4 bone-in, skin-on chicken breast halves, about 3 lb. total
1/2 tsp. salt, plus more, to taste
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
2 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 cup apricot jam
2 Tbs. red wine vinegar
2 Tbs. whole-grain or Dijon mustard
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced
Directions
Brown the chicken
Preheat an oven to 425ºF. Season the chicken generously with salt and pepper.
In a large ovenproof fry pan over high heat, warm the oil. Add the chicken and cook, turning once or twice, until golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes total.
Make the glaze and bake the chicken
Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the jam, vinegar, mustard, garlic and the 1/2 tsp. salt. Brush the glaze over the chicken breasts, leaving about 1 Tbs. in the bowl. Add the fennel and toss with the remaining glaze. Spoon the fennel over the chicken. Bake until the chicken is opaque throughout, about 10 minutes. Divide the chicken among individual plates, spoon the fennel over it and serve immediately. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Food Made Fast Series, One Pot, by Carrolyn Carreño (Oxmoor House, 2008).
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Bella Luna from
Crowd pleaserEvery time I make this everyone loves it! The chicken is always so juicy. I usually make it with a citrus salad on the side.
Date published: 2022-10-09
Rated 3 out of
5 by
nicoleandoscar from
don't like the licorice flavorI made this recipe once and thought it was ok for my tasting, only because it has a licorice flavor that I don't like . My boyfriend thought it was ok because he doesn't like the licorice flavor either but my mom liked it. And timing is off. I had to cook it longer than it asked Bc the chicken was still raw in the middle . P.s the chicken looks gorgeous when finished
Date published: 2016-08-23
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Nellinthekitchen from
Easy, quick and delicious!This is an excellent recipe. It's a dish that anyone can pull off. It's very simple and is sure to impress!
Date published: 2015-11-09
Rated 5 out of
5 by
BrunneisOviculas from
Easy & DeliciousThis a delicious and simple recipe that I make on the regular! Takes minimal time for the yummy outcome. Recipe can also be done without the fennel if you don't care for the licorice taste.
Date published: 2013-10-07
Rated 5 out of
5 by
LaViajera from
Quick, Inexpensive, Appetizing AppearanceExcellent recipe with modifications. Use lower temperature of 340-350F with a longer duration (40-60 min). It will brown at a lower temperature because of the apricot glaze. Chicken slowly cooked will be tender and brown. I added red bell pepers along with the fennel. It adds nice color and complements the sweet taste. After browning chicken in olive oil, I added the fennel and red bell peppers (cut in long strips) to the skillet and sauteed in pan (leaving the chicken in pan). The juices of the chicken softened the vegetables. Reduced heat and added the apricot glaze making sure to cover the chicken breast and vegetables. Also altered the apricot glaze: 3/4 c apricot jam, 2 tblspoons red wine vinegar, 1 tblspoons of whole grain mustard, and 2 tablespoons of honey dijon mustard, 1 teaspoon minced garlic. Salt and pepper to taste. This modified apricot mix plus the lower oven temperature ensures plenty of liquid so the vegetables don't dry out.
Date published: 2013-09-07
Rated 5 out of
5 by
Remus from
Very Tasty Dish!This dish was very tasty and everyone who ate this dish loved it! Never new saffron threads had this kind of flavor and I will definately make this again and again.
Date published: 2012-09-28
Rated 5 out of
5 by
karaluke from
awesome flavors, but recipe needs tweakingI have made this several times and love it, but the bake time is off a good bit. I have had to usually triple the time in the oven to get the chicken done to my hubby's liking. I have even tried with deboned chicken breasts and still feel that I need to cook longer.
I love how the glaze and baking mellows the fennel, especially when I've had to bake it longest. I'd strongly recommend using a whole grain mustard- much better than dijon, and I'm not a mustard lover.
Made this tonight with boneless pork chops and the flavors worked, too. Highly recommended.
