This apricot chicken recipe roasts chicken legs in a sticky, sweet and fragrant homemade apricot sauce loaded with Persian spices.
Skip the sugary store-bought jam and make this Apricot Chicken with a Persian-style twist! I developed this recipe to incorporate all the wonderful flavors from the Middle East without needing to slow cook the meat for hours. The bone-in chicken legs roast on a bed of homemade apricot sauce infused with a perfect blend of aromatics until juicy and delicious.
Despite apricots being available for a short period in the summer season, you can cook this recipe year-round. Like the Turkish dessert Kuru Kayısı Tatlısı, I take advantage of dried apricots’ concentrated flavor, rehydrating them until plump. They are then stewed with a vibrant blend of warming spices like cinnamon, turmeric, coriander, cumin, and just a touch of honey.
Adding saffron lifts the flavor, adding a distinctly floral, musky note synonymous with Persian cuisine. The result is a rich, sticky, sweet, and sour flavorsome sauce that may call to mind the famous Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Chicken Stew known as Fesenjan. Make for a weekday or weekend dinner with rice, couscous or potatoes to mop up the delicious sauce.
Table of Contents
What is in a Persian-Style Apricot Chicken Recipe?
If you’ve been cooking the Mediterranean way, you may have most of these ingredients in your pantry. If not, you can source most of them at your local supermarket or our online shop.
- Extra virgin olive oil: Used to fry the chicken and to make the apricot sauce. Any high-quality extra virgin variety will work well.
- Chicken legs: Skin-on, bone-in, chicken legs turn golden and stay juicy. (See Swaps and Substitutions below for other options.)
- Dried apricots: By using dried apricots, this is a dish for all seasons.
- Onion, garlic, and ginger: These fresh aromatics enhance the sweet, savory, and mildly spicy flavor.
- Red chili: Add a little heat for depth.
- Turmeric, coriander, cumin, and cinnamon: Add earthy, floral, woody and peppery notes.
- Saffron: Enhances the color and adds the floral and musky notes common to Persian stews.
- READ MORE: What is Saffron? An Essential Guide
- TRY IT: Find authentic Moroccan saffron at our spice shop.
- Honey: Balances the tart notes of the apricots.
- Fresh lemon: Balances the sweetness.
- Salt and freshly ground pepper: Enhances the flavors.
- Mint and parsley: Used as a garnish for color and freshness.
Swaps and Substitutions
Here are the ways you can make this Apricot Chicken recipe to accommodate what you have on hand:
- Apricots: Use the canned variety. Instead of water, use the liquid the apricots are canned in and reduce the honey in the recipe, as the tinned apricots and their juices are likely to be sweet enough.
- Chicken: Use chicken thighs or drumsticks instead of whole legs. Boneless, skinless will work, just check on them sooner as they tend to cook more quickly.
- Lemon: Lime.
- Dried red chili: Pinch of chili flakes, Aleppo pepper, or Urfa biber. Or leave this out if you don’t like spicy food.
How to Make Skillet Apricot Chicken
Though most apricot chicken recipes call for super sweet store-bought apricot jam, the added step of making your own apricot sauce is well worth the minimal amount of effort. Perfuming it with a rich blend of Persian-style seasonings makes this simple dish totally irresistible. Here are the steps:
Prep the Apricots, Saffron, and Chicken
- Plump the dried apricots: Soak 1/2 cup of the dried apricots in 2 cups of hot (but not boiling) water until plump, 10 to 15 minutes. Blend the apricots and 2 cups of water until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
- Bloom the saffron. Mix 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron with 3 tablespoons water. Set aside to “bloom,” infusing the water with the saffron’s aroma and flavor.
- Season the chicken: Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400°F. In a small bowl, combine 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon with 1/2 teaspoon each turmeric, coriander, and cumin. Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, then dust with half of the spice blend.
Sear the Chicken and Make the Apricot Sauce
- Blend the apricots: Blend the apricots and the water until smooth. Set aside.
- Sear the chicken: Place a large 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil glistens, add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside while you make the sauce.
