Georgia Peach Skillet Chicken – AIP, Paleo, Whole 30

Well ain’t she a peach? (The chicken, that is.)

A good seventeen years ago, a good friend of mine introduced me to a little culinary delight known as “Apricot Chicken.” Basically, you mix a jar of sugary apricot jelly with a bottle of Russian or French dressing, stir in a packet of dehydrated onion soup mix, then dump the whole thang over chicken pieces and bake it. Tangy. Sweet. Salty. Delicious. Chemical sh*t storm.

This old housewife favorite is long overdue for a makeover. But the makeover shouldn’t involve: slaving over a stove to make jam from scratch, then blending a dressing from scratch, then chopping up a bunch of onions and caramelizing them. I mean, if you really wanted to you could do alla that, and it would be quite delicious! That hard-kitchen-labor just isn’t exactly my style anymore, so I thought you’d appreciate this low-hassle, Paleo-fied version of ye olde Apricot Chicken as much as I do. 🙂

First, I heat up a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, and brown some chicken drumsticks in a little ghee (an AIP reintroduction), bacon fat or refined coconut oil…ya know…whatever the fat flavor of the day is You can use ANY kind of chicken pieces you like, of course. Just adjust your cooking times accordingly. *TIP!* Use a splatter screen to prevent having to clean up lots of grease speckles later…and to prevent splatter burns.

While those babies are browning up, I use either St. Dalfour’s or Old World Quality Foods’ peach preserve. They’ve both got nothing in their peach jam but peaches, grape juice and pectin in the ingredients. No added sugar, no chemicals, nada. ***(If you have pectin sensitivities, you could alternately microwave 2 cups of frozen sliced peaches until soft and mash slightly, add a little extra honey, then use in place of the jam.)***

I scoop that into a medium bowl and dazzle it up with some seasonings, broth and apple cider vinegar (replicating the Franken-dressing and the soup mix, but without all the icky preservatives that come with those SAD convenience foods). 

When the chicken pieces are done browning, I take the skillet off the heat and pour over the peach mixture.  Turning the chicken pieces over a few times with tongs will get all the peachy tangy awesomeness in all the little crevices! You can top with thinly sliced fresh peaches if you want, but its not necessary if you don’t have them on hand.

Now pop that baby in a hot oven (425 F) for about 25 minutes and allow to cook through all the way through and to brown a bit. Just be careful not to let the natural sugars from the peaches burn too much more than some slight caramelization….this happens fast so just keep an eye out.

Serve topped with freshly chopped chives, green onions, parsley, or whatever fresh green herbs you have laying around. (Even dried parsley looks good on top!) I like to serve these with a simple, unseasoned carrot-cucumber slaw, with my No-Brassica Cole Slaw or even over a big heap of wilted greens with bacon.

Enjoy your sticky-sweet-tangy-juicy-salty-yum-yum-yum-chicken!