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I make no joke when I say THREE ingredients.
This chicken, this magic chicken, is everything. It’s the perfect, go-to meal for a busy weeknight, or maybe even better for a night when friends are coming over, but as of yet, nothing is planned for dinner. Yep, this would be your meal!
Simple as that.
In full disclosure, I did not include the cauliflower rice in the 3 ingredients with the chicken. You can make the rice if you please… and you really should because it’s delicious, AND it completes the meal in a healthy way, but the chicken is what this post is all about.
The recipe comes from my grandma who got the recipe from her sweet neighbor (hi Mrs. Gonzalez). My grandma is the queen of making simple yet delicious meals that everyone loves. I first had this chicken around this time last year when my family traveled to Florida for Spring Break and Easter. Nonnie served it the first night we arrived, and well, between my dad, my mom, Kai, Asher, my Nonnie and Grandpa, and me, the entire meal was devoured. Even my picky-eating, no chicken thighs please, mother loved this recipe. It’s all about the sauce, it’s a combo I would have never thought up, but man it is so good.
So you ready? The magic three ingredients? Fair warning they are kind of weird, but like I said, SO GOOD.
….skin on chicken thighs (you can use chicken breasts as well)
….apricot preserves (try really hard to find a high quality brand without any corn syrup or other weird ingredients)
…Russian dressing (I made a healthier homemade version, but store-bought is what my grandma uses!)
I know, kind of odd…totally DELISH though.
When Nonnie served this, she had steamed white rice, corn on the cob and bread. I am going the slightly healthier route with my cauliflower rice, but um guys, I promise I will SO not be offended if you just make a pot of rice and call it a day. Nothing beats real deal steamed rice.
However, if you’re willing to branch out a bit, I highly recommend the Cauliflower Rice. I made mine with some coconut milk and then tossed in roasted cashews… healthy and yummy!
Whatever you do, just give this 3 Ingredient Apricot Chicken a try. Honestly, it’s SOOOO good. I can’t figure out if it’s more of an Asian flavor or an Indian flavor or maybe even a Russian flavor, but I really don’t care. All I care is that it’s completely amazing and the EASIEST thing ever to make. Like add your three ingredients to a Pyrex pan and bake.
DONE AND DONE.
Oh, and really quick, thank you so much for you kind words on yesterday’s post. I am thrilled you guys are so excited about the Better Homes and Gardens Blogger Awards, THANK YOU!
Now, let’s all celebrate with a little feast and an easy + pretty, healthy Wednesday dinner.
Sweet and Sticky 3 Ingredient Apricot Chicken with Cauliflower Rice.
Servings: 4 Servings
Calories Per Serving: 708 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 6-8 skin on chicken thighs or 4 breasts
- 1 (13 ounce) jar high quality apricot preserves*
- 2 cups store bought or homemade Russian Dressing see my healthy recipe below
Cashew Cauliflower Rice
- 2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
- 1 large or 2 small heads cauliflower finely grated*
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt + pepper
- 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
- 1/2 cup roasted cashews roughly chopped
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
- Lightly grease a 9x13 inch pyrex pan. Add the chicken. In a medium bowl, mix together the apricot preserves and Russian Dressing. Pour over the chicken.
- Bake for 30-40, minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces. If the tops of the chicken are getting too browned, cover the pan with foil halfway through cooking. Serve the chicken along side the cauliflower rice (recipe below). Spoon the sauce left in the pan, over the chicken. EAT.
Cauliflower Rice
- Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium heat and add the oil. Add the cauliflower and season with cumin, salt and pepper. Cook for 2 more minutes. Stir in the coconut milk. Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. Remove from heat, then add the cashews and cilantro.
Notes
*Try to buy apricot preserves without any corn syrup, loads of sugar or other added ingredients that you cannot pronounce. Ideally there should only be apricots and a little sugar. *You can either finely chop the cauliflower or run the heads through a blender or food processor. For the best consistency, I like to blend 3/4 of the cauliflower in the blender and then finely chop the remainder for a little texture.
Healthy Red Russian Dressing.
