• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
RecipeMagik logo
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • About
  • Salads
  • Sheet Pan
  • Drinks
  • Christmas
  • Breakfast
  • Appetizers
  • Weeknight Dinners
  • vegetarian Recipes
  • Air Fryer
  • Contact Us
  • Copyright
  • Keto & Low Carb
  • Vegan
  • Desserts
  • Really Simple Recipes
  • Meal Planning
  • Sweet and Savory
  • French
    • About
  • Indian
  • Italian
  • Spanish
  • Mexican
  • Super Bowl Recipes
  • Valentine's Day
  • St Patrick's Day
  • Easter
  • 4th of July
  • Halloween
  • Thanksgiving Recipes
  • New Years
  • Dinner on the table
  • Crockpot
  • Soups
  • General
×
You are here: Home / Crockpot / Apricot Chicken Thighs in Crockpot

Apricot Chicken Thighs in Crockpot

Aug 6, 2021 No Comments

Slow Cooker Apricot chicken or Apricot chicken in a crockpot is a ridiculously easy crockpot chicken thigh recipe that is sure to find a way into your heart. Chicken thighs are seared and they are slow cooked with a crazy-good sauce.
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken Thighs or Apricot Chicken Thighs in Crockpot is one of those recipes that will stay with you for a long long time. I mean as a food memory!

We don't get Apricot Preserves often, but, when we do, I make sure I make Apricot Chicken Thighs in Slow Cooker. It's one of the best recipes with Apricot that you can make. If you've not tried Apricot Chicken until now, you should. Make sure you try - Instant Pot Peach Chicken in Honey Balsamic Sauce

Apricot Chicken tastes best in the slow cooker. But, you can also make it on the stovetop or in an Instant Pot or you can simply bake them. But, as I said, it tastes best in the slow cooker.

Jump to:
  • What is the Origin of Apricot Chicken?
  • Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken
  • Ingredients
  • How to Make Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken Thighs
  • Variations
  • Instant Pot Apricot Chicken Thighs
  • Baked Apricot Chicken Thighs
  • What to Serve with Apricot Chicken?
  • Can I Store Apricot Chicken
  • Bonus Tips
  • More Crockpot Recipes
  • Recipe Card
  • Apricot Chicken Thighs in Crockpot
Chicken thighs with parsley in a slow cooker

What is the Origin of Apricot Chicken?

Legend has it that Lipton company created Apricot chicken as another use for its dried soup mix. It came from Australia and was introduced to America in 1952.

The funny thing is that the company still produces this dried soup mix labeled as - "ideal for Apricot chicken".

chicken thighs with apricot glaze in a slow cooker

Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken

Apricot Chicken has a jammy, sweet, lightly spicy taste. My secret ingredient - Coconut cream. I was planning to make Apricot coconut balls in the next week. So, I thought why not use the combination of coconut and Apricot in this chicken recipe?

Well, I was not wrong. Coconut adds a nutty undertone to this dish making it taste so damn good.

Or it could be my inclination towards Thai food that I love adding a nutty undertone of coconut in my chicken recipes. Try recipes like - Instant Pot Coconut Chicken Curry (KETO) or Thai Red Coconut Chicken Curry with Jasmine Rice or Crockpot Coconut Lime Chicken and etc.

Ingredients

These are the ingredients that I've used to make Coconut Apricot Chicken Thighs.

ingredients for slow cooker apricot chicken on a table
  • Chicken Thighs - I have used skinless chicken with bone-in. You can use boneless chicken thighs as well.
  • Apricot Preserve - Any store bought Apricot Preserve would do or Apricot Jam
  • Soy Sauce - Soy Sauce adds a salty touch to this dish.
  • Dijon Mustard - Dijon Mustard adds a sharp taste to this.
  • Olive Oil - To sear chicken thighs
  • Red Pepper Flakes - To spice it up.
  • Grated Ginger - can be replaced with ground ginger.
  • Coconut Cream - can be replaced with coconut milk or heavy cream

See the recipe card for quantities. And, see the video for a visual.

How to Make Slow Cooker Apricot Chicken Thighs

Step 1: Heat a skillet with olive oil.

Step 2: Add chicken skin side down and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Step 3: Sear both sides until browned. This takes about 5-7 minutes on medium-high heat.