- Make the apricot sauce: Add 1 finely diced onion to the skillet and cook until golden, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in 4 minced garlic cloves, 1 finely grated thumb-size piece of ginger, and 1 finely diced red chili.
- Season: Stir in the remaining spice blend. Stir in 1/2 cup of halved dried apricots and the blended apricot sauce.
- Finish the apricot sauce. Juice in 1/2 a fresh lemon. Stir in 1 tablespoon honey, the bloomed saffron, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes. Lower the heat to avoid burning the sauce, if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, honey, and/or lemon to taste.
Bake and Serve
- Bake: Place the chicken on top of the apricot sauce and spoon a little sauce on top. Place the pan into the oven to roast until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crispy, between 30 and 45 minutes.
- Serve: Sprinkle over finely chopped fresh mint and parsley and serve.
What to Serve with Apricot Chicken
Serve skillet apricot chicken with a side of couscous. Alternatively, serve alongside rice, such as Saffron Rice or Persian Rice with Potato Tahdig, spooning plenty of juices over top.
The sweet-tart apricot sauce also pairs well with potato dishes such as Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Batata Harra (Spicy Potatoes). A simple salad with a citrus dressing such as a Shirazi Salad will nicely balance the richness and complement the sweetness.
How to Store and Reheat Apricot Chicken
Store leftovers in a tight-lid glass container in the fridge for about 3 days. Reheat either in a microwave or in a medium oven. If reheating in an oven, cover the dish with aluminum foil so the chicken does not dry out.
More Persian Chicken Recipes
Soups and Stews
Soupe Jo (Persian Chicken Barley Soup)
Meat and Poultry
Fesenjan (Persian Pomegranate and Walnut Chicken Stew)
Meat and Poultry
Easy Persian-Style Barbecue Chicken Thighs
Browse all Mediterranean recipes.
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Apricot Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 cup dried apricots (divided)
- 1 pinch saffron threads, ground (or 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 bone-in, skin-on whole chicken legs
- Kosher salt
- Black pepper
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow or white onion, finely diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 thumb-size piece of ginger, finely grated
- 1 red chili, finely diced
- 1/2 lemon, juiced, plus more to taste
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Freshly chopped mint and parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- Plump the dried apricots: Soak 1/2 cup of the dried apricots in 2 cups of warm (but not boiling) water until plump, 10 to 15 minutes.
- Bloom the saffron: Mix 1/8 teaspoon ground saffron with 3 tablespoons water. Set aside to “bloom,” infusing the water with the saffron’s aroma and flavor.
- Make a warming spice blend: In a separate small bowl, combine ground turmeric, ground coriander, ground cumin, and ground cinnamon.
- Blend the apricots: Blend the apricots and the water until smooth. Set aside until ready to use.
- Season and sear the chicken: Season the chicken all over with salt and pepper, then dust with half of the spice blend. Place a large 12-inch non-stick skillet over medium-high heat and add 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Once the oil glistens, add the chicken and cook for 2 minutes on each side. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside while you make the sauce.
- Make the apricot sauce: Add the onion to the skillet and cook until golden, approximately 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, ginger, and chili, then follow with the remaining spice blend. Slice the remaining 1/2 cup of apricots and stir into the mixture, followed by the blended apricot sauce.
- Finish the apricot sauce. Add the fresh lemon juice, honey, bloomed saffron, and salt and pepper to taste. Reduce the sauce over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes. Lower the heat to avoid burning the sauce, if necessary. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, honey, and/or lemon to taste.
- Heat the oven: While the sauce reduces, heat the oven to 400°F.
- Bake the chicken: Place the chicken on top of the apricot sauce and spoon a little sauce on top. Place the pan into the oven to roast until the chicken is cooked through and the skin is crispy, between 30 and 45 minutes.
- Serve: Sprinkle over finely chopped fresh mint and parsley and serve.
Notes
- Shop this recipe: Visit our shop to browse quality Mediterranean ingredients including the olive oil, honey, and spices used in this recipe.
- You can use different chicken pieces if you prefer. If using boneless chicken, reduce roasting time as they cook much more quickly.
Nutrition
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