Apricot Chicken

Crockpot apricot chicken with homemade rice pilaf and garlicky green beans—sweet, savory, and perfect for an easy weeknight or company meal.

In my opinion, this is hands down one of the easiest and yummiest ways to get juicy chicken that everyone will rave about. Honestly, it has been years since this recipe graced our table—but today, that is changing. Thanks to a suggestion from Makenna, apricot chicken, rice pilaf (inspired by a Trader Joe’s box mix), and green beans are on the menu.

Meal at a Glance

This menu comes together with simple, from-scratch touches that make it extra special:

• Apricot Chicken – sweet, savory, and slow-cooked in the crockpot
• Rice Pilaf with Orzo – fluffy rice and toasted pasta made with my homemade bouillon
• Sautéed Green Beans – quick, garlicky, and perfectly tender-crisp

You know me—I’m not one to rely on bottles of this or that when I can easily make it myself. The original recipe calls for a packet of Lipton Onion Soup Mix, a bottle of Russian dressing, and apricot preserves. Here’s how I gave it the Food Civilian touch:

• Onion Soup Mix → I used my homemade version (about 4 tablespoons).
• Russian Dressing → I mixed up a Catalina-style version, skipping any extra sweetener since the apricot preserves already bring enough sweetness.
• Apricot Preserves → I sent the Supreme Commander on a quick store run for these (peach would work, too).

Everything gets stirred together and poured over chicken breasts in the crockpot. I didn’t even thaw mine first—just set it, walk away, and let the slow cooker do its magic. That’s my kind of dinner. Life is busy and no one has time to babysit food.

While the chicken simmers, I’ll be making a simple rice pilaf where I swap boxed mixes for my own version—rice, toasted orzo, garlic, and water mixed with my homemade chicken bouillon (I use this recipe). It gives all the depth of flavor without relying on store-bought broth. On the side, I’ve got those long, extra-fine green beans from Costco (so good!). Add a salad and some bread or rolls, and you’ve got a meal that’s both sweet and savory, easy enough for any weeknight but fancy enough for company.

Bringing It All Together

With the crockpot chicken bubbling away, the pilaf simmering, and the green beans getting a quick sauté, this whole meal is easy, balanced, and downright delicious. Sweet and savory chicken, buttery pilaf, and garlicky green beans—it really checks all the boxes. Can’t wait for dinner! Real food. Real kitchens. Real love–The Food Civilian

Catalina Dressing

A quick Catalina-style dressing with ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, oil, garlic, and paprika. This is meant to be used for my Apricot Chicken recipe. To make for salad dressing, add some grated onion (or onion powder) and some honey.

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Course Salad

Cuisine American

Ingredients

  

• ¼ cup ketchup
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• ½ teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ½ cup avocado oil or any neutral oil
• ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
• ½ teaspoon paprika
• 1 Pinch salt
• Fresh ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• In a jar or bowl, combine ketchup, vinegar, Worcestershire, oil, garlic, paprika, salt, and pepper.
• Whisk well (or blend with an immersion blender) until emulsified.
• Use in the apricot chicken recipe above. (If making as salad dressing, you can add onion powder or fresh onion + a little sugar or honey.)

Notes

When using this in my Apricot Chicken recipe, keep these notes in mind:

• No onions needed—your onion soup mix already covers that.
• No sugar needed—the apricot preserves provide plenty of sweetness.

If making this as a salad dressing instead of for cooking: add a little onion powder (or fresh grated onion) and a touch of sugar or honey, then blend or use an immersion blender until emulsified.