This apricot chicken, made on a sheet pan, is so easy and SO GOOD! Just a few simple ingredients, minimal cleanup, and a major flavor boost from the roasty charred scallions on top.
Apricot Chicken with Charred Scallions
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Cooked on the grill and finished with the broiler. Simple, fast and delicious. A keeper!
Sara
Well, That Was Unexpected.
If you described this meal to me, I’d raise my eyebrows at you. Chicken on a sheet pan, with a few basic sauce elements poured right over the top? Like, really?
But every time I’ve made this apricot chicken, both Bjork and I and our friends have literally said outloud – Wow. Why is this so good? It’s humble, it’s low-key, but it has absolutely incredible flavor.
Sesame oil, soy sauce, with a bit of sweetness (our buddy apricot jam! 😍) are an excellent flavor base – but the thing that deserves most of the flavor credit here is that tangle of charred scallions. They give a nice oniony flavor, but also a roasty depth feels like you spent a few hours on this instead of just 15 minutes.
The chicken stays tender and juicy thanks to a short bake time, the scallions are fun and pretty, and if you can scrape up any browned bits or juices from the pan to spoon over your rice bowl, you’re in for a treat. It’s so good.
Of all our SOS recipes this season, I think this might be the easiest.
I hope you love it! And for more of our most popular easy dinner recipes, click here!
Watch How To Make This Apricot Chicken
Sesame Apricot Chicken with Charred Scallions
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
Description
This apricot chicken, made on a sheet pan, is so easy and SO GOOD! Just a few simple ingredients, minimal cleanup, and a major flavor boost from the roasty charred scallions on top.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Sesame Apricot Chicken with Charred Scallions
- 1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt + 10 cracks of freshly ground pepper
- 1/4 cup toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
- 10 scallions, sliced in half lengthwise
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves
- a few tablespoons of chili crisp
For serving:
- Rice
- Any other vegetables – I like cucumbers
Instructions
- Preheat: Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place an oven rack in top 1/3 of oven.
- Prep Scallions: Cut the scallions in half lengthwise.
- Prep Chicken: Cut the chicken into thinner pieces horizontally. Place chicken on a sheet pan; season with salt and pepper. Drizzle sesame oil and soy sauce directly over the chicken.
- Add Scallions: Toss the scallions in some of the oil.
- Bake: Place the scallions on top of the chicken. Bake for 6 minutes on the rack that is in the top 1/3 of the oven.
- Broil: Turn the broiler on; broil for 1-2 minutes – the goal is to get the chicken cooked through (165 degrees) a small amount of charring on the scallions. There is tons of yummy flavor in those charred bits! Immediately spoon apricot jam and chili crisp over the top of each piece so it kind of melts in.
- Serve: Serve chicken and a tangle of the charred scallions with rice, spooning extra pan juices over the top (or just drizzling with extra sesame oil and soy sauce). Humble method, max flavor!
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: apricot chicken, sheet pan chicken, chicken dinner recipe
Frequently Asked Questions For This Recipe
Can you use a different cut of chicken, like chicken thighs?
I didn’t try it with thighs, but I think it would work – I would just leave them whole, and you’d just need to bake it a bit longer since they are thicker.
Could you grill this recipe?
Yes, and maybe just use sesame oil and soy sauce to marinate the chicken or brush it as it’s grilling.
Are there any other jams/preserves that could work in a pinch?
Orange would work great, or a drizzle of honey could be used in a pinch too!
What veggies can I add to this?
I love this with the fresh cucumber pictured, but you could also add some air-fried broccoli or green beans.
What could you substitute for the scallions?
Thinly sliced shallots would be delicious here!
Could you make this vegetarian with tofu?
Yes! Use this sesame apricot tofu recipe. Same flavors and also very very delicious!
Three More Favorite Sheet Pan Dinners
Filed Under: All Recipes Dinner Gluten-Free Kid-Friendly Main Dishes Meat and Chicken Quick and Easy Recipes Sheet Pan SOS Series
April 29, 2025
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Hi I want to make this tonight! I am headed out to town now. What is chili crisp?? Thank you!!
Hi Chili crisp is a type of condiment made from crisped chili peppers, oil, and aromatics, often combined with ingredients like garlic, shallots, and peppercorns. The chili crisp I like to use is Momofuku brand, but you can also find this ingredient at Trader Joe’s.
Oh, this looks delicious! Do we bake AND broil? The video only mentions broil, so I wasn’t sure!
Yes, bake and broil as instructed in recipe card.
I bet peach jam would work if you can’t find apricot! Sounds yummy.
I was excited to try this recipe, it sounded easy and flavorful. Honestly my family did not love it. I thought the green onions turned out weirdly tough. Plus I am not a fan of chili crisp. Teenage son did not prefer the sweet and spicy combo. Husband and tweens thought it was ok.
Would this work in a drawer style air fryer?
Hi Melanie! It would be quite messy in an air fryer because of the soy sauce mixture. We wouldn’t recommend it.
Cooked on the grill and finished with the broiler. Simple, fast and delicious. A keeper!
Oh, love that you used the grill!
I thought this was really good and so easy! I didn’t have chili crisp, so used a drizzle of sriracha, which worked fine.
So glad you enjoyed it, Brigette!
I really liked this dish! It was super simple and a new combo of flavors. I used chicken thighs and had to cook a lot longer. It was about 20 minutes in total and I had to take the scallions out about halfway through. I did it for meal prep and when I make it again I would do the chicken and scallions separately.
So glad you enjoyed the recipe, Alison!
This recipe is delicious with rice, roasted zucchini and broccoli. YUM! It came together quickly. We enjoyed trying the chili crisp for the first time. Thank you for a new favorite meal.
Glad to hear it was enjoyed, Wendy! And awesome that you were able to try chili crisp, it’s one of our favorite condiments.
My partner and I loved it! Super easy and flavor packed! Perfect for an easy weeknight dinner. We wanted to cut the green onions a bit so they weren’t so stringy and difficult to cut post-char, but overall will be making this again!
We felt this was especially enjoyable and we would definitely make it again. Our only change was using Trader Joe’s Thai Ginger Sauce in place of the chili, mixed with the apricot jam. We served it with Costco’s lime cilantro rice.
Oh that’s such a good idea for the swap!
This was a HUGE hit for my whole family! My husband I loved the spicy addition of the chili crisp and my 2 year old had a 3rd serving! “Jelly chicken” (as my 5 year old called it) is officially part of our quick and easy dinner rotation!
Love that, Sarah! Glad the whole family enjoyed the dinner.
Made this last night and it was delicious. The kids even liked it (without the chili crisp). I served it with couscous and roasted cauliflower which was perfect.
That sounds like a great meal! Thanks for making the recipe.
We liked this one! I amped up the chicken marinade with fresh ginger, rice vinegar, garlic, and miso paste. Marinated the chicken for about 30 mins. I only had thin sliced breasts which I left whole. I didn’t have chili crisp but I did have chili garlic sauce which was amazing mixed with the apricot jam. I also applied the jam mixture just before broiling. Really good! Reminded me of a healthier take on sweet and sour chicken and similar Chinese dishes.
Sounds so great, Megan! Thanks for making the recipe.
10 out of 10– delicious and easy!! The chicken was so juicy! I can’t wait for my leftovers!
Awesome, thanks for making the recipe!
This was insanely good! Definitely will be on repeat. You must try!!!