I make no joke when I say THREE ingredients.

Sweet and Sticky 3 Ingredient Apricot Chicken (with Cauliflower Rice) | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Sweet and Sticky 3 Ingredient Apricot Chicken (with Cauliflower Rice) | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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.

Sweet and Sticky 3 Ingredient Apricot Chicken (with Cauliflower Rice) | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

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) | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest
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3.54 from 107 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Sweet and Sticky 3 Ingredient Apricot Chicken with Cauliflower Rice.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: apricot, cauliflower rice, chicken

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!

Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4 Servings
Calories 543 kcal

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

  1. 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.

Recipe 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.

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3.66 from 47 votes

Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.

The Recipe

Healthy Red Russian Dressing.

By halfbakedharvest

Course: Condiment
Cuisine: American, russian
Keyword: healthy, russian dressing

The perfect dressing and healthy

Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 2 Cups
Calories 113 kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. 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.
Sweet and Sticky 3 Ingredient Apricot Chicken (with Cauliflower Rice) | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest

Yes lets… and then maybe even help ourselves to another plate…or two. 🙂

awards

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! :)

 

Sweet and Sticky 3 Ingredient Apricot Chicken (with Cauliflower Rice) | halfbakedharvest.com @hbharvest