This easy apricot chicken with veggies recipe is the ideal weeknight dinner. It’s flavorful, healthy and incredibly satisfying. Plus, all the components can be prepped ahead of time, which means this one-pan chicken and vegetable recipe is also great to add to your weekly meal prep!
Why This Recipe Works
Apricot and chicken pair incredibly well, and this quick sheet pan chicken dinner exemplifies just that. An uncomplicated apricot glaze dresses up the chicken tenders that then get roasted alongside simply seasoned broccoli florets.
The whole heap gets finished with chewy dried apricots, almonds and lemon wedges. This is what I call easy gourmet! The flavors of tart lemon, sweet apricots, and savory Dijon come together to create a light and satisfying meal.
Apricot glaze can be made a myriad of different ways. From incredibly uncomplicated to more in-depth, it all comes down to what you’re looking for. This apricot glaze recipe requires just 5 ingredients (not counting salt or olive oil) and requires no stove-top cooking. Plus, it takes less than 3 minutes to make!
Ingredients in This Easy Apricot Glaze
- Apricot preserves or apricot jam
- Olive oil
- Fresh cloves garlic
- Dijon mustard
- Fresh thyme
- Kosher salt and red pepper flakes
The beauty of this glaze mixture is that it’s mostly made with pantry ingredients! And all you have to do is whisk it together—no cooking required.
TEST KITCHEN Tip
Other apricot glaze recipes call for the addition of some type of liquid—water, orange juice, lemon juice, wine, vinegar—and subsequently require a bit of simmering on the stovetop to thicken.
If you’re willing to add a bit of cooking time, fresh orange juice is a great addition to apricot glaze.
How to Cook with Apricot Glaze
- Switch out the chicken with salmon for a surprisingly simple main protein. Use our Broiled Salmon Recipe as a guide.
- Add or replace the chicken tenders with tuna or a firm white fish (such as cod, haddock or halibut) for another fish option.
- Grilled pork chops or roasted pork tenderloin make an unforgettable pairing with the apricot glaze!
- Take your breakfast to the next level! Leave the garlic and Dijon out of the glaze and serve with our Whole-Wheat Muffins.
- Serve the apricot glaze with our Healthy Skillet Cornbread.
Add these other chicken recipes to your weekly meal prep!
Variations on Apricot Chicken Dish
- To bulk up the meal, serve with cooked rice.
- Instead of roasting the broccoli alongside the chicken, make Sautéed Broccoli.
- Try adding wedges of red onion to the sheet pan or finish with scallions (green onions).
- Add some additional fresh herbs right before serving such as parsley, chives, or basil.
FAQs
Raw chicken pieces (tenders, breasts, thighs) will last up to 9 months in the freezer.
Yes! Leftovers will last up to three days in the refrigerator or six months in the freezer. Allow frozen leftover to thaw overnight in the refrigerator before gently reheating in a low-oven (about 300ºF) until warmed through.
Chicken tenders should cook for 15–20 minutes at 425ºF (218ºC), or until an instant read thermometer inserted in the centers registers 165ºF (74ºC).
Breasts are not as tender as chicken tenders, but they do work as a substitute. We recommend cutting the breast down into 2.5-ounce portions to ensure the cooking time stays the same.
We haven’t tested this in the test kitchen, but boneless, skinless chicken thighs should work well. Be sure to cook them to an internal temperature of 175ºF (79ºC). Regardless, boneless is a much better option than bone-in thighs.
More Chicken Recipes to Try
We’ve got loads of chicken recipes from Mexican-inspired dishes and Korean-inspired recipes to date night worthy dishes and everything in between.
For a cozy date night or dinner party, make our Roasted Cornish Game Hen Recipe. It’s special, elegant and easier to make than you might think!
Our Chicken Barbacoa Recipe is an absolute gem. It’s the perfect shredded chicken for burritos, tacos, nachos and more.
Try this One Pan Chicken Marbella—it’s our healthy-ish take on the bold 1980s chicken dish.
If you’re looking for a healthier option to fried chicken, check out our 4-ingredient crispy baked chicken cutlets.
Make use of quick-cooking ground chicken in our bright and herby Chicken Larb.
Apricot Chicken
Description
Ingredients
- 1 pound broccoli, cut into florets
- 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, divided
- ¼ cup apricot preserves
- 2 teaspoons minced fresh garlic
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme, chopped
- 1 ¼ pound chicken tenders (8 tenders), tendon removed
- ¼ cup diced dried apricots
- 2 tablespoons sliced almonds, toasted
- Lemon wedges for serving
Instructions
- Heat oven to 425°F (218ºC) with rack set in middle position.
- In a large bowl, toss together broccoli, 1 tablespoon oil, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes; transfer broccoli to a baking sheet.
- In now empty bowl whisk together preserves, remaining tablespoon oil, garlic, Dijon, thyme, remaining 1 teaspoon salt and remaining ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes for the glaze.
- Nestle chicken among broccoli on sheet; brush chicken with half of the glaze.
- Roast broccoli and chicken for 10 minutes then brush chicken with remaining glaze and stir broccoli. Continue to roast until an instant-read thermometer, inserted in the thickest part of the chicken tender, registers 165°F (73ºC), about 10 minutes more.
- Sprinkle apricots and almonds over the chicken and broccoli and serve with lemon wedges.
Notes
Remove the white tendon running through the chicken tender before cooking.
Make the Apricot Sauce up to 3 days ahead of time. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator until ready to use.Nutrition
This sheet pan meal is so delicious! A lightly sweet/tad spicy, easy quick meal.
My friend told me this is her go to meal when delivering a meal to a friend in need.