Servings: 2 Cups
Calories Per Serving: 144 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 2/3 cup plain full-fat or 2% greek yogurt
- 1/2 cup organic ketchup
- 1/4 cup pickle brine/juice the juice from the pickle jar
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce
- 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley + dill
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or glass jar and whisk to combine. Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Keep stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
Yes lets… and then maybe even help ourselves to another plate…or two. 🙂
P.S. Don’t forget, you can vote once a day through March 7th for your favorite food blogger!! Just click on the badge above to link you to the Better Homes & Gardens site to vote! THANK YOU for all your continuous support! 
Three ingredients is the best, and I love that cauliflower rice – I’m so obsessed with cashews!
Thanks Laura!!
This sounds amazing and I could probably come up with some way to make the dressing without yogurt but any suggestions for a replacement for the yogurt? (non dairy)?
🙂
Hmm, that is tricky. I would try full fat canned coconut milk. Or coconut yogurt. Let me know if you have questions. Thanks!!
My mother makes apricot chicken, it’s one of my favorites since childhood. She however, uses apricot jam, French onion soup mix and ketchup. It’s absolutely delicious. Sounds bizarre but it’s the perfect mix of sweet, savory and tangy!
Thank you! I bet your moms chicken is awesome!
I want to make this right now and eat it thats how awesome this looks
haah! Thank you!
http://www.boomcraftbeer.com
I’ll definitely have to try it out, thanks for sharing:)
Thank you so much, Caroline! 🙂
Yes yes YES. I cannot thank you enough for this. Because one, just look at it! Cmon.. And two, it’s not full of cruddy ingredients. I could just hug you for this homemade dressing! I love simple recipes like this but they are always full of cream of this or processed that. Added to my meal plan next week!
hehe! Thank you SO much!! Hope you love the recipe! 🙂
Good looking recipe. Going to go for the gusto and try both recipes.
Thank you so much! Hope you love both!
Yumm, def trying this out, possibly tomorrow! So, I was wondering if you could clarify for me, as I’m slightly confused, is it pickle relish (like the diced up cucumber concoction) or the juice from a jar of big regular pickles (so no cucumbers at all)? Thank you!!:)
Hey Nicole! Sorry for the confusion! It is the juice from the pickle jar, although real pickle relish would be great too I am sure! But I used the juice from the pickle jar. Hope you love this!
Oh YUM! I love simple, simple meals like this that still pack a ton of flavor. Thanks for sharing! And congrats on your nomination, lady! You deserve it. Your blog is such an inspiration to me (and many others!)
Thank you so much, Chelsea!! your kind words are SO appreciated!! 🙂
Your version of this dish sounds so yummy, and I find that homemade dressings are well worth the effort (which is usually less effort than going to the store to buy some 🙂 But I have some questions about the pickle relish in the dressing recipe: 1) dill or sweet relish? 2) Are we to use the actual relish or just juice? Thanks?
HI Maggie! Sorry for the confusion! It is the juice from the pickle jar, although real pickle relish would be great too I am sure! But I used the juice from the pickle jar. Hope you love this! Fixing the recipe now. Let me know if you have other questions!
Sometimes simple is better! And this looks very delicious.
Thanks for the recipe, once again.
Agree! Thanks so much!
How much rice do you suggest?
about 2 1/2 to 3 cups cooked rice.
Thank you so much! Definitely going to use this cauliflower rice recipe while I am on my enforced eating plan. It works doubly well, as my boyfriend is allergic to cashews and considers cauliflower The Albino Vegetable Menace, so no one will be touching the leftovers but me! Ha! 🙂
lol! Thank you so much! Hope you love this!
Yay for you on the nomination! Well deserved! Now, about this dish…this is going on the meal plan for next week! YUM!
THANK YOU!! I really appreciate it!! 🙂
3-ingredients, say what?! AWESOME. I love grandma recipes. I always used to bake with my Nana and she had this little yellow notebook where she kept all her baking secrets / recipes. Seeing this recipe makes we want to ask my grandpa is he still has that notebook!
And congrats on the nomination – you deserve it!
Thank you so much! Hope you are having a great week!