Since I have been kicking it “Old School” lately… who am I kidding, I am always putting up Old Fashioned recipes! Apricot chicken use to be the once a week meal that mum made when she was late home from work or something she could make in the morning before work, then put it in the oven when she got home.
It is very cost efficient only a 4 ingredient meal (someone should write a book about that) 🙂 and really, I doubt when mum made it she ever used Olive Oil so really only 3 back in the day! It’s easy to make, it’s not fancy, it is that 70’s combination of a bit of sweet and savoury, but kids tend to like it, everyone you serve it up too says, “Apricot Chicken… I haven’t had that in forever” and it is cheap, especially when Chicken drumsticks are on special.
I have whipped up a French Onion Soup Mix Blend, as I looked at the back of the packet and thought I could make this with no nasties in it (and there are a few)! I’m pretty happy with the result, but it doesn’t taste exactly the same without all those flavour enhancers and numbers! It may cost you a little bit to get all the initial ingredients, but in the end it will be better for you and you will have lots of packets of French Onion Soup Mix!
Ingredients
2 kg of chicken pieces (Maryland’s, legs or wings are great)
Olive Oil
2 x Packets of Continental French Onion Soup Mix (or see below to make your own that doesn’t contain any additives)
1 x 850ml Tin of Apricot Nectar (I’ve always used Berri but if you have another brand that fine)
(Yep that’s it!!!!)
Method
1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees celsius and grease a large oven tray
2. Place chicken pieces into an oven tray and place in the oven.
3. In a saucepan. place Apricot Nectar and Soup Mix, whisk until week combined and the sauce starts to thicken.
4. Bring sauce mixture to the boil, then immediately pour over cooking chicken.
5. Back in the oven for 45 – 60 minutes or until chicken is cooked. If you are using wings, it may not take as long.
6. Serve with rice/mashed potato/pasta and vegetables or just a bowl of Apricot Chicken with a big piece of bread to soak up the yummy juice.
I have also made this for the slow cooker… put in a whole chicken and then pour the thicken sauce over the top cook for 6 hours on low… then you have whole Apricot chicken!
THERMOMIX METHOD
Ingredients
1 – 2 kg of Chicken Thighs sliced (the amount depends on how many you are feeding, but there will be enough sauce)
2 x Packets of Continental French Onion Soup Mix (or see below to make your own that doesn’t contain any additives)
1 x 850ml Tin of Apricot Nectar
1 Tablespoon of TM paste
Method
*Before you start you may like to cook or rice or mashed potato and keep it warm in the Thermoserver.
1. Place Apricot Nectar, TM Paste and 2 packets of Soup Mix or (50g of homemade) into the mixing bowl and cook 5 minutes/Varoma/speed 3.
2. Gentle place in mixing basket and add as much of the chicken to the basket that you can. Place the rest of the chopped chicken in the bottom of the Varoma and place on to the lid.
3. Cook 60 minutes/Varoma/Speed 2. At any time in the cooking process you can add vegetables into the Varoma on top of the chicken, on the top level of the Varoma or both.
4. Serve and Eat!
If you wanted to make this in the oven, complete step 1 but cook the sauce for 10 minutes. Place whole chicken pieces or whole thighs in a baking dish and cover with cooked sauce and cook re conventional method!
MAKE YOUR OWN FRENCH ONION SOUP MIX (no nasties)
All the herbs and spices I used in this recipe (except the celery seeds) I sourced from Gourmet Organics Check out their website for all these wonderful herbs and spices. It doesn’t taste exactly the same, but it is a good substitute if you want to know what is going into your mouth.
