Friday, January 4, 2008

Recipe Review - Apricot Chicken

I have no idea where this recipe came from, but I've always loved it!

Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1 410g can of Apricot Nectar (for non-Aussies, that's a syrupy sweet type of apricot juice. you may not be able to buy it in your supermarkets, but I know the Australian store in Acton, London has it. aaahhh, memories!)
  • 1 Packet of powdered french onion soup mix
  • 8 Chicken thighs. Take the skin off if you must but it will taste so much better if you leave it on. I make this as a small indulgence, not as 'diet' food so I leave it on :)
  • 1Tblsp Olive Oil

Instructions

  • Brown the chicken briefly in the olive oil to seal in the juices.
  • Place the Chicken in a deepcasserole dish
  • Dissolve the powdered soup mix in the Apricot Nectar, and pour over the chicken
  • Bake in a moderate oven (180 degrees) for an hour, turning after half an hour.

Note: This recipe freezes well. Allow to cool in the fridge overnight, skim off the fat that will rise to the top, then pack into 500ml square Decor containers - one serve per container and freeze.

Review

This is not a low calorie meal, so some people might think it doesn't have a place in a diet plan. But when you're coming home on a friday night exhausted from your week's work, having this in the freezer as a little treat may be enough to stop you heading out for chicken treat. And calorie wise it sure as hell beats Chicken Treat!

For me having these little treats in the freezer is an important part of my strategy. Adding a half a corn on the cob or baked potato, and a cup of your favourite steamed veggies makes this a balanced meal. And covering the veggies with that Apricot sauce makes them even more yummy!

Enjoy!

P.S - the one thing that bothers me about this recipe is that it's not 'from scratch' - it involves processed ingredients which I generally try to avoid. Can you think of substitutes to get the same flavour from fresh ingredients?

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