Apricot Skillet Chicken

This sweet and savory chicken stir fry is a fusion between American and Asian cuisines. Ginger, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes give things a spicy Asian flair without overpowering the delicate and sweet flavor of the (low sugar) apricot preserves. You can even sub in low sugar orange marmalade if desired, or do a combination of both! Green beans and red bell pepper make for a colorful and nutritious stir fry that is served over brown rice for a balanced meal. See below for other veggie options based on what you have available.

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Apricot Skillet Chicken

Prep Time
10 mins

Cook Time
10 mins

Serves
2

INGREDIENTS

12 ounces boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon each; salt and pepper

2 teaspoons avocado oil

2 1/2 cups green beans, ends snapped

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 small red bell pepper, cored and sliced

1 1/2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger

1/3 cup chicken stock, divided

 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium tamari sauce

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1/4 cup low-sugar apricot preserves or orange marmalade

1 cup cooked brown rice

2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds

1 tablespoon orange zest (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Toss chopped chicken breasts in cornstarch, salt, and pepper to coat.

Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat. Make sure oil is coated at bottom of pan to avoid sticking

Add chicken to the hot skillet and sauté 5 minutes, until chicken begins to lightly brown. 

Add green beans, onion, bell pepper, 2 tablespoons chicken broth, and ginger. and continue sautéing an additional 2 minutes.

Stir in remaining chicken stock, soy sauce, and red pepper flakes and bring up to a simmer. Stirring occasionally, cook 5 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced by about 1/2 and green beans are crisp-tender.

Stir in apricot preserves and cook 1 additional minute before removing from heat. Serve over brown rice and topped with sliced almonds.

Other veggie options: You can use snap peas, chopped carrots or broccoli. If you are using frozen veggies, you will need to reduce the chicken stock by 2 tablespoons.

Ingredient Insider

There are  “low-sugar” apricot preserves (Smuckers) that have 1/2 the calories and sugar of traditional preserves without any artificial sweeteners. You get all the flavor with much less sugar.

You can easily toast your almond slices on a skillet. Simply place almonds in one layer on a skillet, mix for about 3-4 minutes until toasted, Or you can place the almonds on a sheet pan in the oven at 350 degrees for about 10-12 minutes until browned. 

If you want to reduce carbs and 100 calories, you can replace the ½ cup brown rice with 1 cup of steamed cauliflower rice (and get another vegetable!).

Calories per serving: 500 ∙ Fat: 10.5g ∙ Net Carbs: 49g ∙ Fiber: 6.5g ∙ Sugars: 13g ∙ Protein: 45g