Grilled Apricot-Glazed Chicken with Summer Basil Rice

A fresh summer version of the warm comfort food

Summer dinner in less than an hour? Yes, please.

We had four apricots and two jars of apricot preserves in the fridge so I knew my next recipe had to involve apricots. Plus, it’s apricot season so this is pretty much a must.

I absolutely love sweet and salty/sour chicken, and this is the closest I’ve made to a sweet and sour-style chicken. The combination of sweet and sour in the sauce is like sweet chocolate with sea salt – it doesn’t get much better than that. And the best part about this recipe is that if you’re not a fan of apricots, you can substitute with any of your favorite fruit preserves, like peach, orange (I mean, orange chicken :)), or nectarine. Just think summer juicy fruits (and you’re covered all year round because oranges are really juicy in the winter).

Now the rice. I love fresh summer basil, and pairing it with rice seemed really unique and just plain good. You already know how much I love pasta with basil (specifically pesto – Green Goddess Zucchini Pasta and Mozzarella Fritto and Pesto Shrimp Pasta), so I knew it would probably be to my liking.

Serve with fresh apricot and basil, and you’re golden! Just like those summer apricots 🙂

If you make this recipe, be sure to tag your creation with the hashtag #foodfinessa.

Grilled Apricot-Glazed Chicken with Summer Basil Rice

Basil Rice

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 medium white onion, chopped
  • 1 cup arborio rice, uncooked
  • 1 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 4 cups water

Apricot-Glazed Chicken

  • 1 lb chicken breast, cut into filets
  • 8 oz apricot preserves
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
  • 2 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp honey

  1. In a small saucepan over low heat, whisk together apricot preserves, minced garlic, soy sauce, and honey until sauce becomes glaze consistency.  Remove from heat, and add half of glaze to chicken.  Set remaining half aside.

  2. In a medium saucepan over medium heat, heat olive oil. Add onions, and sautée until they are translucent. Add rice, chopped basil, and water, and cook for about 20 minutes until rice is fully cooked. Once rice is fully cooked, cover saucepan, and set aside.

  3. Heat a grill pan (or grill), add chicken filets, and cook until fully cooked, about 2 minutes on each side.  Remove from heat, and serve with remaining apricot glaze and basil rice.  Dig in!

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