READY IN 50 mins

Orange Cracker Apricot Chicken

Read Reviews (29)

"This recipe makes very moist chicken thighs breaded with cracker crumbs and coated in apricot preserves. I make this at least once every two weeks." — rSteinbock

Directions

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a baking sheet with cooking spray.
Whisk together the orange juice, mustard, and salt in a small bowl. Mix together the cracker crumbs, orange zest, and black pepper on a plate. Coat each chicken thigh in the orange juice mixture and then press into the cracker crumb mixture to cover both sides completely. Place the breaded thighs on the prepared baking sheet.
Bake in the preheated oven 15 minutes; flip and continue baking until no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes more. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).
Switch the oven setting to 'Broil.'
Top each thigh with 1 tablespoon of the apricot preserves and place beneath the oven's broiler until the preserves begin to caramelize, 2 to 3 minutes. When the chicken looks like it is starting to burn it is done.

Kitchen-Friendly View

PREP 15 mins
COOK 35 mins
READY IN 50 mins

Reviews More Reviews

Most Helpful Positive Review

Mar 03, 2009

This was amazingly easy and SO tasty! This is now in my weekly rotation.. The only 2 things I did differently were to use Jack Daniel's Dijon mustard, which gave the chicken a nice smoky BBQ flavor, and I used 2 extra large chicken breasts that I pounded down to about 1/2" thick. A quick note: Don't overdo the preserves. I put 3-4T on the first chicken breast because I thought the chicken breast was bigger and would need more. Not so! The preserves didn't caramelize as nicely as the breast I only put 2T of preserves on.

—Ray

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Most Helpful Critical Review

Nov 01, 2010

The cracker crust on this chicken was great but the perserves on top weren't well recieved by my family. The only thing I would suggest is keeping the perserves under the broiler for a little longer then suggested.

—Mzs.Bates

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41 Ratings

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Feb 23, 2009

I don't normally like orange or citrus flavoring in my food but my husband wanted to try this and he was right. This recipe tastes great and I will definitely make this again.

—allmine

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Feb 10, 2009

I make this recipe so often for my friends, and they've all said it tastes so good! I continue to make this recipe at least once a week and the taste never gets old. It's a recipe that's guaranteed to please!

—Tigressrawrrr

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Feb 09, 2009

This is delicious!

—BassProCM

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Feb 10, 2011

Thought it was really good. The only thing to be careful with is that the apricot preserves are more jelly-like and less chunky. The chunks made it a bit hard to spread over the chicken, but it was still tasty.

—nomisturm

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Nov 16, 2010

This recipe is deffinately a keeper. I actually made this with Salmon fillets and was yummy! I was gonna make it with chicken thighs and realized i forgot to thaw them. Well decided to try the recipe on some individually wrapped salmon fillets that were easily thawed in hot water. Followed everything the same except for cooking time. Turned out great! Moist and full of flavor! Can't wait to try this on chicken!

—emaas301

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Mar 30, 2010

I tried this recipe last night. It was wonderful! I didn't have apricot preserves but I did have orange marmalade. It was delicious! I served it with brown rice and parmesean asparagus. My very picky daughter said it was the best meal I've made! LOVED IT!

—Mari

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Nutrition

Calories
328 kcal
16%

Carbohydrates
27.8 g
9%

Cholesterol
71 mg
24%

Fat
14.9 g
23%

Fiber
2.1 g
8%

Protein
20.9 g
42%

Sodium
667 mg
27%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

Nutritional Information

Orange Cracker Apricot Chicken

Serving Size: 1/4 of a recipe
Servings Per Recipe: 4
Amount Per Serving
Calories: 328
Calories from Fat: 134

% Daily Value *
Total Fat 14.9g 23 %
Saturated Fat 3.9g 20 %
Cholesterol 71mg 24 %
Sodium 667mg 27 %
** Potassium 257mg 7 %
Total Carbohydrates 27.8g 9 %
Dietary Fiber 2.1g 8 %
Protein 20.9g 42 %
** Sugars 9.4g
Vitamin A 4 %
Vitamin C 13 %
Calcium 3 %
Iron 17 %
** Thiamin 10 %
** Niacin 75 %
** Vitamin B6 17 %
** Magnesium 13 %
** Folate 7 %

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
** Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available nutrient data.
(-) Information is not currently available for this nutrient. If you are following a medically restrictive diet, please consult your doctor or registered dietitian before preparing this recipe for personal consumption.