Ingredients – You only need 50g of this mixture for one batch of Apricot Chicken
1 Teaspoons of Celery Seeds (or Celery Salt)
1 Teaspoons of Mustard Seeds (or Mustard Powder)
2 Black Peppercorns (cracked pepper)
40g of White Rice (or Rice Flour)
20g of Cornflour
1/2 cup of Onion Flakes (35g)
2 Teaspoons of Sumac
1 Teaspoons of Dried Thyme
1 Teaspoon of Smokey Paprika
1 Teaspoon of Paprika
1 Teaspoon of Turmeric
1 Teaspoon of Dried Parsley
1 Teaspoon of Salt
1 Teaspoon of Sugar
Method
1. Place seeds, rice and peppercorns into the mixing bowl and mill 30 seconds/ speed 10.
2. Place all other ingredients into mixing bowl and mix 5 seconds/speed 5. Use as required!
So how about you give this apricot chicken a go and maybe it will make a resurgence… It is a quick, easy and inexpensive meal to feed a lot of people!
Enjoy Irresponsibly!
Liz x
Liz xx
P.S Don't forget to subscribe to receive your 3 free e-Books.
Made half quantity tonight but unsuccessful, sauce reduced too much, was thick, looked and tasted burnt so could not eat the sauce. I did use chopped chicken fillets, they were edible but dry, I’m sure the thighs would give a better result.
Not a fan of this dish, was making it for 93 year old who enjoys it.
Would be more successful cooked in oven the traditional way.
I am new to Thermomix TM5, bought machine 2 months ago and have a lot to learn.
Hi Susan,
Thanks for coming on and commenting on my blog, it is so great when you do.
When you halve a mixture especially liquid, you need to decrease the cooking time by 20% if you double a recipe, you need to increase the cooking time by 20% AND yes Thighs are very important as breast meat get very dry quickly 🙁
There are many great Apricot chicken recipes out there, and I love my Thermomix, but I really do still prefer it with chicken legs and when it is cooked in the oven 🙂
Keep Thermomixing!
Liz xx
I love apricot chicken! It’s such a classic and reminds me of being younger 😀
Hi – which TM paste have you used?
Hi Natasha… i normally use the vegetable stock Paste, but if you have chicken it is fine to use too! I only use the Veggie, because I’m generally too lazy to make anything else 🙂 Thanks for stopping by! Liz xx
I may even make this sometime. Hmmm….
I’d like it if you had individual quantities. I don’t need to cook for a family AND I don’t have a freezer!
Well Sonya you are not my target audience 🙂 sorry!… but yes you could definitely halve it at least 🙂
Liz x
I’ll have to rent a family, OR a freezer!
Hmmm… a freezer!!!!!!!
LOL!
What a great recipe! As others have mentioned, it is a healthier version of one I’ve used for decades, although to be truthful, I don’t often make it any more because I don’t use the original ingredients very often. I’m excited to make this. I was directed here through Charlie’s wonderful blog, and I’m delighted.
Thanks so much for dropping in Debra…I’m so glad you pop in and said hello 🙂 Yes the home made french Onion Soup mix is a better option, although as mentioned it doesn’t have exactly the same flavour! I hope you enjoy this recipe and let me know what you think… Charlie’s Blog “Hotly Spiced” is one of my favourites and always makes me smile! Liz x
This really is such a 1970’s recipe but I love that era of cooking and even have a category for it on my blog. This apricot chicken is such a classic and I’m glad you’ve made a more natural version of it without the additives that were omnipresent in the French Onion soup mix xx
Thanks Charlie… yes the home made french onion soup mix is good, but it doesn’t taste exactly the same with all the extras… that is so cool about your blog… I need to go on and have a look at lots of your past post… Ahhh I need more time 🙂 Liz x
OMG Liz… I haven’t had apricot chicken since I was a wee pup. I love it. I love it soooo much. 🙂 I have memories of mom making us this for dinner and my dad being like… Whats this fanciness. Haha
Gonna crack out the old school next fam dinner.
LOL Anna, I know right! It is so tasty! Especially if you use the french onion soup mix with all the nasties in it 🙂 The mix I made is good, but different to the the packet stuff! Liz x