, or remove the chicken and simmer, uncovered until you’re happy. Be careful though, I often think there’s too much sauce but when I go to serve the amount of sauce is prefect, or I’m wishing I had a little more sauce lying around.
too sweet – balance the apricots with generous seasoning. A splash of soy sauce will help too.
bland – make sure you’re generous with the salt. A little tomato paste may help as well.
dry – It can be easy for the dish to dry out. Best to keep an eye on it and add a little water if you think it’s looking too dry.
Leftover Potential?
Brilliant – either reheat in a hot oven or on the stove. Will keep in the fridge for a week or so. Can be frozen as well.
Serving Suggestions
A meal in a bowl. If you need some greens to go with either serve on a bed of baby spinach or sauteed greens or sprinkle with plenty of flat leaf parsley.
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Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
This is a very yummy dish! I was surprised because I’m not crazy about apricots OR sweet potato. Together they were genius! I made a commitment to myself to try 3 of Jules recipes per week for a month, and I have been very pleased with what are ‘new’ tastes for me! I used chicken breasts and found that they needed to be hidden under the veggies/fruit to stay moist. I sliced my sweet potato in 1/2 ” slabs, and gave everything a stir halfway through. I used the full time, and Jules is correct about the liquid, you will want it all!
Wonderful Chris!
Thanks for sharing your experience.
And love that you’ve committed to trying 3 new recipes per week for a month. A great goal!
Jx
If you substitute tofu for the chicken does that effect the cooking time?
Normally yes Ellie, tofu doesn’t need anywhere as much time as chicken.
However the sweet potato are going to take the longest so in this case I’d stick to the current cooking time.
Let us know how you get on!
Jx
Thanks, I did find that to be the case. I ended up taking the tofu out after the first hour of cooking and letting the rest stew together for another 30 minutes. Then I put the tofu back into the pot and turned off the oven, letting it all heat back up together.
It was quite good with tofu. I was afraid it might be too bland and I had my tomato paste at the ready but ended up not needing it.
And your caution about the sauce is spot on. At first it seemed too watery but the amount was just right – if anything a bit more would have been good. I did add the can of water as shown in the video, btw.
Thanks for reporting back Ellie! So glad to hear the tofu tasted good enough on its own
Jx
Hello, do we need to add water like in the video or is it optional?
Excellent question Edith!
In the video I’m making enough to serve 4 people so I’ve added extra water (1 can full which is about 1 1/2 cups).
But the written recipe below is to serve 2. I didn’t want to halve the amount of tomatoes (I hate leaving half cans!) so I just skipped the water. So a long answer to say if you’re making the recipe to serve 2 you won’t need the water. But if doubling you could add extra liquid in the form of water or an extra can of tomatoes.
Jx