This Gluten-Free Apricot Chicken is easy to prepare, juicy, tender, and coated in a sticky apricot glaze that's bursting with a delicious sweet and tangy flavor! Plus, it can be made paleo and low-carb too!
I love love love this gluten-free apricot chicken! It's easy to throw together, tender, flavorful, and delicious!
For those of you who live in Oklahoma, this dish is inspired by The Interurban's apricot chicken. It has a sticky apricot glaze that's sweet, tangy, and bursting with flavor!
Paleo and low-carb
For paleo use:
- coconut aminos instead of soy sauce
- mayo that uses only healthy oils (such as avocado or olive) without added sugar
- apricot preserves without added sugar. If you can't find preserves without added sugar, it's super easy to make your own paleo apricot preserves.
For low-carb, use no sugar added low-carb preserves.
Can I use boneless, skinless chicken?
I don't recommend boneless, skinless chicken for this recipe. I recommend bone-in, skin-on because it turns out more tender and juicy.
If you use boneless, it will turn out dry. And no one wants that!!!
Apricot glaze
For the apricot glaze, there are only 5 simple ingredients:
- mayo
- apricot preserves
- coconut aminos (or gluten-free soy sauce)
- onion powder
- dijon mustard
And don't skip the coconut aminos, onion powder, and dijon mustard! The coconut aminos and onion powder add a great depth of flavor and the dijon mustard adds the perfect amount of tang.
These few ingredients make the most delicious apricot glaze everrrr!!!! I have to stop myself from eating it straight from the bowl, lol!!!!
The mayo
For the mayo, I prefer to use my Easy Homemade 5-Minute Whole30 Mayo or Veganaise if you're egg-free.
I've found that some of the primal mayos have a strong taste that can leave an aftertaste. So be sure to use a mild-flavored mayo.
🔪 Easy instructions
Sprinkle each piece with salt and pepper and place it on a broiler pan.
The broiler pan ensures that the chicken gets nice and crispy. If you don't have a broiler pan, simply put a folded cooling rack on a baking sheet.
Bake in the oven at 425 degrees for 35 to 45 minutes, or until cooked through.
In a medium-sized bowl, mix together mayo, apricot preserves, dijon mustard, onion powder, and coconut aminos or gluten-free soy sauce.
Using tongs, dip each piece of chicken in the apricot glaze and place back on the broiler pan.
Bake for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until glaze is hot and bubbly and enjoy!!!
💭 Top tips
- Do not try dipping the chicken into the sauce at the beginning of baking thinking it will make it more flavorful. Due to the sugars in the sauce, it will burn if baked that long! Adding the sauce at the end of baking still provides loads of flavor.
- Do not substitute boneless, skinless chicken. If you do, the chicken will be extremely dry! The bones and skin are what make the chicken juicy and flavorful.
- For the mayo, I prefer to use my Easy Homemade 5-Minute Whole30 Mayo or Veganaise if you're egg-free. I've found that some of the primal mayos have a strong taste that can leave an aftertaste. So be sure to use a mild-flavored mayo.
- For low-carb, use no sugar added, low-carb preserves. I've found that some sugar-free preserves taste awful, and the taste of this dish largely depends on the preserves. So choose one that you like!
- For paleo: 1) use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce 2) use a mayo that uses only healthy oils (such as avocado or olive) without added sugar and 3) use apricot preserves without added sugar. If you can't find preserves without added sugar, it's super easy to make your own paleo apricot preserves.
Looking for more chicken recipes?
Or this Asian Chicken Salad from Allergy Free Alaska looks delicious too!
If you’ve tried this Gluten-Free Apricot Chicken or any other recipe on the blog please let me know in the comments below!
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📖 Recipe
Gluten-Free Apricot Chicken {Paleo & Low-Carb Options}
Ingredients
- 8 Bone-In Chicken Thighs Or Drums
Apricot Glaze:
- ½ Cup Mayonnaise
- ½ Cup Apricot Preserves
- 1 ½ tablespoon Dijon Mustard
- ¼ teaspoon Onion Powder
- ½ teaspoon Coconut Aminos - or gluten free soy sauce
- Almond Slices For Garnish - optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease a broiler pan then place chicken on the pan skin side up. If you don't have a broiler pan, simply place a folded cooling rack on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Then, roast for 40 minutes or until cooked through.
- While the chicken is cooking, mix the apricot sauce ingredients in a medium-sized bowl.
- With tongs, dip each chicken thigh or leg into the sauce, submerging completely.
- Place back onto pan. After all the chicken is coated, return pan to oven for 5 to 10 minutes, or until hot and sizzling.
- Brush or dab on additional sauce and serve.
- Leftovers can be stored in the fridge for 3 to 5 days.
Notes
- Nutrition info uses Smuckers Sugar-Free Apricot Preserves. It also uses all of the glaze, but I always have some leftover.
- Do not try dipping the chicken into the sauce at the beginning of baking thinking it will make the chicken more flavorful. Due to the sugars in the sauce, it will burn if baked that long! Adding the sauce at the end of baking still provides loads of flavor.
- Do not substitute boneless, skinless chicken. If you do, the chicken will be extremely dry! The bones and skin are what make the chicken juicy and flavorful.
- For the mayo, I prefer to use my Easy Homemade 5-Minute Whole30 Mayo or Veganaise if you're egg-free. I've found that some of the primal mayos have a strong taste that can leave an aftertaste. So be sure to use a mild-flavored mayo.
- For low-carb, use no sugar added, low-carb preserves. I've found that some sugar-free preserves taste awful, and the taste of this dish largely depends on the preserves. So choose one that you like!
- For paleo: 1) use coconut aminos instead of soy sauce 2) use a mayo that uses only healthy oils (such as avocado or olive) without added sugar and 3) use apricot preserves without added sugar. If you can't find preserves without added sugar, it's super easy to make your own paleo apricot preserves.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is approximate and may vary.
Looking for more information on the keto diet? Check out these resources:
Did you make this recipe? Let me know!