Do You Try New Recipes on Guests or a Personal Standby Like this One?

My surprise box came with three great items. One's a must-have in my kitchen, and the other two are things that are very new to me and I expect I'll have a lot of fun with them this summer. My box contained extra-virgin olive oil, Adobo seasoning, and a mojo criollo marinade.

It was a hectic week here, and rather than try something brand new on guests, I went with a personal standby: an olive oil, preserves, and vinegar marinade. I've used this in different variations for a long time. If you don't have apricot preserves, orange marmalade works well. No wine vinegar either? Try just lemon juice and olive oil. Add herbs if you want them in there. Use up the end of a jam jar - see what you come up with!

Apricot and Orange-Glazed Chicken
by Maurita

Serves 4

3 Tablespoons apricot preserves
1 Tablespoon orange juice
1 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 clove garlic, minced fine
1 chicken, cut up
Salt and fresh pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Season both sides of the chicken pieces with salt and pepper.

Combine apricot preserves, orange juice, red wine vinegar, 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, and minced garlic. Mix with a whisk until well combined, and set aside.

Heat an oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat. Heat the remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil, then when the oil is shimmering hot, add the seasoned chicken parts. Cook until golden brown on the first side, about 4 minutes.

Turn the pieces over, then pour the apricot sauce evenly over top. Transfer the skillet to the preheated oven and cook 10-15 min more, until the chicken is cooked through. Check often, different parts cook at different rates!

Serve the chicken with sauce drizzled on top.