Step 4: In your slow cooker pot add Apricot Preserves, Dijon Mustard, Soy Sauce, Grated Ginger, Red Pepper Flakes, and Coconut Cream. Stir well until combined. Add pan-seared chicken thighs and cover the slow cooker with a glass lid.

Step 5: Slow cook in High for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Open the lid and garnish with fresh chopped parsley.

apricot chicken in a crockpot

Variations

Here are some crazy-good variations that will help you achieve the best taste.

  • Chopped Almonds & Cashews- Apricot is a Turkish fruit and therefore something nutty like Chopped Almonds or Cashews will pair well.
  • Cranberry - Apricot pairs well with Cranberry. So you can add some fresh or dried cranberry to this dish.
  • Sichuan Pepper - You can add a teaspoon of Sichuan Pepper to spice up the dish.
  • Rosemary- If you can add a spring of fresh Rosemary while sautéing chicken you are in for a treat.
  • Nutmeg - A pinch of ground nutmeg would add a nutty taste to this awesome chicken recipe.

Instant Pot Apricot Chicken Thighs

This recipe for Apricot Chicken Thighs can be made in an Instant Pot as well. Here is how you can make this recipe in your Instant Pot.

  • Season chicken with salt and pepper.
  • Put your Instant Pot on Sauté mode and heat some olive oil.
  • Add chicken thighs skin side down in your Instant Pot.
  • Sear both sides until browned.
  • Add apricot preserve, dijon mustard, Soy sauce, red pepper flakes, ginger, and coconut cream. Toss well to combine.
  • Pour enough water for the chicken to cook.
  • Close the lid. Set the valve to sealing position. Cook for 4-5 minutes on Manual/Pressure. Allow pressure to release naturally for 5-minutes then do a quick pressure release.
  • Open the lid, garnish with freshly chopped parsley and serve right away.

Baked Apricot Chicken Thighs

You can also make Apricot Chicken Thighs in your oven. Here is how you can do that.

  • Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Season chicken with salt and pepper. Brush both sides with olive oil.
  • Place them in a lined rimmed baking dish keep a few inches of gap between each chicken thigh.
  • Mix the ingredients for sauce in a bowl. Divide it into two parts.
  • Brush half of the sauce over chicken thighs and save the rest for later.
  • Bake chicken thighs in a preheated oven for 35 to 45 minutes or until the thickest part of chicken registers 175 degrees F.
  • Pour the sauce on chicken and serve right away with some greens.

What to Serve with Apricot Chicken?

You can serve this with rice. But, if you feel coconut rice or Mediterranean Saffron rice or Pilaf.

But, if you think rice would make it heavy, then serve this along with a cool side salad such as Healthy Black Bean and Corn Salad or Creamy Cucumber Red Onion Salad or Low Carb Mediterranean Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas

If you want to serve it with something quick and crispy then serve it with Air Fryer Chicken Tenders or Kung Pao Chicken Tenders

Other sides that would complete the dish are crispy green beans or garlic parmesan carrots or cajun seasoned sweet potato fries or crispy potato wedges in Air Fryer.

Can I Store Apricot Chicken

You can store Apricot Chicken thighs in the refrigerator for up to 3-4days and in the freezer for up to a month.

To refrigerate, allow this to cool down completely. Transfer it to an air-tight container. Refrigerate for 3-4 days or freeze for a month.

To reheat, place it in an oven-proof dish. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and heat it until warmed through. If frozen, thaw it in the refrigerator overnight and then follow the reheating instructions.

Bonus Tips

  • Make sure you cook chicken until it reaches an Internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
  • While Searing chicken make sure you place skin side down.
  • Make sure you sear onions (if adding) before adding it into the slow cooker.
  • To get that traditional French onion soup taste along with Apricot chicken, you can sauté chopped onions in a skillet until browned and then dump it in your slow cooker. See this recipe for French Onion Stuffed Chicken Casserole (so cheesy!) and you'll learn more.

More Crockpot Recipes

Crockpot Greek Lemon Chicken Thighs with Veggies & Potatoes

Crockpot Parmesan Chicken and Rice

Crockpot Chicken Thighs in Creamy Garlic Parmesan Sauce (just 4-ingredients)

Cajun Butter Crockpot Chicken Thighs and Rice

Honey Bourbon Chicken in Crockpot

Crockpot Chicken Thighs in Lemon Garlic Sauce

if you are making this recipe, then please leave a rating below. Also, take a shot and share it on Instagram with #recipemagik. Tag me @recipemagik and let me know how this turned out.

