Apricot Curry Chicken

I saw this recipe at Cooking Light and it reminded me of a similar dish my mom used to make that was always one of my favorites.  The best thing about this recipe is that it only calls for 4 ingredients!  It's sweet and salty and absolutely delicious.

 I made this using only ingredients out of my pantry, though I know some people might not have curry powder or apricot preserves on hand.  A tip on curry powder:  I bought mine at the grocery store for some ungodly price.  While I thought it was worthwhile, as curry powder is one of my favorite spices, if you are thinking of buying some, check out your local ethnic foods market for a much better deal.  I know for a fact that India Spice, at the corner of Valleydale Rd and Hwy 31 has this in stock, along with many other spice rack staples, at a fraction of the cost.

The ingredients:

24 ounces chicken (I used chicken breasts, but I think thighs would be lovely in this dish as well!) cut into 6 4-oz pieces, 1/3 cup apricot preserves, 1 tsp curry powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 large red onion, sliced into strips.

Lovely spices!

 Mix the curry powder, salt, and pepper together and rub into the chicken pieces.  In a large skillet, heat 1 tbsp butter or cooking spray over medium-high heat.  You want the pan to be hot before you put the chicken in!  Hot pan = delicious searing.  Warm pan = gray meat.  And nobody likes gray meat.

Fry the chicken 6 minutes on each side or until nearly cooked through.  My chicken pieces were fairly thick, so it took a little longer than 6 minutes, and they weren't quite done in the center.  No worries, though, we're not done with this bird yet!  I did only 3 pieces at a time to avoid overcrowding the pan.

This is the sear you want to get...  not burnt, only delicious flavor!

As an afterthought, I sliced up some red onion I had in the fridge.  I think a nice vidalia onion would be even better, but this wasn't bad at all!  Sauté the onion over medium heat until you can smell them.  That's how I do most of my cooking, by the way... your sense of smell, touch, and taste are a much better gauge than any egg timer.

Now it's time for the apricot preserves!  I could eat this by the spoonful...

Add the preserves plus 1/4 cup water to the onions and stir til well-blended.

When the mixture comes to a slow boil and starts to thicken, add the chicken back into the skillet.  Turn heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 10 minutes or until chicken pieces are cooked through.  Every few minutes, get a spoon and ladle some of the onion/apricot mix over the top so everything stays nice and moist.

That's it!  Serve over rice or with a nice salad.  Actually, any kind of green veggie would be wonderful with this.

Recipe - Serves 6

• 24 oz chicken, cut into 6 4-oz pieces
• 1/2 red onion, sliced
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1. Blend spices and rub into chicken pieces
2. Cook chicken in a skillet on medium-high heat for 6 minutes per side, remove from heat
3. In same pan, sauté onions until tender
4. Add apricot preserves and 1/4 cup water to pan, cook over medium heat until boiling
5. Add chicken pieces back to pan, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring often, for 10 minutes or until chicken is cooked through.