Sweet-and-Sour Chicken with Apricot Glaze

Orange juice, honey, sugar, and apricot preserves combine to give this simple baked chicken its sweetness, while lemon, lime, and vinegar balance it with a touch of sourness. Both the marinade and the glaze include sweet and sour ingredients, resulting in a flavor-packed dish that’s citrusy, colorful, inviting, and sticky.

If you like sweet and sour sauces, check out another version at Thai Duck with Rice Noodles.

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the Chicken

• 1 naval orange
• 1 lemon
• 1 lime
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1 tbsp sambal oelek (ground fresh chile paste)
• 2 tsp white sugar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 3-lb chicken, cut into 8 pieces, skin removed

Chicken Ready to Marinate

For the Glaze

• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/3 cup apricot preserves
• 1 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

For the Chicken

1. Remove the zest from the orange, lemon, and lime. (A vegetable peeler works well to remove it.) Finely chop the zest and place it in a large bowl.
2. Quarter the fruit and squeeze the juice of all three into the bowl. Add the oil, honey, sambal oelek, and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Whisk well to dissolve the sugar and combine the ingredients.
3. Place the chicken pieces in the marinade, submerging as much as possible. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and refrigerate 4 hours.

Zest the fruit with a vegetable peeler

Fruit Zest 

Ready for Marinade

Marinade 

Chicken in Marinade

1. Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a large, shallow baking pan with parchment paper.
2. Remove the chicken from the marinade, letting all excess drip off. (Discard the marinade.) Place the pieces in the pan and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
3. Roast the chicken until golden and cooked through, 45-50 minutes, turning once halfway through. Brush the chicken all over with the glaze (recipe follows) about 10 minutes before it’s done.

Chicken after 1st Turn 

Glazed Chicken

Transfer the chicken to a platter serve.

Sweet-and-Sour Chicken with Apricot Glaze

For the Glaze

1. Heat a small, nonstick saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the preserves and vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, until thickened, 10 minutes. 
2. Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper.

Glaze Beginning to Cook

Apricot Glaze