Easy coconut rice topped with saucy shredded Apricot Chicken. This healthy and delicious dinner can be ready in 30 minutes or less!
3 Reason I Love This Apricot Chicken Recipe
- Healthy Choices: This recipe uses things like olive oil and less sugar, so it’s a great choice when you want a lighter weeknight dinner. (Save this Creamy Sausage Pasta for when you’re craving comfort.)
- Tasty and Fresh: The apricot sauce has a sweet heat, and the cucumber salad and avocado make it nice and fresh.
- Easy Chicken Options: Use grilled chicken or grab rotisserie—both work great! This recipe is quick and flexible.
Ingredients In Apricot Chicken
A few ingredient notes:
- Apricot Preserves: Use preserves instead of jam for a thicker, less runny sauce.
- Chicken: Rotisserie chicken saves time and still tastes great.
- Coconut Rice: Lite or regular coconut milk works in this.
- Cornstarch: Mix with cold water first so it blends in smooth and doesn’t clump.
How To Make Apricot Chicken
- Cook Rice: Simmer basmati rice in coconut milk and a little salt until the liquid is gone. Let it sit, covered.
- Grill/Shred Chicken: Grill seasoned chicken breasts or shred some rotisserie chicken.
- Prepare Sauce: Sauté garlic and ginger, add apricot preserves, soy sauce, vinegar, and then add the cornstarch mix to make it thick.
- Combine Chicken and Sauce: Mix the chicken with the sauce.
- Cucumber Salad: Toss sliced cucumbers in olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper.
- Assemble: Add rice to bowls, then top with the saucy chicken, cucumber salad, and avocado.
Chicken Cooking Options
- Rotisserie Option: This is your fastest option: Grab plain rotisserie chicken and shred it.
- Use Meat Thermometer: Aim for 160°F, since carryover heat will bring it to 165°F. This helps avoid dry or raw chicken.
- Grill: Season chicken with olive oil, salt, pepper. Grill at 450°F for 4–5 minutes each side until 165°F. Then slice or shred your apricot chicken.
- Bake: At 425°F on parchment-lined sheet for 18 minutes, flipping halfway. Rest covered for 5–10 minutes. Then slice or shred.
- Sauté: In oiled pan, cook chicken 4–6 minutes each side. Rest covered for 5–10 minutes. Then slice or shred.
More Easy Chicken Dinners
Apricot Chicken
Whip up this saucy, shredded Apricot Chicken with an easy coconut rice base for a nutritious, delicious dinner that’s ready in 30 minutes or less!
Equipment
- Grill or grill pan
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup basmati rice
- 1 (13.5-ounce) can lite coconut milk
- Salt and pepper
- 2 Persian cucumbers or 1 English cucumber
- 4 tablespoons rice vinegar divided
- 8 teaspoons olive oil divided
- 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts or 1-1/2 cups prepared rotisserie chicken, see note 1
- Vegetable oil for oiling grill grates
- 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 1-inch piece
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic 3 cloves
- 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes add to heat preference
- 2 tablespoons apricot preserves
- 1 tablespoon reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/2 cup water or chicken broth
- 1 teaspoon sugar optional
- 1 large ripe avocado thinly sliced
Instructions
- Cook rice in a small pot with coconut milk and 1/4 teaspoon salt; bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to low, cover, and simmer for 10–15 minutes until milk is absorbed. Let stand covered for 10 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork.
- Meanwhile, slice cucumbers into 1/4-inch rounds. In a medium bowl, whisk 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Toss cucumbers in the mixture and set aside. Toss again before serving.
- If using rotisserie chicken, shred or cut chicken off the bones. If grilling chicken, preheat grill or grill pan to medium-high heat (400–450°F). Generously oil grill grates with vegetable oil (I use a paper towel). Halve and pound chicken for even thickness (not super flat), then season both sides with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Cook for 8–10 minutes, flipping once halfway, or until juices run clear and internal temperature reaches 160–165°F. Tent chicken with foil and let rest for 5–10 minutes, then thinly slice or shred.
- Make sauce by heating remaining 2 teaspoons olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Sauté ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes 1–2 minutes until fragrant. Add apricot preserves, soy sauce, and remaining 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon rice vinegar. Boil over high heat, reduce heat to medium, and simmer 2–3 minutes until reduced by half. In a separate small bowl, whisk cornstarch with water until smooth, then gradually stir mixture into sauce until it thickens, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and season with salt, pepper, and optional sugar to taste. Toss chicken in sauce until well coated.
- Assemble by dividing coconut rice between plates or bowls, then top with sauced chicken, cucumbers, and thinly sliced avocado. Drizzle with remaining apricot sauce. Enjoy hot!
Recipe Notes
Note 1: There are a few ways to prepare the chicken for this meal. I recommend using a rotisserie chicken or grilling the chicken for best flavor, but see the post for how to sauté or bake the chicken.
Storage: Keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 520kcal | Carbohydrates: 42.1g | Protein: 6.2g | Fat: 38.6g | Cholesterol: 3.1mg | Sodium: 91.1mg | Fiber: 0.8g | Sugar: 10.6g
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This is a family favorite. Thank you!
So happy to hear that! Thank you for the comment 🙂
Fantastic!!! Loved this recipe!!!
Yay! So happy to hear it 🙂 thanks for making and commenting on so many recipes Elliott 🙂
i love sweet and sour too but also want to skip the sugar in that dish, so appreciate this apricot glazed dish instead, thank you