I walked into the store and was drawn to these beautiful glowing golden orange apricots. Let my start by saying…I’m a big sucker for fresh fruit. If fruit were a clever predator, I’d be a goner real quick. I just can’t resist their bright colors and sweet fragrance. Half the time, I don’t need these fruits, but can’t help grabbing them up. I unpack my groceries and see my golden orange apricots…now, what to make out these little beauties?
Apricots are related to the peach. They have a beautiful golden orange skin that is velvety smooth and slightly fuzzy. On a side note…My kids love soft textures…I come into the kitchen and both of them are sitting at the counter rubbing an apricot against their cheek! I couldn’t help but to laugh. They said they feel so soft on your cheek…I’ll take their word on that one 😀 This is what happens when your kids are on summer vacation… boredom sets in and they do strange things. Haha.
Luckily, I purchased quite a few apricots. They can play with their two and I can prepare the rest 😀 We are big chicken eater here, so I decided to transform my apricots into Apricot Glazed Chicken…
Apricots
Interestingly, apricots are one of the first summer fruits to ripen. Their season only lasts from May to August so, you only have a few months to reap their nutritional benefits. Apricots are a good source of vitamin A, vitamin C, and dietary fiber. Apricots are rich in the antioxidants beta-carotene and lycopene which, are known to promote heart health and protect against several cancers.
Vitamin A: promotes healthy eyes, skin, hair, and teeth
Lycopene-rich foods: may reduce the risk of developing cancer
Beta-carotene: helps protect LDL cholesterol from oxidation
Apricot Nutrition
1 cup raw
Calories 74
Calcium 20 mg
Potassium 401 mg
Vitamin A 2985 IU
Vitamin C 15.5 mg
Vitamin E 1.4 mg
Vitamin K 5.1 µg
Beta Carotene 1805 mg
Selecting Apricots:
Fresh apricots should have orange-gold colored skin. They should be plump and slightly soft to the touch.
I used balsamic vinegar to create a glaze that is perfectly balanced with sweet and robust flavors.
- 1 lb boneless skinless chicken breast, trimmed
- ¼ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- ½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
- 4 fresh apricots, halved and sliced
- ¼ cup apricot preserves
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- Sprinkle chicken breast with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
- Add chicken sauté until browned on both sides and cooked through, about 5 minutes on each side. Add broth to the pan.
- Mix apricot preserves and balsamic vinegar in a small bowl. Evenly spread mixture over each chicken breast. Add fresh apricots to pan and cook until glaze has thickened, about a minute.
- Serve each chicken breast with glaze and apricots.
Yum! This Apricot Glazed Chicken is delicious!! The beautiful golden glaze makes a wonderful presentation and a dish that is perfect to serve to guests.
This so quick and easy to prepare that it is sure to become one of your go-to meals 😀
Sources:
http://www.environmentalnutrition.com/issues/34_6/enonfoods/152175-1.html
http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=3
http://ndb.nal.usda.gov/ndb/foods/show/2159
[…] with textures. He loves to touch soft things like blankets, cheeks, and I can’t leave out lovely apricots. Do you remember me telling you about that episode? Okay, so he likes the feel of soft things, […]