Thursday, March 26, 2009

Apricot Baked Chicken

Apparently this recipe has been around in various forms for years and years, but I just recently happened upon the idea. Made this last night and it turned out delicious - we liked it so much, we're making more tonight! I served it with seasoned rice and steamed broccoli. This would be a great meal to take someone or to have for company.

Ingredients:
1.5 - 2 lbs raw chicken, rinsed and patted dry (I used breast tenders and boneless thighs cut into quarters)
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 cup French dressing
1 cup apricot preserves

Instructions:
In a 9 x 13 baking dish, lay out your chicken in a single layer. In a medium bowl, mix together soup mix, dressing and preserves. Pour mixture even over chicken and then wiggle chicken pieces into mixture to coat. Bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes for smaller pieces, 45 - 60 minutes if using full-sized breasts, drumsticks, or thighs. To determine if chicken is done, cut one into one of the larger pieces and make sure juices run clear. Serve with or over rice or pasta. Makes a nice amount of "gravy."

To make lower in calories, you can use low-fat or fat-free French dressing and all-natural preserves made with fruit juice. I do not recommend using the sugar-free preserves because of the all the strange, fake ingredients.

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