This slow cooker apricot chicken is easy, comforting and so delicious. Tender, juicy chicken thighs and veggies coated in a sweet and savoury sauce.
Ingredients
- 1 kg skinless boneless chicken thighs (1.1lb)
- ⅓ cup plain flour (all purpose flour)
- 1 teaspoon cooking salt
- ½ teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 large onion , roughly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 medium carrots , chopped into chunks, optional
- 405 ml canned apricot nectar
- 400 g tinned apricot halves in juice
- 2 teaspoons chicken stock powder (or 2 tablespoons soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 200 g mushrooms , sliced, optional
- 1 ½ cups frozen green beans , thawed (170g / 6 oz), optional
For best results, always weigh ingredients where a weight is provided
Equipment
- Non-stick frying pan / skillet
- Slow cooker
Instructions
- Combine the chicken thighs with the flour, salt and pepper in a large bowl.
- Heat half the oil in a large non-stick frying pan over medium high heat. Add the chicken thighs (you may need to do it in 2 batches) and cook until golden on each side. Transfer to the bowl of a slow cooker. Add the remaining oil and cook the second batch the same way.Note: As the chicken slow cooks later, the coating will come off and in turn thicken the sauce but the aim of adding it to the chicken and browning it is to get that flour toasted.
- Add the onion, carrots, garlic, apricot nectar, apricots in juice, and stock powder to the chicken in the slow cooker bowl and give it all a good mix. Cook on low for 5 ½ hours (or high for 2 ½ hours).Note: The apricot halves will break down in the sauce. If you want to serve it with them in whole pieces, don’t add them until the last ½ an hour.
- Meanwhile, wipe any dark bits from the pan the chicken was cooked in and add the butter. Let it melt then add the mushrooms and cook turning every so often until golden all over. Transfer the mushrooms to a bowl and chill until required.
- At the 5 ½ hour mark, add the mushrooms and beans to the slow cooker and cook for a further 10-15 minutes until hot through.
- See serving suggestions below.
- Please take a moment to leave a comment & rating. It's appreciated and so helpful.
Notes
- Tablespoons: I use a standard Australian 20ml tablespoon (equal to 4 teaspoons). Check yours before measuring.
- The carrots, mushrooms and green beans are all optional. You can swap them for other vegetables or leave them out entirely.
- Serving suggestions: Apricot chicken is often served with steamed rice. Pasta, mashed potatoes and couscous are other great accompaniments. You can also just serve it with crusty bread for mopping up that sauce.
- Leftovers should be stored in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 3-4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Leftover apricot chicken is delicious turned into mini pies too.
- Nutrition details are approximate only - scroll below the recipe to find the full nutritional information.
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Nutrition information is approximate only and derived from an online calculator. The brands you use and any changes you make may cause variations.
