Apricot-Chili Chicken

Leah Hamaoui Leah Hamaoui
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Every Rosh Hashanah, I like to put something on the table that feels and tastes like a real celebration. Ladies, if we’re welcoming a new year, we’re doing it with flavor! Here’s my Rosh Hashanah philosophy: Too much sweet gets boring, and too much spice gets dramatic. The trick is balance — like garlic, apricots, and crushed red pepper all showing up to the same party and actually getting along.

This year, it’s a Sephardic classic that’s been in my family for as long as I can remember:
chicken baked with apricot preserves, apricots, garlic, onions, crushed red pepper, and a final
drizzle of silan.

What I love about recipes like this is that they come straight out of tradition — the kind of
cooking where fruit isn’t reserved for dessert but plays side by side with meat, spices, and herbs. The results of this chicken dish are tender, juicy, and layered with flavor, carrying that sweet-salty-spicy balance like a dream on your plate!

So yes, kugel and brisket will always have their place. But in this kitchen, we know that when
you put apricots, silan, and garlic together with chicken, you don’t just get a remarkable dish —
you get a new year that starts off exactly right!

Shanah tovah! May your year be rich in tradition and full of flavor, and may all your tefillos
be answered!

4h 6
Easy Gluten Free Meat Freezer-Friendly

Directions

Prepare the Apricot-Chili Chicken

  1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit (220 degrees Celsius). Line a 9×13-inch (23×33-centimeter) pan with Gefen Parchment Paper.

  2. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add onions and cook for five to 10

    minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and continue to cook for another five minutes.

  3. Add apricot preserves, apricots, salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper

    and cook for 25 minutes over medium-low heat.

  4. Place the chicken in the prepared pan and season with salt and black pepper, to taste.

  5. Mix the paprika and roasted garlic powder with extra-virgin olive oil and rub

    the mixture onto the chicken. Spoon the apricot mixture on top of the chicken. Drizzle with silan.

  6. Bake, uncovered, for 40 minutes, basting the chicken with the sauce every

    20 minutes.

  7. Lower the temperature to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius).

  8. Cover the pan tightly and bake for one and 1/2 hours, or until fork-tender.

Credits

Notes:
Freeze chicken and sauce together in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Description:
Photography by Chay Berger
Food Prep by Leah Hamaoui

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