This Skillet Apricot Chicken is pan-seared until golden and juicy, then covered in a sweet and sticky apricot jam glaze! It’s an easy weeknight dinner made in one pan (or electric skillet) in just 25 minutes. Get ready for rave reviews and a happy family!
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Anyone else find themselves serving a lot of chicken on weeknights?? 🙋🏼♀️ It’s just so easy, it’s inexpensive for a large family, and it freezes so well.
If you’re looking for a new easy chicken recipe to try, this Skillet Apricot Chicken will be a huge winner! Super easy to make, addictively delicious for the family, and fast to clean up afterwards. The inspiration was borrowed from an old freezer cookbook recipe*, but we made significant changes to the sauce and made it a skillet chicken instead of grilled.
*I would love to give credit but can't find the original recipe source. If you know where it came from let me know, and I will credit it here.
🏅 Why this recipe is great
- It has the most delicious glaze. It’s the perfect combo of sweet apricot jam, savory dijon mustard, and flavorful herbs.
- The whole recipe is made in one pan in just 25 minutes!
- This is an electric skillet chicken recipe, which is perfect for a low heat dinner in the summer. But it can also be made in a skillet on the stove.
🍑 Ingredients
A full list of the ingredients is in the recipe card below, but here are a few noteworthy tips:
Chicken breasts: Skip the time consuming process of pounding out the chicken breast. Instead slice them horizontally so that each chicken breast yields two thin pieces.
Apricot jam: Use whichever brand you prefer or you can even make your own. I personally like the brands that leave small apricot chunks in the jam.
Dijon mustard: The acidic taste of the mustard balances out the sweet jam. I suggest sticking with dijon; I haven’t tested any other mustard substitutes.
Herbs: This recipe calls for dried thyme and rosemary to save time on washing and chopping the herbs.
🔪 How to make Skillet Apricot Chicken
- Salt the chicken: Start by trimming and slicing your chicken breasts in half horizontally. No need to pound them thin. Then sprinkle each side of the chicken with kosher salt and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- Make the sauce: While the chicken is sitting, combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Flour the chicken: Combine the flour and pepper in a flat dish. Coat each side of the chicken in flour and vigorously shake off the excess. The layer should be very thin.
- Cook the first side: In an electric skillet or skillet on the stove, melt the butter over medium heat (350°). Cook the chicken on the first side until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Flip the chicken: Flip the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Then add the apricot jam sauce and simmer until the sauce has thickened into a glaze and the chicken is cooked through, 2-4 minutes.
👨👩👧👦 For a crowd
This meal works well when serving a crowd of 6-12, but I don't recommend it for larger groups. It is best served fresh, and to serve more than 12 people you will have to do 3+ rounds of cooking (or use lots of skillets). My favorite skillet for this recipe is this Cuisinart electric skillet. It’s oval shaped and holds 6-8 pieces of chicken comfortably.
🙋 Questions and Answers
A couple quick tips: 1) Be sure to cut them thin and either salt or marinade them. For this recipe, salt is best. 2) After that just be sure not to overcook them. Overcooked chicken breasts will be dry every time. You can always use a thermometer to check your chicken. It's done when it reaches 165°F.
Chicken breasts are best, but you can use boneless, skinless chicken thighs too. Note that they will take longer to cook through.
You can make the sauce and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days. I also like to trim and cut my chicken, then freeze it in a zipper bag. Then on the day of serving I just have to thaw the chicken and cook!
This chicken pairs well with rices, potatoes, roasted veggies, a simple green salad, or bread. Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Brown Butter Rice
Golden Smashed Potatoes
America’s Test Kitchen Roasted Broccoli
Rhodes Rolls recipe (buttery dinner rolls)
👨🏼🍳 Tips & Tricks
- Try to slice the breasts as evenly as possible to ensure that they cook in the same amount of time.
- Use a light hand when flouring the chicken. It should have a thin coating. A thick coating just results in a gummy coating.
- Cook over medium heat. If it is too hot the outside of the chicken breast will cook before the inside is done.
- If using a non-stick pan or skillet, be sure to use rubber tipped tongs. Metal tongs will scratch up your skillet.
📖 More delicious recipes
- If you love electric skillet chicken recipes, this Brown Butter Herb Chicken is AMAZINGLY flavorful and so easy.
- Tender Pepper Steak is a fast and filling weeknight dinner that sneaks in extra veggies.
- This loaded Potato Bake is an easier way to eat twice baked potatoes that’s make ahead and freezer friendly.
- For a sweet treat, try these Golden Graham Rice Krispie Treats. They’re soft, gooey, and super flavorful.
👋 Connect with us!
If you try this recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below to let us know how it is! We’d also love to connect with you on Facebook, Instagram, or Pinterest. Tag @borrowedbites or hashtag #borrowedbites to show us your food!
📋 Recipe
Skillet Apricot Chicken
Ingredients
- 3 large chicken breasts trimmed and cut in half horizontally
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup flour
- ½ tsp pepper
- 4 tbsp butter
Apricot Sauce
- ½ cup apricot jam
- ½ tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dijon mustard
- ⅛ tsp ground mustard
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 1 tsp garlic minced
- ¾ tsp dried thyme
- ¾ tsp dried rosemary
- 3 tbsp chicken broth
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
Instructions
- Sprinkle each side of the chicken with kosher salt and allow to sit for 5 minutes.
- While the chicken is sitting, combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Combine the flour and pepper in a flat dish. Coat each side of the chicken in flour and vigorously shake off the excess. The layer should be very thin.
- In an electric skillet heated to 350° or skillet on the stove over medium heat, melt the butter. Cook the chicken on the first side until golden brown, about 4-5 minutes.
- Flip the chicken and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Add the apricot sauce and simmer until the sauce has thickened into a glaze and the chicken is cooked through, 2-4 minutes.
Notes
- Try to slice the breasts as evenly as possible to ensure that they cook in the same amount of time.
- Use a light hand when flouring the chicken. It should have a thin coating. A thick coating just results in a gummy coating.
- Cook over medium heat. If it is too hot the outside of the chicken breast will cook before the inside is done.
- If using a non-stick pan or skillet, be sure to use rubber tipped tongs. Metal tongs will scratch up your skillet.
Nutrition
All nutrition information is provided by a third party and is an estimate only. Use your own nutritional calculator for more specific measurements.
Misty Mason says
Can I omit the mustard for another ingredient? My husband isn’t a fan of mustard and neither am I. Thank you 😊
Danielle says
Hello! I would encourage you to try it with the mustard. I really do not like mustard but in this recipe it adds a background note that is perfect. If you really don’t want to then I would just skip it and see if you like it. Or try leaving out the dijon and only using the mustard powder. Most people don’t like the sharpness of mustard which isn’t in dry mustard. Hope that helps! Please let us know how it turns out for you! And love your name. 😉 My daughter, Misty, is the other half of this blog.