The easiest way to dress up fried chicken? Glaze with apricot jam!
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You know the easiest way to turn a plain fried chicken into something worthy of a fancy dinner party?
It’s an old trick, but a good one.
In this recipe we go even further with a Middle Eastern-inspired cumin cinnamon rub. We love these flavors in our Slow Cooker Chicken Rice Casserole recipe, and they pair beautifully with the apricot glaze.
If you want to take full advantage of the flavor that the cumin cinnamon rub can offer, as soon as you get your chicken home from the market, take your chicken out of the wrapper and brush it all over with the rub. Then place it in your refrigerator until an hour or two before you’re ready to make it.
- Want to know how to prep this bird for the oven? Try our guide on how to tie a chicken!
Roast chicken with apricot glaze
For this recipe we use a whole chicken. You can use parts if you like, skin with bones. Follow the instructions for our Easy Baked Chicken for the roast portion, the apricot glazing preserves the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking.
If you are preparing a whole chicken, remember to remove the innards (liver, gizzard, neck) first. They are often in a bag in the cave. I sauté the liver in butter for a quick snack and save the neck and gizzard for the broth.
ingredients
- Rub:
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2 teaspoons ground cumin
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1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- Chicken:
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1 4-pound (1.8 kg) whole chicken
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1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- Apricot Glaze:
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1/3 cup (80 ml) apricot jam
method
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Rub chicken with spices and let rest:
Whisk together the cumin, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spices over the chicken. Cover loosely and leave to rest for at least an hour, or preferably overnight in the refrigerator. Either way, let the chicken sit at room temperature for at least an hour (preferably two) before cooking.
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Rub chicken with olive oil and roast in the oven:
Preheat oven to 375°F. Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast side up. Rub the chicken with olive oil. Place on the middle shelf of the oven and cook at 375°F for 50 minutes or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reaches 165°F.
What is the temperature of cooked chicken?CONTINUE READING:
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Heat the apricot jam:
While the chicken is roasting, heat the apricot jam in a small saucepan or in the microwave until warm and runny.
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Pour the chicken with apricot jam:
Remove the chicken from the oven and brush the exposed surfaces of the chicken with the apricot jam using a pastry brush.
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Increase the oven temperature and return the chicken to the oven:
Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. Place the chicken back in the oven and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, brushing the chicken again with the icing halfway through cooking, until the icing starts to bubble and begin to brown.
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Let chicken rest:
Remove from the oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.
