Weeknight Dinners
Marmalade Chicken
My mom's recipe, slightly edited by me. Sticky, savory, slightly sweet, and way more impressive than the effort required.
- Time
- 1 hour 30 minutes
- Serves
- 4
- Published
- September 8, 2026
- Filed under
- Weeknight Dinners
This one is my mom's recipe, although somewhere along the way I may have made it even simpler. Sorry, Mom.
You can use chicken thighs, legs, breasts, whatever you like. The one non negotiable: bone in, skin on. Trust me.
It is one of those dinners that tastes like you put in considerably more effort than you actually did. Sticky, savory, slightly sweet, and ridiculously juicy.
Method
Season the chicken
Put the chicken in a bowl and add olive oil, garlic powder, onion powder, and herbes de Provence. How much? I have no idea. I don't measure this part. Use your best judgment and season like you've been here before.
Let it rest in the fridge
Cover and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. This is a good moment to pour yourself something cold or answer the seventeen texts you ignored while cooking.
Transfer to an oven safe pan
When you're ready to cook, transfer the chicken to a cast iron skillet or whatever oven safe pan you love. I reach for my Caraway because it has a lid and goes straight into the oven. Cast iron works perfectly too; you'll just need to cover it with foil, which, for reasons I can't fully explain, I'm never thrilled about.
Add the marmalade
My absolute favorite is apricot, but peach works beautifully too. I've even done this with lemon curd. Basically, something sweet, fruity, and spreadable and we're in business. Dollop it generously over the chicken. It does not need to look pretty. In fact, it probably won't.
Add water and bake covered
Add a little water to the bottom of the pan. My son is deeply committed to the gravy situation, so when I'm making it for him, I add a good amount. Cover and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes.
Do not panic
After 30 minutes, remove the lid. A warning: the chicken will not look particularly impressive at this point. Do not panic. Do not judge it. We are not done.
Finish uncovered
Bake uncovered for another 20 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, the skin is golden, and the marmalade has caramelized. Suddenly everything makes sense.
The forgotten water trick
And if you forget the water? Not a crisis. Once the chicken is done, transfer it to a plate and put the empty pan, drippings and all, on the stove. Add a little water, scrape up all the good stuff from the bottom, and there's your gravy.
Serve
I serve it with couscous, rice, or mashed potatoes and string beans, basically anything willing to soak up the gravy. And voilà. That's literally it.
Notes from Nikki
- I make this for my son, so I don't add salt. If I were making it just for adults, I'd add salt and pepper with the seasonings at the beginning for a little more depth.
- You can use gloves and rub the marmalade in a bit better than pictured. Let's face it, I barely had time to make this anyway.
- Simple. Very forgiving. Passed down from my mom and apparently edited by me.