Apricot Chicken with Wild Rice

Last week, I thought it might be nice to cook dinner for my boyfriend and have a date night.




I wasn't sure what to make for him, as he can sometimes be a picky eater, and I didn't have a lot of time to sit around preparing something elaborate. So I went to one of my great fallback recipes: Apricot Chicken.

I found this recipe years ago online and have been making it for my family every time I go home to visit. It is a dish that is simple to make and delicious, both sweet and savory, and is great for company. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

• 2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts. This is if you are cooking for two, obviously, but you can easily make more or less depending on who you are cooking for.

• 1 12 oz. can apricot pie filling

• 1/2 tbsp. lemon juice

• 1/4 tsp. salt

• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg

• 1/2 cup pecan halves

• 1 box Uncle Ben's Long Grain Wild Rice. This side dish is easy to make, and healthier than regular rice. Uncle Ben is your friend!

Very few ingredients combine to make chicken sweet, savory, and with a bit of crunch. Delicious!


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together the pie filling, lemon juice, salt, nutmeg, and pecans.




Spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray for easy clean-up. Lay your chicken breasts in the dish and cover with the apricot mixture.



COVER THE DISH WITH FOIL. Do not forget this! Otherwise the apricot mixture will burn, and no one wants that. Pop that baby in the oven for an hour.

I know what you are thinking: "Damnnnn, an hour?? I don't have that kind of time!"

Well, considering that the prep for this took all of ten minutes, once the chicken is in the oven you are now free to move about the cabin. The rice takes about 25 minutes to cook (plus a few minutes waiting for the water to boil), so for your remaining 30 minutes, you can:

A) Watch the first 30 minutes of Date Night.

B) Set the table, light candles, and put on mood music if it's a special occasion. If not, break out the Chinet paper plates, cause the apricot sauce can be a bitch to clean up.

C) If you are nervous about your impending date, drink. Actually, if you are excited about your impending date, drink too. Here is a fun accessory every chef can use:



Okay. When there is about a half hour to go, prepare your wild rice according to the directions on the box.




When the rice and chicken are done, put a lovely mound of rice on the plate, top with the chicken, and garnish with fresh parsley if you'd like. Ta da!



Do YOU have any recipe ideas for an easy date night? (Meaning the dish is easy to make, not that your date is easy.)