Roast Chicken With Apricot Glaze

Easiest way to dress up roast chicken? Glaze with apricot preserves!

By
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer
Elise founded Simply Recipes in 2003 and led the site until 2019. She has an MA in Food Research from Stanford University.
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Updated May 05, 2023
Elise Bauer
Roasted Chicken with Apricot Glaze
Elise Bauer

You know the easiest way to make a simple roast chicken something worthy of fancy dinner party?

Glaze it in the last few minutes of roasting with a little melted apricot preserves. It will make you look like a master chef!

It's an old trick, but a good one.

Roasted Chicken with Apricot Glaze
Elise Bauer

In this recipe we're taking it even further with a Middle-Eastern inspired cumin cinnamon rub. We love these flavors in our Slow Cooker Chicken Rice Casserole recipe, and they work beautifully with the apricot glaze.

If you want to take full advantage of the flavor that the cumin cinnamon rub can provide, as soon as you get home from the market with your chicken, take it out of its wrapping and coat it all over with the rub. Then return it to your fridge until an hour or two before you are ready to cook it.

Roast Chicken With Apricot Glaze

Prep Time 10 mins
Cook Time 60 mins
Marinate in Rub 60 mins
Total Time 2 hrs 10 mins
Servings 4 to 6 servings

We are using a whole chicken for this recipe. You can use parts if you want, bone-in skin on. Follow the instructions for our basic baked chicken for the roasting part, glazing with apricot preserves the last 5 to 10 minutes of cooking.

When cooking a whole chicken, remember to remove to giblets (liver, gizzards, neck) first. They're often in a bag in the cavity. I fry up the liver in butter for a little snack and save the neck and gizzards for making stock.

Ingredients

  • 2 teaspoons ground cumin

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

  • 1 4-pound  (1.8kg) whole chicken

  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/3 cup (80ml) apricot preserves

Method

  1. Rub the chicken with spices and let sit:

    Whisk together the cumin, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl. Rub the spices all over the chicken. Loosely cover and let sit at least one hour, or preferably refrigerate overnight. In either case allow chicken to sit at room temperature for at least one hour (preferably two) before cooking.

    roasted-chicken-apricot-glaze-method-1
    Elise Bauer
    roasted-chicken-apricot-glaze-method-3
    Elise Bauer
  2. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
  3. Rub the chicken with olive oil and roast:

    Place the chicken in a roasting pan, breast-side up. Rub olive oil all over the chicken. Place in the middle rack of the oven and cook for 50 minutes at 375°F or until the internal temperature of the chicken thighs reaches 165°F.

  4. Heat the apricot preserves:

    While the chicken is roasting, heat the apricot preserves in a small saucepan or in the microwave until warm and runny.

    roasted-chicken-apricot-glaze-method-4
    Elise Bauer
    roasted-chicken-apricot-glaze-method-5
    Elise Bauer
  5. Baste the chicken with apricot preserves:

    Remove chicken from oven, and baste the exposed surfaces of the chicken all over with the apricot preserves, using a basting brush.

  6. Increase the oven temp to 400°F:

    Increase the temperature and return the chicken to the oven and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes, basting the chicken again with the glaze halfway through, until the glaze is bubbly and beginning to brown.

  7. Let chicken rest:

    Remove from oven and let rest for 15 minutes before serving.

    roasted-chicken-apricot-glaze-method-6
    Elise Bauer
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
549 Calories
37g Fat
12g Carbs
39g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories 549
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 37g 48%
Saturated Fat 10g 52%
Cholesterol 195mg 65%
Sodium 479mg 21%
Total Carbohydrate 12g 4%
Dietary Fiber 0g 1%
Total Sugars 8g
Protein 39g
Vitamin C 7mg 35%
Calcium 35mg 3%
Iron 4mg 20%
Potassium 471mg 10%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate. In cases where multiple ingredient alternatives are given, the first listed is calculated for nutrition. Garnishes and optional ingredients are not included.