Apricot Chicken

Hello, hello, hello.  I've spent a great deal of time today trying to capture a picture of a hummingbird. Patience was probably key. Unfortunately, I don't have very much of that. Well, I guess it actually depends on the situation. I'm pretty patient with my students, but that's about it.

The hummingbird was elusive and hasty. So, I set up a tripod, changed the settings on my camera and waited. I'm still trying to figure out how to capture a bright picture with a very high shutter speed and a small aperture without boosting up the ISO. I would just like to be able to get rid of the graininess. Anyway, this is the result.

So, I saw this 'diet cleanse' online. It looked pretty interesting and doable so I thought I'd give it a try. It was only 7 days and anyone can do anything for 7 days if they really want to, right? It was something like only eat fruit on the first day, only vegetables and a baked potato on the second day, on the third day you can have both, etc. Well, today was day one so I was to eat only fruit.

Do you know what fruit consists of? SUGAR and WATER. That was never made more apparent than today. Ok, there are some other nutrients and minerals in fruits, but nothing that makes you go mmmm that was good, I'm totally not hungry any more.

I tried drinking glasses of water, but that too was no successful trick for my growling stomach. So, I made it until 5 pm and decided I was done. There is no way that I can work out for an hour a day and only live on fruit.

Be that as it may, it did inspire me.....to pair fruit with my chicken! That is exactly what I've done. I've made this chicken a few times. I have no idea where the original recipe came from, it's pretty much just how I remember to do it now.

Apricot Chicken

6 boneless skinless chicken strips

1/2 lb dried apricots, halved

1 medium vidalia onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1/2 to 3/4 c chicken broth

1/2 c apricot preserves
1 tblsp cornstarch
2 tblsp water

splash of olive oil

salt and pepper

Splash a bit of olive oil on the bottom of skillet just to cover it. Salt and pepper both sides of chicken and saute in skillet until brown. The brown stuff on the bottom of the skillet is needed for flavor, so just let the chicken go. 

Prepare onions, garlic and apricots like so.......

Remove the browned chicken and add onions and garlic. Add a little salt and pepper. Saute until soft.

Add apricots and warm through. Then add the chicken stock to deglaze the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil. Make a slurry out of the cornstarch and water (mix them together well in a cup) and add to the apricot sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Lower the heat to a simmer. Cut the chicken into chunks and place back in skillet. Let the flavors meld together for ~15 mins. 

You can serve this chicken over a bed of rice or pair it with any sort of vegetable you like, either way it's pretty delicious for its simplicity. Give it a try! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!