I was looking to create an asian-inspired grilled chicken dish, and I happened to think of the flavors of apricot and ginger. They go surprisingly well together. The soy sauce helps take the edge off of the sweetness of the apricot and honey. You can also add a touch of hoisin sauce for extra richness if you want.

  • Yields: 6 servings
  • Difficulty: Medium
  • Total: 45 minutes
  • Active: 30 minutes

Ingredients (9)

  • 6 pieces chicken with skin on, light or dark
  • 1 jar apricot or peach jam
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic
  • juice of half a lemon
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • soy sauce to taste
  • thinly sliced scallions, green part only

Instructions

  1. Combine and jam, honey, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, sesame oil, and just enough soy sauce to to take the edge off the sweetness. Just keep adding a little at a time until it tastes right to you. Let the flavors blend together for about 15 minutes, and then strain to make the sauce smooth.
  2. Brush the chicken with olive oil, then lightly season the chicken with salt. The marinade contains soy sauce, which is very salty, so only a little salt is needed. Place the chicken in a grill pan, or preferably on a gas or charcoal grill at a moderate to high temperature.
  3. The chicken needs to be 180°F, so when it reaches about 140°F, begin brushing it with the marinade. If you put the marinade on in the beginning, the sugars will burn and taste bitter. Make sure to place half of the marinade in a separate bowl before you start brushing it onto the chicken, because you don’t want to contaminate the rest of the sauce with raw chicken, as it will be used as a sauce at the end of cooking.
  4. Keep brushing with the marinade every few minutes until the internal temperature of the chicken reaches about 170°F. Carryover cooking should take the chicken the rest of the way to 180°F. If you wait until the chicken reaches 180°F it will overcook and become dry as it continues to cook when taken off the grill.
  5. Add thinly sliced scallions to the reserved sauce and pour over the chicken right before serving, or place a small amount onto each plate and serve the chicken on top.