Recipe Card

Apricot Chicken Thighs in Crockpot

Slow Cooker Apricot chicken or Apricot chicken in a crockpot is a ridiculously easy crockpot chicken thigh recipe that is sure to find a way into your heart. Chicken thighs are seared and they are slow cooked with a crazy-good sauce.
No ratings yet
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
no resting time required: 0 minutes
Total Time: 4 hours 5 minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 888kcal
Author: Surup

INGREDIENTS

  • 6 large bone-in skin-on chicken thighs you can also boneless skinless chicken thighs or chicken breasts
  • kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to season chicken (as per taste)
  • 2 tablespoon olive oil you can also use butter
  • 1 cup apricot preserves or Apricot Jam
  • 2-3 tablespoon dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 1 inch ginger freshly grated or use ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup coconut cream or Heavy Cream
  • fresh chopped parsley for garnish
Prevent your screen from going dark

INSTRUCTIONS

  • Heat the skillet with 2 tablespoon olive oil or butter. Add chicken (skin-side-down) into the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Crank up the heat to medium-high and sear both sides until browned. Once, done, get them out of the skillet and keep them aside. Don't discard the remaining brown bits and oil.
  • Get your slow cooker pot and add Apricot Preserves, Dijon Mustard, Soy sauce, grated ginger, red pepper flakes, and coconut cream. Stir well to combine. Place pan-seared chicken thighs in the slow cooker pot. Pour the remaining oil with browned bits that you had saved in step 1 into the crockpot.
    Cover slow cooker with a glass lid.
    Slow cook on High for 3-4 hours and on low for 6-8 hours
  • Open the lid and garnish with freshly chopped parsley. Serve right away.

Video

Notes

recipe adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking
  • You can find the instructions for Apricot Chicken in Instant Pot and Baked Apricot chicken in the blog post above.
  • If you want you can sauté onions and add them to your slow cooker.

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Apricot Chicken Thighs in Crockpot
Amount Per Serving
Calories 888 Calories from Fat 576
% Daily Value*
Fat 64g98%
Saturated Fat 29g181%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 9g
Monounsaturated Fat 21g
Cholesterol 212mg71%
Sodium 538mg23%
Potassium 722mg21%
Carbohydrates 44g15%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 26g29%
Protein 39g78%
Vitamin A 444IU9%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 43mg4%
Iron 3mg17%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @recipemagik or tag @recipemagik

About Surup

Hi, I'm Surup - Thank you for stopping by at Recipemagik.com. I hope you enjoyed your time reading through some of my contents. the voice and the thought behind this website.

Reader Interactions

Ask Me Anything Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

HI, I'M SURUP..

G'Day, Thanks for popping in! Thrilled to have you here. I am Surup. The one man show behind Recipe Magik.

I love to give healthy makeovers to classic recipes for everyday cooking, suiting every diet.

Here you will find HEALTHY recipes suiting every single diet served alongside of a happy memory and story!

I started this blog in July 2019 as a creative outlet.

Today it has grown to be one of the most read food blogs with over 1000s of recipes.

Look around, enjoy the ambiance and hopefully find a great recipe to make tonight.

read more..

OUR TRENDING RECIPES:

  • Easter Dinner Menu recipes
    Traditional Easter Dinner Menu recipes
  • sloppy joe with ground beef
    Easy Sloppy Joe Recipe
  • Pesto Shrimp Rice Bowl
    Pesto Shrimp Rice Bowl
  • Basil Pesto Chicken Bake with basil and parmesan on top
    Basil Pesto Chicken Bake

Fall Comfort Food Recipes

  • turkey shepherds pie with topped with dill and parsley
    Turkey Shepherd's Pie - Now that's a brilliant use of Leftovers!
  • leftover turkey and mushroom wild rice soup in a black dutch pot
    Leftover Turkey Mushroom and Wild rice soup (Deliciously Creamy!!)
  • thanksgiving turkey cheese ball appetizer on a white serving dish
    Thanksgiving turkey cheese ball recipe
  • closeup image of stuffed cornish hen
    Cornish hens stuffed with cornbread dressing

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Copyright

Follow US

  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Pinterest
  • Instagram
  • YouTube

Contact

  • Contact
  • About

Copyright © 2023 RecipeMagik