Apricot and Curry Spiced Chicken Thighs

This one pan meal is full of flavor and deliciousness. Sautéed onions and apricots become the perfect sweet balance to the curry spiced chicken thighs.

Great to serve with a simple almond couscous, this is a great weeknight meal and because it is such an elevated dish, it is perfect for a dinner party.

This dish looks fancy but I promise you it’s easy to make. The cleanup is easy as well since the whole dish is cooked in one pan. I love using my ovenproof Hexclad pan, it goes from the stovetop to the oven effortlessly.

Let’s get cooking!

This is how I make my Apricot and Curry Spiced Chicken Thighs:

Preheat the oven to 375º.

Start by mixing up all the spices in a large bowl.

I do encourage to measure the spices properly as they are calculated to balance each other out.

Except for cayenne pepper, that is a spice that can be added according to each persons’ level of spice tolerance. The 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne I suggest is not overwhelming and truthfully, it gets blended so well with the rest of these warm full flavored spices, that it is not spicy at all. It can definitely be increased if spicy is your jam.

After the spices have been measured out, give them a quick whisk and mix them so there are no clumps.

Grab each chicken thigh and coat each one with the spice mixture. Make sure to get all sides coated nicely with the spices.

In a large oven proof pan, heat about 2-3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil on medium high to high temperature.

Once the pan is nice and hot, start searing the chicken thighs. Do it in batches of 3-4 thighs at a time.

Cook each side for 3 to 4 minutes. Each side should be browned and nicely seared.

Tip! Do not overcrowd the pan. If this happens the chicken will sweat and steam instead of searing and charring.

Once the thighs are seared on both sides, set them aside on a plate.

Using the same pan, add 2 more tablespoons of olive oil.

Lower the temperature to medium and start sautéing the onions. Add a bit of salt to the onions and cook for 2 minutes.

Tip! Adding salt to the raw onions helps them sweat and start softening.

Add the dried apricots to the onions and cook for 2-3 more minutes until the onions are translucent.

Add the white wine to help deglaze the pan.

Tip! Deglazing makes all the bits of food stuck on the pan come loose, these bits are full of flavor!

Cook out the wine for less than a minute and add the coconut cream.

Tip! Coconut cream is thick and rich therefore creating a denser more full-bodied sauce. Coconut milk works as well, however it will make the mixture runnier.

Sauté the onions and apricots for a minute or so then add the chicken thighs back into the pan.

Tip! Any liquid left on the plate where the chicken rested, make sure to drop every bit of it into the pan with the chicken, this adds incredible amounts of flavor. Every little bit counts.

Place the pan with the chicken and onions into the preheated oven for 15 minutes to finish cooking the chicken thighs.

Tip! The sauce will thicken as it cooks in the oven as well.

Once the chicken is cooked, transfer the pan back on the stove top and allow to rest for a few minutes before serving it.

Tip! The pan will be incredibly hot to handle, make sure to use oven safe gloves to remove from the oven and while it is resting on the stovetop, make sure to keep the handle covered so it’s protected from anyone touching it.

What to serve with the Apricot Curry Spiced Chicken Thighs:

Since this is a dish full of rich warm flavors, I like to keep the sides on the simpler side. I also enjoy a side that can help absorb the delicious sauce the chicken is cooked in.

Rice, couscous and mashed potatoes are perfect examples of delicious yet simple sides that compliment the Apricot Curry Spiced Chicken Thighs perfectly.

I served mine with toasted almond couscous and it was absolutely perfect as the crunch from the almonds were just what this dish needed!

The smell from the spices will linger in your kitchen making it smell absolutely mouthwatering.

This dish looks and sounds complex but it is definitely not. The fact that it’s all cooked in one pan certainly helps with the cleaning but what it does the most is keep all the flavors together.

Think about it, the chicken is seared in the pan, the spices get picked up from the bottom of the pan when it is deglazed, then all the ingredients, the onions, the sweet apricots, the coconut cream, get baked and become one. This meal is a winner.

What I do with the leftovers:

This part makes me so so very exited! The left overs from this dish are perfect to use the next day to make curry chicken salad. Just add a bit of walnuts or sliced almonds, green grapes or golden raisins, and some mayo and mix. Make sure you mix in the left over onions and apricots. It is nothings short of a dream! This meal is the gift that keeps on giving HA HA!