Pan-Seared Chicken and Spring Onions in Apricot Sauce

Spring onions are one of my favorite delights of the season—fresh, sweet bulbs with bright green stalks, ready for eating raw in a salad or pan-searing, as in this recipe. A little golden brown color brings out the onion’s natural sweetness and deepest flavor—and it takes only a few minutes.

Spring Onions

Here, everything cooks in one pan—chicken, onions, and sauce. Apricot preserves melt into sweet, buttery goodness along with orange juice and a little soy sauce for a quick, easy, and very flavorful sauce for the meat and vegetable. It’s not a “saucy” sauce, however—more like a slightly thick glaze. Whatever you call it, it tastes good!

Note: To trim the spring onions, simply cut off a thin slice from the bulb, then cut off a couple inches of the long green stalks.

And a tip: The key to great searing is a heavy pan. A large, cast-iron skillet works best.

You may also like Chicken Breasts with Pan-Seared Grapes or Thai Chicken Thighs with Hot and Sour Tomato Jam.

Serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 6 spring onions, trimmed and cut lengthwise in half
• 1 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary

Trimmed Onions 

Halved Onions

Sauce Ingredients

Preparation

1. Heat a large, heavy (preferably cast-iron) skillet over medium heat and add the olive oil, swirling to coat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook until golden on the bottom, 7-8 minutes.
2. Turn the breasts over and scatter the spring onions around them. Sear the chicken until golden on the other side and just cooked through, 7-8 minutes longer. Cook the onions, stirring frequently, until softened and golden, 7-8 minutes. (Tip: Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly over the skillet to help retain moisture as the chicken finishes.)
3. Transfer the chicken and onions to a plate. Do not wipe out the skillet.

Chicken Beginning to Cook 

Onions Added 

Cooked Chicken and Onions

1. Reduce the heat to medium-low heat and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the apricot preserves, orange juice, and soy sauce and season with salt and pepper.
2. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly, 4-5 minutes. Stir in the rosemary.
3. Return the chicken and onions (and any accumulated juices) to the skillet and stir into the sauce, turning the chicken breasts to coat.

Sauce Beginning to Cook 

Rosemary Added to Cooked Sauce 

Plate the chicken, onions, and sauce and serve right away.

Pan-Seared Chicken and Spring Onions in Apricot Sauce