Apricot Chicken

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This dish is so simple and tasty, you’ll wonder why you only serve it once a year.

Jill Schildhouse

Published on March 15, 2023

Southern Living Apricot Chicken on a serving platter — Photo:
Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Active Time:

10 mins

Total Time:

1 hrs 10 mins

Servings:

There's one sweet, savory, and saucy entrée that graces my family’s Passover seder each year: my mother’s delectable apricot chicken. It’s an annual tradition we’ve been eagerly enjoying since the 1980s, as comforting as mom's long, warm embrace when we first arrive at her house.

While we have come to associate this dish with a "fancy" holiday dinner, in reality, it only requires a few basic ingredients that are easy to keep stocked in your pantry, and the preparation time is minimal.

Over the years, I’ve wondered why we only break out this recipe for a singular special occasion, as it could easily be added into our regular dinnertime rotation on a random Tuesday—but there's just something about preserving this preserves-laden entrée for our ritual feast that feels right.

Southern Living Apricot Chicken in baking dish — Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox

Ingredients

Cooking spray
1 whole chicken , cut into pieces (about 5-6 lb.)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2. tsp salt
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1 jar ( 12-oz.) Kosher for Passover apricot preserves
1 bottle ( 8-10 oz. ) Kosher for Passover Russian salad dressing
1 medium onion , finely chopped (about 1 cup)

Directions

To make this recipe even easier, ask that the chicken be cut into pieces at the meat counter, or buy about 5-6 lbs. of chicken pieces of your choice, such as bone-in skin-on chicken breast halves or leg quarters.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 13- x 9-in. pan with cooking spray.
Pat the chicken pieces dry with a paper towel and rub them with garlic powder, salt, and pepper. Place in prepared pan.
Whisk together the apricot preserves and the Russian dressing. Stir in the chopped onion. Pour over the chicken evenly.
Bake 1 hour, or until a thermometer inserted in thickest portion of chicken registers 165°F. Tent the dish with aluminum foil if the skin is getting too dark during baking.

Caitlin Bensel; Food Stylist: Torie Cox