Apricot Chicken

There are variations of this recipe everywhere.  I make mine a little bit different then the other recipes I have seen ‘out there” & I think it is because when my sister Edith gave me this recipe, probably 36 years ago when I was first married, I misunderstood the directions!

I was young & unfamiliar with the kitchen except for a few things that I knew how to make! So as a result I put canned apricots into this chicken dish instead of apricot jam. I have since made it with the jam but really prefer it with the canned apricots! This was Jacki’s favorite chicken when she lived at home & I used to make it often.  Give it try!!!

Here is my recipe…very simpleMarilyn’s Apricot Chicken

Ingredients 

1 3 lb chicken cut up

1 bottle of Kraft Russian Salad Dressing

1 envelope of Lipton Onion Soup Mix

1 can of halved apricots, drain away half of the juice in the can

Method

1. Put the chicken pieces into a baking dish with high sides, I use a roasting pan, big enough for the chicken to be in one layer, if you have to put some chicken on top of each other, rotate them while cooking so that all the pieces get brown!
2. Season the chicken with salt & pepper
3. In a bowl, mix the salad dressing, onion soup mix & apricots with the remaining juice from the can…this is now the ‘sauce’
4. Pour the sauce over the chicken, making  sure that all of the chicken is covered
5. Cook in a 350f oven until throughly cooked & then longer to reduce the sauce & the chicken is nice & brown. Baste often
6. If the chicken is starting to get too brown but the sauce isn’t reduced & thick, cover with foil & continue baking until done
7. Serve with rice or any grain that you can pour some of the delicious sauce over!!

*** I made some quinoa to eat with this. I sautéed a chopped onion & 1 clove of garlic which was minced, in a bit of oil in a saucepan until the onion was starting to brown. Add 2 cups of quinoa, mix well with the onion & briefly toast. Add 4 cups of water & bring to a boil. Lower the heat & simmer for approx 15 minutes… Or.. cook as per the directions on your pkg of quinoa in regard to amount of water & cooking time. Season to taste with salt.  This made enough quinoa for about 6 people with some leftovers so make as much quinoa as you need ….

*** The Brussels sprouts in the picture were roasted. Clean & cut the brussel sprouts in half. Put them onto a lined baking sheet. Toss the brussel sprouts with some oil & salt & pepper. Lay them out in a single layer & roast at 400f until starting to get crispy. Watch them! The time it takes for them to cook depends on how big the brussel sprouts are. I like the leaves that are loose…these brown much quicker then the halves do, so someetimes if there are a lot of loose leaves, I remove the baking sheet & take the leaves off the pan, return the sheet to the oven & continue cooking the brussel sprouts until done to your liking.

Enjoy!