Chicken Breasts with Apricot-Brandy Sauce

I love using fruit preserves to make sweet, rich sauces for meat, poultry, and seafood. But you need to do more than just melt down the preserves with a little butter and call it done. A contrasting—and complementing—sidekick brings the sauce together with a savory touch for a tasty finish. The perfect foil? Sometimes it’s booze.

White and red wine, sherry, port, bourbon, liqueurs (to name a few)—all pair well with fruit preserves to create pleasantly bold, palate-pleasing sauces and glazes. For this recipe, I used brandy. Thin it out with a little fresh orange juice and add some earthiness with sliced shallots, and this sauce is ready to perk up simple grilled chicken breasts in less than 10 minutes. It’s warm, rich, and mmmm.

For other sauces made with preserves, check out Pan-Seared Chicken Breasts with Red Wine-Cherry Glaze, Grilled Pork Chops with Apricot-Sherry Glaze, Grilled Steaks with Bourbon-Fig Sauce, Pan-Seared Chicken with Bourbon-Apricot Sauce and Vegetables, and   Pan-Roasted Salmon with Fig-and-Chile Glaze

Serves 3

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• sea salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 2 large shallots, sliced into thin rings
• 1/2 cup apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 tbsp brandy
• 2 tsp thinly sliced basil 

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 breasts with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook until golden on the bottom, 7-8 minutes.
2. Turn the breasts over and sear until golden on the other side and just cooked through, 7-8 minutes longer. (Tip: Lay a sheet of aluminum foil lightly over the skillet to help retain moisture as the chicken finishes.) Transfer the chicken breasts to a plate. Do not wipe out the skillet.

Chicken Breasts Beginning to Cook 

After Turning 

Cooked Chicken Breasts

1. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the shallots and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften and turn brown, 3 minutes.
2. Add the apricot preserves, orange juice, and brandy and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sauce thickens slightly, 4 minutes. Stir in the basil.
3. Return the chicken and any accumulated juices to the skillet and stir into the sauce, turning the chicken breasts to coat.

Shallots Beginning to Cook 

Browned Shallots 

Apricot Mixture Added 

Cooked Sauce

Serve the chicken breasts with sauce spooned on top.

Chicken Breasts with Apricot-Brandy Sauce