Apricot Glazed Chicken And Couscous Recipes

Steps:

• Set oven control to broil. Spray rack in broiler pan with cooking spray. To flatten each chicken breast, place between 2 pieces of plastic wrap or waxed paper. Working from center, gently pound chicken with rolling pin or flat side of meat mallet until 1/4 inch thick.
• In small bowl, mix garlic powder, pepper and ground red pepper. Sprinkle on both sides of chicken; place on rack in pan.
• Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat 5 to 7 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink in center. Brush with half of apricot preserves; broil 1 minute longer or until preserves are bubbly. Brush with remaining preserves before serving.
• Meanwhile, in 2-quart saucepan, heat broth and butter to boiling. Stir in couscous and almonds. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with fork before serving with glazed chicken.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Rinse the chicken with cool water and pat dry. Place the chicken in a roasting pan on a rack, breast side up. Sprinkle the cavity of the chicken with salt and pepper. Tuck the wing tips under the back of the chicken.
• Combine 4 tablespoons butter, parsley if using, 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper in a small bowl. Loosen the skin on the breast of the chicken by gently wriggling fingers under the skin. Rub outside of the chicken with about 1 tablespoon of the butter mixture. Rub the remaining mixture under the skin of the chicken breast. Sprinkle chicken with additional salt and pepper. Roast the chicken for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant but not browned, about 2 minutes. Spoon the garlic out of the saucepan and discard. Add the apricot preserves, mustard and vinegar and cook, stirring, until warmed through and combined, about 2 minutes. Set aside to cool until ready to glaze the chicken.
• Increase the oven temperature to 425 degrees F. Remove the chicken from the oven and brush evenly with the apricot glaze. Continue roasting until an instant-read thermometer stuck into the chicken thigh registers 160 degrees F, about 15 minutes more. Tip the chicken so the juices run into the pan. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and loosely tent with foil.
• Pour the juices from the pan into a degreasing cup or glass measuring cup. Pour or spoon off excess fat and discard. Add the chicken broth to the roasting pan and place directly on a burner over medium heat. Add the pan drippings and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, and scraping up any browned bits, until the mixture is hot, about 2 minutes. Strain and pour into a gravy boat and season with salt and pepper. Carve the chicken and serve with the sauce.

Steps:

• Spray a large skillet with nonstick cooking spray. Brown chicken in heated skillet.
• Add chicken broth, jam and soy sauce. Simmer for 20 minutes or until chicken is done (no longer pink in the center).
• Remove chicken from skillet. Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water to sauce to thicken (equal amounts more of each if you like it thicker). Return chicken to skillet and turn to coat thoroughly with sauce.

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 450 degrees with a rack set in the middle position.
• Place the chicken on a cutting board and pat it dry with paper towels. Cut off and discard any extra fat hanging around the cavity, and season the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Squeeze the lemon all over the outside of the chicken and stuff the cavity with the chopped onion, 4 sprigs of thyme and at least one of the juiced lemon halves (both, if they'll fit). Tie the legs together with twine. Rub 1 tablespoon oil all over the chicken and season with salt and pepper.
• Carefully pour 3 cups chicken broth into a rimmed baking sheet and scatter over the crushed garlic cloves and remaining 4 thyme sprigs. Place the chicken, breast-side up, on a rack set over the baking sheet. Roast the chicken for 15 minutes, then lower the heat to 375 degrees and continue roasting for 1 hour more. Add additional chicken stock to the pan, as needed, to keep it from becoming dry.
• Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash together the butter, 3 tablespoons apricot preserves and the minced garlic clove until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 2 heaping tablespoons of the apricot butter to a small container and refrigerate. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil to the apricot butter in the bowl and whisk to thin the mixture into a glaze.
• Baste the chicken with the glaze and continue roasting for another 30 minutes or so, basting again after 15 minutes. Continue roasting until the chicken is browned and the juices run clear when you insert a knife down to the bone between the leg and thigh. Loosely tent with foil if the skin is getting too brown before chicken is cooked through.
• Remove the pan from the oven and tilt the chicken to release the juices from the cavity into the pan, then transfer the chicken to a carving board and let rest for 15 minutes. Strain the pan drippings, remove the fat and set aside.
• While the chicken rests, in a small pan over medium heat, cook the shallot and vinegar until the vinegar is nearly all cooked away but the pan is not yet dry. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon apricot preserves and the reserved pan drippings, whisk together and bring to a simmer. Add the remaining cold apricot butter little by little, whisking constantly, and remove from the heat. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed. Carve chicken and serve with the seasoned jus, sliced apricots and pistachios if desired.

Steps:

• (To finely chop the apricots, spray kitchen shears with non stick spray, and snip them into small pieces.) Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat, add chicken and cook for about 4 minutes or until just done.
• Don't overcook, you don't want chewy chicken.
• Combine preserves and vinegar in a bowl, then add the cooked chicken.
• Add the broth to the pan, scraping up the good stuff on the bottom, add the apricots.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and cover, simmer 2 minutes.
• Stir in couscous, top with chicken mixture.
• Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes.
• Fluff couscous with a fork, and serve.

Steps:

• For the couscous: Put 1 1/2 cups water, the salt, cumin and pepper in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to a boil. Stir in the couscous, remove from the heat, cover and let sit until the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender, about 5 minutes.
• Transfer the couscous to a bowl, fluff with a fork and add the pistachios, mint, parsley and lime zest to taste. Set aside.
• For the apricot-balsamic glaze: Put the vinegar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup. Whisk in the apricot jam and let cool slightly.
• For the chicken and apricots: Heat a charcoal or gas grill to high for direct grilling.
• Brush the chicken and apricots with oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Grill the chicken until golden brown and slightly charred on both sides and just cooked through, about 9 minutes total. Let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.
• Grill the apricots cut-side down until golden brown and slightly charred; turn over and grill until just heated through. Slice into wedges.
• Transfer the couscous to a plate and arrange the chicken and apricots on top. Drizzle with the apricot-balsamic glaze.

Steps:

• Season chicken with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot, but not smoking. Add the chicken, and cook until browned, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined plate. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons oil.
• Reduce heat to medium; add onion. Cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Add garlic; saute briefly. Add apricots, cinnamon, saffron, ginger, coriander, 2/3 cup water, and 2 tablespoons honey; season with salt.
• Return chicken to skillet; bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until chicken is cooked through and liquid is thickened, 45 to 50 minutes. (If sauce has not thickened, transfer chicken to a platter and place it into an oven preheated to 200 degrees to keep warm. Reduce sauce to desired consistency.) Add remaining 2 tablespoons honey and salt to taste. Pour over chicken on platter.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring stock to a boil. Place couscous and butter in a medium bowl. Pour stock over couscous; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand until the couscous absorbs all the stock, about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, and season with salt. Stir in almonds. Serve couscous with chicken, and garnish with sesame seeds.