Quick and Easy Apricot Chicken Recipe

You're going to love this Quick and Easy Apricot Chicken recipe! it's basically only two ingredients, ok three when you count the chicken! The perfect chicken dish for any night of the week!  

I have been making this chicken recipe for years. It involves literally no preparation and minimal clean up which to me means the perfect weeknight dinner recipe!

I am still in shock at how fabulous this chicken tastes!  It always feels like a chicken dish should be more work than this to have such a tasty result!  Don't you agree?

This apricot chicken was inspired by these balsamic apricot glazed chicken thighs and goes great with simple air fryer parmesan green beans and some steamed white or brown rice.

Why You Will Love This Recipe

• It's simple and quick!
• Budget-friendly using minimal ingredients.
• Unique flavor with the combination of apricot jam and onion soup mix makes a great tasting main dish even picky eaters will enjoy.
• Great for a crowd! This easy chicken recipe can easily be doubled or tripled to feed more people at once!
• Perfect for busy weeknights when you don't have much time to prepare dinner but still want something tasty and satisfying!
• Perfect for entertaining guests since it looks impressive yet takes minimal time and effort on your part!

Ingredients

All you need to make this tasty chicken dish are three simple ingredients.

• Chicken breasts: Boneless, skinless chicken breasts are the quickest option for this recipe.
• Onion soup mix: This dried spice mixture is usually found on the soup aisle in boxes. If you have any left it's great to use in soups or to make smothered hamburger steaks.
• Apricot jam: Adds a sweet fruity flavor to the chicken breasts.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the exact quantities.

Substitutions and Variations

Don't have the correct ingredients on hand? Or want to change something up? Here are some helpful tips for you to change this apricot chicken recipe.

• Chicken Breasts: Swap them out for chicken thighs or pork chops for a quick weeknight dinner variation. You will likely need to adjust the cooking time depending on the meat used and how thick the pieces.
• Dry Onion Soup Mix: Use any variation of dry onion soup mix such as Golden Onion, Onion Mushroom, Savory Herb and Garlic.
• Apricot Jam: Use another fruit jam such as apple, fig, strawberry, raspberry, marmalade or peach jam.
• Spicy: Apricot chicken tastes great with a little bit of heat. Add desired amount of chili pepper flakes, jalapeno powder, smoked jalapeno powder, or chipotle powder to the jam mixture for a little bit sweet and spicy flavor.

How to Make Apricot Glazed Chicken

Let's get to cooking up this traditional apricot chicken recipe! You're going to love how easy it is to prepare. The full instructions are in the recipe card!

1. Mix together the soup and apricot jam together in a bowl.

2. Place the chicken breasts in a single layer in a casserole dish. Pour the apricot jam and soup mixture over the top of the chicken.

3. Cover the baking dish with tinfoil or lid and bake at 350° for 1 hour or until chicken is cooked.

4. Serve up apricot chicken along with your favorite chicken side dishes and the extra juice in the baking dish. Enjoy!

If you love recipes like this, you may also enjoy these crispy baked chicken thighs.

Storage

Here's how to save leftovers so they don't go to waste.

• Refrigerator: Store in an airtight container for up to four days.
• Freezer: Store in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.
• Reheat: Return thawed out chicken and sauce to a baking pan. Bake uncovered for 15 minutes at 400 degrees F.
• Make Ahead: Prepare the apricot glaze so you're ready to pour it on top of chicken when you're ready to cook dinner.

What to Serve with Apricot Chicken

This dish goes great with a variety of side dishes like rice, potatoes, or vegetables for a complete meal. Here are some of my favorites:

• Potatoes: Mashed or roasted sweet potatoes and smoked sweet potatoes.
• Veggies: Simple vegetables such as steamed or this instant pot asparagus go great!
• Cooked brown rice or quinoa makes a great base to serve the dish over so they soak up all the juices.

Tips

• Make sure to mix the soup and jam together first before pouring it over the chicken to ensure all pieces are covered.
• If you have time, marinate your chicken overnight in lemon juice or white wine to add more flavor before cooking with the apricot mixture.
• Make sure not to overcrowd your chicken pieces when placing them in the casserole dish. Leave space between each piece so they cook evenly and absorb maximum flavor from the apricot mixture.

FAQ

I made a video for this chicken recipe. Hopefully you will have a moment to watch it!

How to Cook Chicken Video

More Delicious Chicken Recipes to Try

I am always looking for new ways to prepare chicken and would love to hear how you modify any of my recipes or if you are willing to share some of your favorites I would be truly grateful!

Do you like chicken breast? Here some recipes you may also like to try.

Ready to get cooking? Remember that you can print this recipe if you would like.

This post was originally published November 2018. It has been updated with new images and content.