Apricot Hoisin Chicken Thighs

Meals like this, that are invented based on all the bits and pieces in my fridge really make me happy when they turn out. There are the times when that is not the case...I just don't share those!

In my efforts to use as many apricots from our tree as possible, I had made a batch of apricot butter, and had a partial jar in the fridge. I used that in the marinade, along with a tablespoon of Balsamic vinaigrette (basically olive oil and Balsamic vinegar), some of the last few green onions and the last of the soy sauce.

The vegetables in the stir fry were all bits and pieces from other meals....8 spears of asparagus, a dozen or so snowpeas, half a red pepper, and the last 2 green onions. Add in some steamfried noodles, and a bit of the chicken marinade, and dinner is good to go.

The apricot  butter was not too sweet, and still had the tartness of the apricots coming through. Together with the Balsamic vinaigrette this offset the sweetness of the hoisin sauce.



To make the marinade, combine:

1/4 cup apricot butter
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinaigrette
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
3 green onions, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil

Add:

6 boneless, skinless chicken thighs.

Turn to coat on all sides, cover and leave for 30 minutes.




Heat and oil the grill when you are ready to cook the chicken. Reserve 1/4 cup of the marinade for the stirfry.

I prepped the vegetables for the stirfried noodles while the chicken was marinating: thinly sliced red and yellow peppers, snow peas, asparagus and green onions along with minced garlic and ginger.
I cooked the noodles and vegetables when the chicken was grilling, and almost done. Not much time is needed for stirfried vegetables.

Cook the chicken on the grill, turning often and basting with the marinade.

When the chicken is fully cooked, remove it from the grill and allow it to rest for 5 minutes before serving.

The chicken will be golden and slightly crisp on the outside; moist and juicy on the inside.




I served 3 chicken thighs per person, on a bed of stirfried red and yellow peppers, snow peas, asparagus and green onions tossed with steamfried noodles, and the last of the marinade. The chicken was sweet and sour from the hoisin and apricot butter. Delicious!

• Apricot butter is the same thing as apple butter. It is the fruit, cooked down along with a bit of sweetener. It uses a lot less sugar than jam does, so more of the fruit flavour comes through, in this case the tartness of the apricots. I used honey as the sweetener in my apricot butter.
• You can use other fruit butters for the recipe...apple, peach, pear, plum or pumpkin.
• The Balsamic vinaigrette I had in the fridge was extra from a salad. I use a ratio of 1:1 oil to vinegar to start and then adjust it to taste, depending on what is in the salad. I season it with salt and black pepper. Use 1/2 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/2 tablespoon of Balsamic vinegar instead.
• I marinaded the chicken for half an hour, more to add flavour than to tenderize. The chicken can be marinaded overnight.
• Using the marinade as a baste is safe as long as each application gets well cooked. Cook the chicken fully on the last side to be basted before removing it from the grill.
• The same applies to the marinade added to the stirfry...make sure it boils for at least 30 seconds before you serve it.
• Add a spoonful of crunchy peanut butter to the stirfry if you wish to.
• Cook extra chicken and shred it to use for sandwhiches, wraps or pizza toppings.