This Jelly Chicken is baked in a simple and delicious jelly sauce. It's sweet, savory, and perfectly tender. All you need is about 10 minutes to get in the oven - put this dish on the menu for busy weeknights!
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📋 About the Recipe
- Perfect way to use up fresh fruit - If you've got tons of fresh fruit on hand, switch things up and try making this savory chicken recipe! I've created 3 flavor options to choose from. Trust me - It's the perfect combination of sweet and savory!
- Just 9 ingredients - All you need is chicken and 8 other simple ingredients to make this cooked chicken dish. Incredibly easy to whip up at a moment's notice!
- Great for beginners - Learning how to cook chicken can be intimidating, but a baked dish is the perfect place to start! The addition of the jelly sauce helps prevent the meat from drying out.
🛒 Ingredients
A few notes about the ingredients:
- Red onion - Savory, pungent red onion balances the sweetness in the jelly and fresh fruit well. If desired, you can also swap this with a yellow onion or sweet onion. Feel free to use what you have on hand.
- Chicken - I have only tested this recipe using boneless, skinless chicken breasts. Replacing this with chicken legs, skinless chicken thighs, or bone-in chicken breasts can greatly change the cook time.
- Jelly - For best results, I recommend using a high-quality jelly or fruit preserve. Avoid brands with tons of added sugars and preservatives - the best jellies are packed with real fruit.
- Mustard - Whole grain mustard adds a tangy, tartness that helps brighten the flavor of the jelly glaze. If you can't find a coarse ground mustard in stores, make homemade whole grain mustard or try dijon mustard.
- Fresh fruit - Depending on the flavor of jam you use, I also recommend adding additional fresh fruit to the glaze. It adds texture, additional sweetness, and makes this dish extra pretty for serving!
⁉️ Substitutions and Alterations
This jelly chicken can be made with 3 different flavors to suit your family's taste buds:
- Blueberry jelly - A sweet, smooth berry flavor that bakes into a beautiful deep purple color.
- Apricot jelly - The perfect choice if you love a combination of sweet and tart.
- Strawberry jelly - The most mildly sweet option, yet perfectly tangy.
- Spicy option - Replace 2 tablespoons of any fruit jelly with red pepper jelly or hot pepper jelly. Or, make a spicy glaze and add hot sauce to the jelly mixture to taste!
📓 Instructions
- Preheat and prep: Heat oven to 425 degrees F, then spray a baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add onions. Spread the sliced onions directly on the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place chicken breasts on top. Season both sides of chicken with the seasoning blend (onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and black pepper).
- Make the jelly. In a medium mixing bowl, add in the jelly, whole grain mustard, vinegar, olive oil, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine.
- Top the chicken with jelly. Spread the jelly mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Add fresh blueberries, strawberries, or apricots on top.
- Bake. Bake the jelly chicken, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. The jelly glaze should have thickened and the chicken should be golden brown.
- Serve. Serve this jelly chicken immediately while warm with your favorite sides and enjoy!
❄️ How to Store
To store: Leftover jelly chicken will keep for up to 3 days when stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Alternatively, you can store the cooled chicken directly in the baking dish tightly covered with plastic wrap or aluminum foil.
To freeze: Let jelly chicken cool completely before storing in a freezer safe container. Store in the freezer up to 4 months.
To reheat: Reheat leftover chicken in the microwave, on the stovetop, or covered in the oven until warmed through.
🔍 Recipe FAQs
This really depends on the thickness and weight of your chicken breasts. I used 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts that weigh about 2 pounds total. These cuts cooked in 30 to 35 minutes, but if you are using thinner or thicker chicken pieces, an altered cook time should be expected.
The best way to ensure your chicken is cooked is to invest in a meat thermometer. After 30 minutes of baking uncovered, insert the thermometer into the thickest portion of the meat. When the thickest portion of meat registers 165 degrees F, it is ready to eat. Any lower than 165 degrees F and it is undercooked.
Either an 8-inch x 11-inch or 9-inch x 13-inch casserole dish will work well for this recipe. It does not have to be perfect - use the dish you have that is closest in size. Avoid using a rimmed baking sheet - the glaze will spread too thin.
This chicken pairs best with simple side dishes such as green beans, Instant Pot Boiled Potatoes, or Instant Pot Asparagus.
It also pairs well with healthy salad recipes such as a healthy bruschetta salad or simple romaine. Learn how to cut romaine lettuce for salad and store it for optimal freshness.
💭 One More Tip
For best flavor, spoon the jelly sauce over the chicken every 10 minutes while cooking. This will help ensure it absorbs as much flavor as possible and remains moist and juicy.
🍴 Related Recipes
Share your cooking with me! If you make this recipe, I'd love to know! Tag @yourhomemadehealthy on Instagram or leave a comment with a rating and some feedback at the bottom of this page!
Baked Jelly Chicken (3 Flavors!)
Equipment
- baking dish
Ingredients
- 1 red onion, sliced
- 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts (about 2 pounds)
- ½ tesapoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ cup blueberry, strawberry, or apricot jelly
- 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 2 tablespoons balsamic or red wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 1 cup fresh blueberries, 5 fresh strawberries (cut in half), or 10 dried apricots (cut in half)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spray a baking dish with nonstick spray.
- Add sliced onions to the bottom of the baking dish.
- Place chicken breasts on top of the onions. Season both sides with onion powder, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.
- In a medium bowl, add jelly of choice, whole grain mustard, vinegar, olive oil, and maple syrup. Whisk to combine.
- Pour the jelly mixture on top of the chicken breasts. Add fresh blueberries, strawberries, or apricots on top.
- Bake chicken, uncovered, for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. For best flavor, spoon jelly sauce over chicken every 10 minutes while cooking.
Notes
- For best flavor, spoon the jelly sauce over the chicken every 10 minutes while cooking. This will help ensure it absorbs as much flavor as possible and remains moist and juicy.
Nutrition
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