I came across a random recipe using apricot jam as a marinade/glaze for chicken and I was absolutely sold! I always have an abundance of apricots each year because of our fruit trees and I never eat jam on its own. Enter Ginger Apricot Chicken – a sticky, sweet and sour-like sauce that tastes straight out of a Chinese takeout restaurant while being incredibly easy to make and delicious!

I love seasonal cooking – it’s a fun challenge that I sorely needed in the kitchen. Not only did I need the challenge; but food waste, food insecurity, and nutrition is a serious issue in Canada. We ship our food in from halfway around the world and eat food out of season all the time. Not only are they nutritionally depleted (nutrients in food are lost rapidly after 24 hours of picking), but they’re often picked when they’re not even ripe, sprayed with wax to preserve them, and then they don’t even taste good!

Let’s embrace what we have in abundance around us when we have it, and preserve or use preserved foods when it’s not seasonally appropriate. Preservation is an incredible way that we’ve been able to maintain the nutrition in our foods for thousands of years, and yet we still insist on “fresh” produce from the store that was picked underripe weeks to months ago.

But more on preserving later.. let’s get into this recipe!

What Makes Soy Apricot Chicken Incredible?

• Sweet and sour sauce has met its match here – a mixture of soy, apricot jam, rice vinegar, sriracha, and ginger-garlic paste makes an incredible sauce that you could even just use for dipping!
• Grilled on a pellet grill or Traeger gives it a touch of smokiness. This could easily be cooked stove top, air fried, or on a regular grill – but it’s hot out and I love my Traeger!
• Seasonally available! Of course the apricot jam isn’t necessarily “in season” but we have a ton of it in the cupboard and apricots just came in season in the Okanagan. Time to use up the old so we can make more jam!
• Asian inspired dishes are delicious. Umami from the soy sauce makes this dish a real treat.
• Not too many ingredients. Sometimes I just want something simple so I don’t spend hours in the kitchen making dinner. Thank you apricot chicken!
• Easy to make gluten-free. Just switch out the soy sauce for gluten-free (GF) tamari or soy sauce and you’re all set!
• Scale it up for appetites! Try using a couple extra thighs in the marinade (just make sure they’re covered). My husband usually eats two with his rice.

Ingredients Needed:

• Chicken Thighs: I use boneless & skinless here, but feel free to use bone-in chicken on the grill. Just be aware it may need an additional 5-10 minutes.
• Apricot jam: Homemade or store bought – it doesn’t matter! Mine is a bit chunky so I used my immersion blender to break up the larger apricot pieces.
• Soy sauce: Don’t use low-sodium, but you are welcome to substitute with GF tamari or soy sauce. I’ve used both in cooking and they’re delicious, but sometimes you need a bit more salt!
• Unsweetened Rice Vinegar: Unsweetened or original rice vinegar – don’t use the sweetened stuff.
• Sriracha: This is an optional ingredient if you’re not up for spice. If you want it spicier, use chili paste (sambal olek).

Tips for Success:

• Glaze the chicken halfway through cooking. This is an incredibly important step not to miss. It keeps the chicken juicy and ensures tons of flavour.
• Marinate for at least 2 hours for the most flavour. I found 20 minutes was ok (especially with adding the glaze) but the flavour difference with the longer marination was notable!
• Use fresh ingredients like fresh garlic and ginger for the best flavour. Store bought pastes don’t pack the same punch.

How to Make Soy Apricot Chicken

Soy Apricot Chicken Marinade

Make the Sauce: Whisk to combine ¾ cup apricot jam, ¾ cup soy sauce, 1 ½ tbsp rice vinegar, 1 ½ tbsp sriracha, and 1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste. Reserve 1 cup of the marinade – you will reduce it and serve it with the chicken later.

Marinate: Add the chicken to a bowl along with the remainder of the sauce (about ½ cup) and the salt. Stir well to coat and set in the fridge for 2 hours to marinate (you can marinate for 30 min if short on time).

Preheat: When you’re ready to start cooking, preheat your pellet grill to 425°F and remove your chicken from the fridge to sit on the counter for 20 minutes.

Reduce Extra Sauce: Add your extra soy apricot sauce you set aside to a small pot or skillet and cook over medium-low heat until reduced by half and its thick and syrupy.

Once the traeger is preheated – start your rice.

Garlic Rice

Start Your Rice: Once the traeger is preheated you can start the rice. Add the oils to a medium pot over medium-low heat. Once the oil has heated a bit, add the garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the raw smell goes away (30 sec to 1 min).

Add the rice and salt. Toast the rice, stirring occasionally, until the rice begins to turn white and fragrant (2-3 min). Do not burn the garlic.

Add the chicken broth and bring to a gentle boil before covering and reducing the heat to the lowest setting. Cook for 18-20 minutes until cooked through.

Cook the Soy Apricot Chicken

When the grill is hot and the rice is cooking, add the chicken to the hot grates and close the lid. Discard the rest of the marinade. Set a timer for 20 minutes.

After 10 minutes on the grill, flip and baste with some of the reduced soy apricot sauce (being careful not to cross contaminate all the sauce).

Cook for 20 minutes or until an instant read thermometer inserted into the largest piece reads 165°F.

Serve 1/4 of the rice with 1 piece of chicken and 1/4 cup of sauce (or more if desired!). I like it with extra sriracha.

Cooking on the BBQ? Preheat to medium-high and cook 10-15 minutes, flipping halfway and basting. They are done once an instant read thermometer inserted into the largest piece reads 165°F.

Looking for More Asian Inspired Recipes?

• One-Pot Thai Coconut Chicken Curry
• Vietnamese Chicken Vermicelli Bowl | Bún Thịt Nướng
• Sweet Chili Tofu Bowl with Brown Coconut Rice
• Thai Peanut Noodles with Crispy Tofu