Do you like the sound of juicy chicken with crispy skin, slathered in a zippy sauce? If so, I have this fantastic 6-ingredient, 30 minutes recipe for you. This easy and flavor-packed GINGER APRICOT CHICKEN recipe came about when I craved a tasty dish to appease my bored taste buds shortly after starting my first Whole30 so this recipe provides options for regular preparation or soy-free / gluten-free versions. This recipe has since become one of our family weeknight favourites!
[ For Whole 30, I used coconut aminos and served it with cauliflower rice - see recipe options. ]
Today is my Day #18 of...you guessed it...the 30-Day reset. I’ll save my reflections on the program after I’ve actually completed the entire round. But so far, so great! I share glimpses of my Whole30 journey on my Instagram account if you want to follow along for the ride. :)
But back to those bored taste buds. One of the reasons people give up on the program is because of food fatigue i.e. eating the same ‘compliant’ foods over and over and over. I think eggs, bacon, avocados, nut butters and sweet potatoes are fairly big culprits! And dried dates…mmm I think I’ll be laying off those for a tiny bit. I was determined not to fail on account of food boredom. The good news is, this Ginger Apricot Chicken is anything but tired!
I’ve written the recipe with two simple substitutions to cater to regular, gluten-free or Whole30 diets. I ate it over cauliflower rice (because rice is not Whole30) and the rest of my family ate it over steamed white rice. That delicious sauce drizzled all over the juicy chicken and cauli rice tasted so amazing I didn’t miss the rice at all. And that is a bold statement from a Chinese girl who loves her rice.
So needless to say, I’m really excited to share it today. I hope you love it as much as we do! Let me know what you think of this recipe in comments below or tag me on IG if you make it - I’d love to know!
Eat well and be well,
Sonia X
You May Also Be Interested in…
these other recipes from the same recipe series, You Got This in 30 Minutes:
》SHANGHAI BOK CHOY VEGETABLE RICE
》MUSHROOM AND EGG “GYUDON” RICE BOWL
》speedy chicken katsu dinner
Ginger Apricot Chicken
{ gluten-free, dairy-free, paleo, Whole30 }
Recipe serves 4, assuming 2 thighs per person served with cauliflower rice and side veggies.
INGREDIENTS.
8-10 skin-on, boneless chicken thighs (about 2.5 lbs, buy more if bone-in)
kosher salt, to taste
For the Ginger Apricot sauce:
6 tbsp coconut aminos (OR 3 tbsp tamari + 3 tbsp water OR 2 tbsp soy sauce + 4 tbsp water)
4 tbsp apricot jam, fruit juice sweetened no sugar added
2 tbsp rice vinegar (sub with a squeeze of lemon juice or apple cider vinegar for Paleo)
3/4 tsp grated fresh ginger
1 clove garlic, grated
1-2 Thai red birds eye chili’s, thinly sliced (optional)
For serving: cauliflower rice or regular rice and steamed / sauteed veggies.
METHOD.
As soon as you can, lightly season the chicken pieces with the kosher salt on both sides. Ideally at least 15 minutes or longer. Try to get some under the skin, too.
Preheat a 11-12" cast iron pan over medium-high heat.
Meanwhile, whisk together sauce ingredients and set aside.
The pan should be hot now (you want it to be very hot). In 2 batches so as not to crowd them, place 4 chicken thighs at a time into the un-oiled pan, skin-side down. Cook for a minute or so to get the fats rendering out from the skin, then turn down the heat to medium. Continue to cook undisturbed for 8-9 minutes, until most of the fat under the skin is rendered out and the skin itself is nicely brown and crispy. Flip the chicken over and cook the other side for 5 or so minutes, or until juices run clear, or meat thermometer inserted into thickest part of the chicken reads 165f. Set aside and repeat for remaining chicken thighs.
Once all the chicken pieces are cooked, there is likely quite a lot of chicken fat rendered into the pan. If you like it, feel free to keep the fat as we all know there is lots of flavor in it. Personally, I prefer to keep my home-cooked meals healthier, so I pour out all but a bit of the fat (or mop with a paper towel) before proceeding.
Turn heat down to low and pour the sauce ingredients into the pan. While it simmers and thickens a bit, coat the chicken pieces on both sides with the sauce. Adjust heat down as needed so the sauce doesn't get too thick. Serve over steamed cauliflower rice (or steamed rice if not eating grain-free!) along with a favorite green veggie - I steamed bok choy here. Drizzle everything with the extra sauce from the pan. So good!
🎥 WATCH MY IG RECIPE TUTOTIAL FOR GINGER APRICOT CHICKEN!
Whole 30 version served with cauliflower rice :)
If you like this recipe, pin it to Pinterest! You can also leave me a comment below to let me know what you think of this post - I would love that.