Healthy Apricot Chicken Recipe

Dinner time is usually witching hour at our place. There are generally four very hungry boys desperate to eat, so to stop them from snacking (and annoying me at the same time) I find myself rushing to get their meal on the table. And when Mark is away on business, it's hard to keep them from being under my feet while I'm doing so.

As most of our meals are made from scratch, I've decided to get more organised in the kitchen. I've been making meals and freezing them for those nights where there is either a) nothing to cook, b) when Mark is away, or c) I couldn't be bothered. I'm hoping this will make my life a little easier.

I recently made this healthy version of Apricot Chicken which was so good that it's sure to be on high rotation over here while apricots are still in season. Apricot nectar, which often contains artificial colours, has been replaced with fresh apricots which I pureed in my Thermomix and I used fresh onions and chicken stock instead of the usual packet of French Onion Soup which is full of additives including MSG.

For anyone interested, here is the recipe:

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 brown onions, sliced
500g chicken breast or thigh fillets, cubed
6 apricots, stones removed and pureed
1 cup chicken stock
2 heaped tablespoons of apricot jam
cracked black pepper
coriander or parsley to garnish

Method:

1. Heat pan over medium heat, add olive oil and sauté onions until softened.
2. Turn up the heat to medium-high and add the chicken pieces and cook until golden brown.
3. Pour a little stock into the pan to deglaze and give it a good stir.
4. Pour in the remaining stock, apricot puree, and apricot jam.
5. Add some freshly ground black pepper and simmer until cooked through and sauce has thickened.
6. Garnish with coriander and serve with your choice of either mashed potato, rice, pasta, quinoa or couscous and some steamed vegetables.

Oh, and I must thank Caitlin from Mother Down Under for her icy pole recipe - the kids loved them, and they are especially good in this oh so hot weather we're having at the moment.