Meaty chicken thighs tossed in a 2 ingredient sweet and savory sauce then baked to perfection. Dinner never tasted so good! Parsley -that last ingredient- adds that fresh flavor.
This recipe is one of those “non-recipes” and yet, if people had never published it online then I would have never eaten it. What a pity that would have been because this dish is stupidly simple but so delicious.
Apricot jam, Russian dressing, and some bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (or drums, wings, whatever) cook together to form a syrupy sauce that absolutely coats the hell out of the chicken pieces. This recipe makes a bunch of extra sauce but -no lies here- I will literally eat the leftover sauce on top of plain white rice for dinner later in the week.
The chicken is fall apart tender and I broil the skin to give it a bit more texture and color but really, were not after super crispy skin here people. Go grill a damn chicken if you want crispy skin. You gotta embrace the chewy fat once in awhile, ya know.
I add parsley at the end, not because it’s green and the combo of green and reddish sauce screams a festive “Christmas!” but because it needs it. The fresh herbs (use whatever you have on hand) really uplift the dish. A wedge-or two- of lemon would not be out of place either. This is a sweet dish and a hit of acidity is always welcome.
My other favorite chicken dishes:
Zucchini, Corn, and Chicken Salsa Verde Enchilada Bake
Garam Masala, Curry, and Honey Roasted Chicken Thighs with Veggies
3 Ingredient Russian Apricot Chicken Thighs
Meaty chicken thighs tossed in a 3 ingredient sweet and savory sauce then baked to perfection. Dinner never tasted so good!
Ingredients
- 12 ounces apricot jam
- 15 ounces Russian dressing
- 6 medium to large chicken thighs, bone-in and skin-on Note 1
- 1/4 bunch fresh parsley, minced at at the end
For Serving
- white rice or mashed potatoes
- fresh lemon wedges
Instructions
-
Preheat oven to 375°. Spray a 9×13 casserole pan (2 inch sides or higher) with oil. Add the jam and dressing to the pan, mix with a whisk until combined. Add the chicken and coat in the sauce.
-
Put pan in the oven with chicken skin-side up. Bake for 40-60 minutes or until internal chicken temp reaches 165° with a thermometer. Small thighs and drums will take 40-45 minutes. Larger thighs can take up to 50-60 minutes.
-
When chicken is done, turn off oven. Optional: BROIL chicken on HIGH for 1-2 minutes (they can burn fast!). After they are done cooking and broiling, pull out of the oven and top with freshly chopped parsley. Serve with white rice or mashed potatoes, add more parsley. Enjoy! Leftovers will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge.
Recipe Notes
Note 1: You can also just use a mix of bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces, just note that they’ll cook faster.
Serving Size: When I ‘m serving large groups I like to make sure each person gets a drumstick and a thigh so 4 people requires 4 drums and 4 thighs, or 8 pieces total.