Instant Pot Apricot Chicken
Instant Pot apricot chicken is the quickest chicken recipe that you can make for an elegant but easy dinner for your family. Perfect for a weeknight dinner but special enough to serve for a simple celebration paired with homemade herb butter rice. Alternative Crockpot and dutch oven instructions are included below!
The very first dinner a friend ever cooked for me was her grandmother's recipe for apricot chicken. We were only in high school at the time and I remember being so impressed that someone my age could make something this delicious from scratch.
Sweet apricot juice mixed with savory French onion soup seasonings and soy sauce, this 4-ingredient recipe truly couldn't be easier.
But made with love for those that you are serving it to, especially when paired with a delicious buttery herb rice, this meal is simply heavenly.
I've taken some liberties with the original recipe and make it extra fast in the Instant Pot. I love how juicy and tender the pressure cooker cooks the chicken cooks.
But, if you don't have an Instant Pot, I've included both slowcooker and dutch oven instructions below!
Why This is the Best Recipe
- Comfort Food Classic: The taste of that sweet apricot sauce, the savory chicken, and the buttery rice all together is one of my favorite comfort foods. The whole dish is so cozy.
- Easy to Prep: Just pop the ingredients into the Instant Pot and let the appliance do the rest!
- Make Ahead Friendly: You can store leftovers or even make it ahead and freeze for an easy freezer dinner another night.
Ingredients
It only takes 4 ingredients to make this wonderful dish:
- Apricot Juice: I use a bottle of Looza apricot juice but any brand you can find will work.
- French Onion Soup Mix: You can find packets of onion soup mix in the seasoning aisle of your store. I found mine at Target. Common brands include Knorr and Lipton. If you prefer to use a from-scratch seasoning blend, that is fine, too.
- Soy Sauce
- Boneless, Skinless Chicken Thighs: Chicken thighs are far more tender and tasty than chicken breasts or tenderloins but you can substitute any cut of chicken you prefer. You may need to adjust the cooking time though.
Instant Pot Instructions
Assembling the recipe should only take a couple of minutes!
Turn the Instant Pot onto the Saute setting. Add the apricot juice, seasoning packet, and soy sauce. Stir to combine.
Let the juice heat through so the soup mix has a chance to dissolve, about 5 minutes.
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Add the chicken to the pot, turn the pieces to coat in the juice, and cover the Instant Pot.
Seal and cook for 14 minutes on HIGH pressure.
Transfer the cooked chicken to a dish and cut it into smaller bite-sized pieces. If you prefer, you can also serve the chicken thighs whole.
Drizzle the sauce over the chicken and serve with a large spoon or ladle for drizzling over a bed of rice.
Crockpot Apricot Chicken
If you prefer to make this apricot chicken in a slowcooker, simply prepare the juice and seasonings in a large saucepan on the stovetop for 5 minutes. Transfer it to the slowcooker and add the chicken.
Cover and cook for 3 - 4 hours on LOW heat.
Oven Baked Apricot Chicken
If you prefer to make the apricot chicken in a dutch oven, you can warm the juice and seasonings right in the dutch oven on the stove top and add the chicken.
Cover the pot and bake at 350°F for 60 minutes.
Make Ahead Tips
You could cook the apricot chicken ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze it for up to 3 months. Thaw the chicken in the fridge overnight and gently reheat it in a saucepan on the stovetop or in the microwave.
This would make a great meal prep recipe if you want to divide the rice and chicken into individual dishes for the fridge or freezer. I recommend adding a hearty vegetable like green beans or broccoli that would reheat well.
This is also a unique meal train dinner to bring to friends in need. Package the chicken and sauce separately from the rice so they can reheat them as needed.
Serving Suggestions
My favorite way to serve this chicken is over a bed of rice.
My first pick would be my easy herb butter rice. You could also use plain jasmine rice or this delicious sticky butter rice for more onion flavor. My Instant Pot rice pilaf is like a homemade chicken Rice-A-Roni and would be a good choice, too.
To round out your dinner menu, add a green vegetable on the side.
Roasted asparagus or steamed sugar snap peas would be a perfect green vegetable to include as a side dish but my air fryer green beans and this simple parmesan roasted zucchini are super quick and easy to cook.
More Easy Instant Pot Recipes
Looking for more easy chicken recipes to cook in your Instant Pot?
📖 Recipe
Instant Pot Apricot Chicken
Ingredients
- 1 liter 4 cups apricot juice like Looza brand
- 1 (1 oz) packet prepared French onion soup mix Like Knorr or Lipton brand or 2 tablespoons homemade French onion soup seasoning blend
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 6 - 8 boneless skinless chicken thighs
Instructions
- Set the Instant Pot to Saute. Add the apricot juice, soup seasonings packet, and soy sauce and stir. Let warm through, about 5 minutes.
- Add the chicken thighs to the pot, making sure to unfold the chicken from its packaged position. Cover the Instant Pot and cook on high pressure for 12 minutes.
- Chicken may be served shredded or whole and is especially good spooned over a bed of herb rice with the apricot sauce drizzled over the top.
Recipe Notes
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This recipe was a hit with my family. My husband is super picky and he said we could make it again. I did search multiple stores for apricot juice and couldn’t find it. I substituted with peach juice and it was delicious.
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