Apricot Dijon Mustard Chicken

A couple of nights ago I was looking back through my blog posts and I noticed one of the posts from the summer when I made grilled chicken breast. I remember that the marinade on the chicken was delicious and had a lot of flavor. I had been told by my mom that we had chicken breasts in the freezer but all I could find were chicken thighs so I marinated them overnight and baked them the next day.

After eating the thighs, my mom pointed out where the chicken breasts were and agreed to let me prepare them the next day since the thighs were eaten up so quickly. Rather than use my go to ingredients, herbs, garlic, and cheese of some sort, I decided to try something completely different. I know that it is common to pair chicken with a sweet glaze, such as mandarin or orange, so I decided to try and use apricots. Previously, I had made an apricot mustard dipping sauce for my baked crab wontons which went over really well so I decided to make it again, but this time use it as a glaze and cooking medium for the chicken.

The glaze turned out nicely and provided an overall sweet flavor to the chicken, accompanied by a kick from the mustard. We paired the chicken with a salad dressed with balsamic vinegar, and I noticed that the acidity of the vinegar helped to balance the sweetness of the chicken as well. I was pleasantly surprised that even my brother liked it, as he normally is not a fan of sweet meats and marinades such as teriyaki or orange chicken. One of the benefits of this recipe is that it was really quick; it didn't require any pre-soaking in the marinade and was ready in 30 minutes. I did notice however that the chicken breasts were moist only when eaten fresh...my dad took one with him to work the next day and said that it had tasted a little dry. I suppose that's one of the disadvantages of white meat; it's easy to overcook and can dry up when reheated. The solution: make it and eat it right away!

Apricot Dijon Mustard Chicken

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1 12 oz (336 mL) bottle apricot preserves
• 3 tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, sliced in half lengthwise

1. Mix the apricot preserves together with the Dijon mustard and pour into skillet large enough to hold all four chicken breasts. Heat until it starts to boil.
2. Add the chicken breasts, "skin" side down, and sprinkle dried apricots around. 
3. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer each side for 10-15 minutes, depending on how thick the cut. The chicken is ready when there is no more pink visible when cut through the thickest part and the juices run clear.
4. Remove the chicken and bring the leftover liquid to boil then continue to heat for about 5-10 minutes until the glaze has thickened and reduces to about 1 cup.
5. Pour the glaze over the chicken and serve.