Apricot Salsa Chicken

The end of May, and I have been working through this pandemic for ten weeks without a day off. Not because the hospital requires it — I have PTO, I have weekends theoretically — but because I cannot stay home while my team is working, because the food does not make itself, because the patients do not feed themselves, and because the kitchen is the place where I am useful in a world that has made most things useless. Eduardo says I need to rest. I say, Eduardo, I will rest when it is over. He says, It might not be over for a long time. I say, Then I will rest for a long time afterward. This is not logic. This is stubbornness. The two are related in the Delgado family.

David called from Brooklyn on Saturday. He is not cooking professionally — the restaurant closed in March, the whole industry collapsed like a tent in wind, and David is in his apartment making food for himself and James and occasionally for neighbors who have less. He sounds different on the phone — quieter, more inward, the way a man sounds when the thing he does — the art, the identity, the calling — has been paused and the pause feels permanent even when the mind knows it is not. I said, David, come to Hartford. He said, Mami, I can't drive. I said, Take the train. He said, The trains are empty. I said, Then you will have a good seat.

He didn't come. He can't, not safely, not now. But we cooked together over FaceTime on Sunday — he made his arroz con pollo in Brooklyn and I made mine in Hartford and we stood in our kitchens ninety miles apart and did the same thing at the same time and the simultaneity was a form of closeness, a form of touching without touching, a form of being in the same kitchen even when the kitchens were different and the distance was real. His sofrito smelled right. I could tell through the screen. The way the garlic browned, the way the recao softened — the color, the timing, the rhythm. I taught him well. He is my hands in another kitchen. He is the recipe walking around in a person.

David and I did not make this recipe over FaceTime — we made arroz con pollo, the one I have been making since before he was born, the one that is more instinct than instruction by now. But when Sunday was over and the week started again and I needed something fast and warm and a little bright, something that did not ask too much of me after everything had already asked so much, this Apricot Salsa Chicken was what I turned to. The sweetness of the apricot, the heat of the salsa — it is not sofrito, it is not recao, but it is two things put together that should not work and absolutely do, and that felt right for a week like this one.

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 30 min | Total Time: 40 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts (about 6 oz each)
1 cup chunky salsa (medium or hot, your preference)
1/2 cup apricot preserves
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt and black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
Fresh cilantro or parsley, for garnish (optional)

Instructions

Preheat. Heat your oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a 9x13-inch baking dish with olive oil or nonstick spray.
Season the chicken. Pat chicken breasts dry with paper towels. Season both sides generously with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder.
Sear (optional but worth it). In an oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Sear chicken 2–3 minutes per side until golden. Transfer to the prepared baking dish if not using an oven-safe skillet.
Make the sauce. In a small bowl, whisk together the salsa, apricot preserves, and soy sauce until combined. Taste and adjust — add a pinch of red pepper flakes if you want more heat.
Coat and bake. Pour the apricot salsa sauce evenly over the chicken breasts, turning once to coat both sides. Bake uncovered for 25–30 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 165°F and the sauce is bubbling and slightly caramelized at the edges.
Rest and serve. Let the chicken rest 5 minutes before serving. Spoon the pan sauce generously over each piece. Garnish with fresh cilantro or parsley if using. Serve over white rice, with roasted vegetables, or alongside warm bread.

Nutrition (per serving)

Apricot Salsa Chicken — The Recipe That Crosses the Distance