Summer Chicken Dinner with Red Currants, Apricots, and Honey-Lime Sauce is a simple one-pan 30-minute recipe that makes a beautiful, restaurant-worthy presentation! Packed with nutrients, it's a great recipe to use red currants in a savory main dish. This Mediterranean-style recipe is dairy-free, gluten-free, and high in protein. I used fresh red currants also known as Ribes rubrum - a member of the gooseberry family.
Summer chicken dinner
Pan-Seared Chicken with Red Currants, Apricots, and Honey-Lime Sauce is a simple weeknight meal that uses basic ingredients, takes only 30 minutes of your time, and requires one pan. The sliced skinless, boneless chicken thighs are cooked with olive oil, paprika, chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Then the cooked chicken is combined with slightly cooked apricots and red currants, and everything is smothered in a delicious honey-lime sauce. When the red currants and apricots are in season in the Summer, this restaurant-quality meal might become one of your favorite chicken dinners!
The ingredients you need
- Chicken. I pan-seared skinless and boneless chicken thighs, then sliced them thinly. To make this recipe even simpler, use leftover cooked chicken, grilled chicken, or rotisserie chicken.
- Red currants. Botanically speaking, they are also known as Ribes rubrum. It's a member of the gooseberry family. These little red berries provide a bold and tart flavor. They are highly nutritious and packed with antioxidants. Red currants are delicious when used in savory recipes, such as in this chicken dinner.
- Apricots. Buy apricots that are firm and crisp. They should be plump and firm (or slightly soft) to the touch, with unwrinkled skin. Avoid overripe apricots that are easily indented when touched or the ones that have cuts or wrinkled skin.
- Olive oil is used for searing the chicken and apricots.
- Honey provides sweetness and a sticky texture to the simple sauce.
- Lime juice balances out sweet, savory, and tart flavors perfectly!
- Seasonings. I used paprika, chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper to generously season the chicken.
What kind of chicken can you use?
- Skinless, boneless chicken thighs - this is what I used. The dark meat of chicken thighs goes really well with all the other flavors.
- Skinless, boneless chicken breast. You can definitely use chicken breasts. They will cook similarly to the chicken thighs.
- Chicken Tenderloins or Tenders. It's already sliced, so you can use it as is.
What can you use instead of red currants?
The next best choice would be black currants (cassis). You can also use raspberries, blackberries, or blueberries. In the Fall and Winter, you can use pomegranate seeds instead of red currants.
What can you use instead of apricots?
Use other similar stone fruit. My favorites are yellow peaches and plums. You can also use dried apricots in the Fall and Winter season.
Cooking tips
- Add butter if you want a richer sauce.
- Use either lime juice or lemon juice. Either will work great. I always prefer freshly squeezed juice vs bottled.
- If you don't have honey, you can use maple syrup, agave, or brown sugar instead.
- Use fresh herbs, such as fresh thyme, basil, or oregano. They really add a lot to this chicken dish.
- Make this year-round with simple substitutions. You can make this chicken dinner even when the red currants and the apricots are not in season. During the colder months of the year, you can use pomegranate arils and dried apricots instead.
Storage and reheating tips
- Fridge. Store the leftover chicken (with red currants and apricots) in an airtight container for up to 4 days. I do not recommend freezing this dish because that will dry out the chicken and turn the apricots and red currants into mush.
- Reheat in the microwave for about 30 seconds. Check and reheat for 30 seconds more or longer.
- Reheat on the stovetop. You can also reheat the chicken on medium heat in the skillet on the stovetop. When reheating, heat a small amount of olive oil in the skillet first until it shimmers, and then add the leftovers.
What to serve with it
- Roasted vegetables. I love roasted Brussels sprouts, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, green beans, onions, and mushrooms.
- Rice. Serve chicken with red currants and apricots over white rice, brown rice, or even wild rice.
- Pasta. Prepare a simple side of pasta coated in garlic and olive oil sauce or butter. My favorite is rice-shaped pasta - orzo. It will make a perfect pairing with chicken and apricots. I also recommend fine pasta, such as angel hair. Or short-cut pasta, such as fusilli, penne, or farfalle (bow-tie pasta).
- Quinoa. Cook quinoa in chicken broth to add richness. Then toss with garlic and fresh herbs.
- Salad. Serve this with a fresh salad, such as Greek salad with tomatoes, cucumber, avocado, feta, and capers. Or, pair this dinner with Apple spinach salad with pecans.
Other chicken recipes with Summer Fruit
- Chicken with Peaches
- Cilantro-Lime Chicken with Peach Salsa
- Chicken Pasta Salad with Prosciutto, Peaches, Spinach, Tomatoes, and Mozzarella Cheese
Summer Chicken Dinner with Red Currants and Apricots
Ingredients
Chicken
- 1.5 lb chicken thighs boneless skinless
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
Apricots
- 1 pound apricots thoroughly washed, cored, and sliced
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1 lime freshly squeezed juice
- 1 lime sliced
Red currants
- 1 cup red currants
Instructions
Cook chicken
- Season chicken thighs with paprika, chili powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper.
- Heat a large, high-sided, 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. This allows the cast-iron skillet to heat through.
- Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add chicken thighs. Cook the chicken on medium heat for 5 minutes, without moving it. This allows the chicken to sear.
- Flip the chicken thighs over, reduce heat to low-medium, and cook for about 5 more minutes or longer until it's cooked through. Remove from heat.
- Remove chicken from skillet.
Cook apricots
- To the same, now empty, skillet, on medium heat, add sliced apricots and slightly cook them in chicken juices, without overcooking, - about 3 or 5 minutes. They should not get mushy.
- At the very end, add honey and lime juice. Add more honey and more lime juice to taste, if you like.
Assembly
- Add red currants to the skillet with cooked apricots. You don't need to cook the red currants - just stir them in.
- Add back the cooked chicken nestled in between the apricots and red currants. Reheat briefly. Remove from heat.
- Top with fresh thyme. Garnish with fresh lime slices.
Nutrition
Nutrition Disclaimer:
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed. It should not be used as a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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