Apricot Chicken with Cashew Cauliflower Rice

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This recipe and photos were provided by Sally Roeckell of Table and Dish and were originally published at 365Barrington.com as a part of the Heinen’s 4 P.M. Panic Series. 

This 4 PM Panic post is for all of you who have told me you don’t prepare anything with more than four ingredients.  This yummy chicken dish has three, yes 3, ingredients, and only one pan! To be fair, I’m not counting the cauliflower rice in the three ingredients, but still, this main dish will make your weekday evening dinner super easy and it will taste as you prepared it for weekend guests.  At first glance, the three ingredients may seem odd but I promise you it works.  It’s DELICIOUS!

This recipe is adapted from one made by Tieghan at Half Baked Harvest. It was a dish her grandmother made when she visited. Grandmas always serve the best food! I made this for my family thinking that they probably wouldn’t like the cauliflower rice. Don’t be fooled by the name. There’s no actual “rice” in it. The process of grating the cauliflower creates a dish that looks somewhat like rice. Or you can pick up pre-grated cauliflower rice in the produce section at your Heinen’s. I even made a pot of plain white rice just in case my gang rejected the cauliflower. I was totally wrong, they loved it! The chicken was also a huge hit. After dinner, I found them back in the kitchen during clean up dipping bread in the leftover sauce. They all agree this has to be a recipe we make again.

Apricot Chicken

Ingredients:

• 6-8 skin-on chicken thighs or 4 breasts
• 1 (13 ounce) jar high quality (no corn syrup) apricot preserves
• 2 cups store-bought or homemade Russian Dressing (recipe below)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Lightly grease a 9×13 inch Pyrex pan.
• Add the chicken.
• In a medium bowl, mix together the apricot preserves and Russian Dressing.
• Pour over the chicken.
• Bake for 30-40, minutes or until the chicken is cooked through. The time will depend on the size of your chicken pieces. If the tops of the chicken are getting too browned, cover the pan with foil halfway through cooking.
• Serve the chicken with the cauliflower rice.
• Spoon the sauce left in the pan, over the chicken.

Cashew Cauliflower Rice

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons coconut or olive oil
• 1 large or 2 small heads cauliflower, finely grated. I used a food processor which made this easy and quick.
• 1 teaspoon cumin and salt + pepper (I have also used an Asian curry in place of the cumin for a different flavor.)
• 1/3 cup canned coconut milk
• 1/2 cup roasted cashews, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (can be substituted with cilantro, my gang prefers parsley)

Method:

• Heat a large, high sided skillet over medium heat and add the oil.
• Add the cauliflower and season with cumin, salt and pepper.
• Cook for 2 more minutes.
• Stir in the coconut milk.
• Cook until the cauliflower is tender, about 6 to 8 minutes.
• Remove from heat, then add the cashews and fresh flat-leaf parsley.

Russian Dressing

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup plain Greek yogurt
• 1/2 cup organic ketchup
• 1/4 cup pickle brine/juice (the juice from the pickle jar)
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoon hot sauce
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley + dill salt + pepper, to taste

Method:

• Combine all the ingredients in a bowl or glass jar and whisk to combine.
• Taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed. Keep stored in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!