Turkish-Spiced Chicken in Apricot Sauce
with Lemon Almond Rice & Harissa-Roasted Carrots
- Tree Nuts
- Milk
Sure, you could have plain chicken for dinner—but why not dig into this warmly-spiced version that’s smothered in tangy apricot pan sauce instead? Here, we season the chicken with a Turkish spice blend of cumin, garlic, coriander, allspice, and chili flakes, then serve it with a jammy, buttery apricot sauce and pair it all with spicy harissa-roasted carrots and almond-studded rice. You’d be chicken not to try it.
Ingredients
12 ounce
Carrots
1 unit
Lemon
½ ounce
Almonds
(Contains: Tree Nuts)
10 ounce
Chicken Cutlets
1 unit
Apricot Jam
2 unit
Scallions
1 tablespoon
Harissa Powder
½ cup
Basmati Rice
1 tablespoon
Turkish Spice Blend
1 unit
Chicken Stock Concentrate
Not included in your delivery
Salt
Pepper
1 teaspoon
Cooking Oil
2 teaspoon
Olive Oil
2 tablespoon
Butter
(Contains: Milk)
Nutrition Values
Utensils
Cooking Steps
• Adjust rack to top position and preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and dry produce. • Trim, peel, and cut carrots into sticks (like fries; ours were 3 inches long and 1⁄3 inch thick). Trim and thinly slice scallions, separating whites from greens. Zest and quarter lemon.
• Toss carrots on a baking sheet with a drizzle of oil, ¼ tsp harissa powder (½ tsp for 4 servings), and a big pinch of salt and pepper. (Be sure to measure the harissa powder—we sent more.) TIP: For easy cleanup, line your baking sheet with foil or parchment paper before adding the carrots. • Roast on top rack until lightly browned and tender, 15-20 minutes. TIP: Give the carrots a taste after roasting and add a pinch more harissa powder if you like things spicy.
• Meanwhile, heat a small, dry pot over medium-high heat. Add almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted, 2-4 minutes. Turn off heat; transfer to a small bowl. Wipe out pot. • Melt 1 TBSP butter in same pot over medium-high heat. Add half the scallion whites and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 1 minute. • Stir in rice and ¾ cup water (1½ cups for 4 servings); season with salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook until rice is tender, 15-18 minutes. • Keep covered off heat until ready to serve.
• While rice cooks, pat chicken* dry with paper towels; season all over with half the Turkish Spice (all for 4 servings), salt, and pepper. • Heat a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add chicken and cook until browned and cooked through, 3-5 minutes per side. • Turn off heat; transfer chicken to a plate to rest. Wipe out pan.
• Heat a drizzle of olive oil in same pan over medium heat. Add remaining scallion whites; cook, stirring, until softened, 1 minute. • Stir in jam, stock concentrate, ¼ cup water (1⁄3 cup for 4 servings), and a squeeze of lemon juice. Simmer until thickened, 3-5 minutes more. • Turn off heat; stir in 1 TBSP butter (2 TBSP for 4) until melted. Taste and season with salt and pepper. TIP: Stir in a splash more water if sauce seems too thick.
• Fluff rice with a fork; stir in toasted almonds and lemon zest to taste. Season with salt and pepper. • Divide chicken, rice, and carrots between plates. Spoon sauce over chicken. Garnish with scallion greens and serve with remaining lemon wedges on the side.
Customer reviews
Review summary
Updated on Apr 2026- Flavor: The Turkish spice blend and apricot sauce create amazing, authentic flavors that many found surprisingly delicious. Some found the spices too strong or the sauce lacking apricot flavor; adjusting spice amounts to taste helps.
- Ease of prep: Most found it straightforward to prepare, though several noted it takes longer than advertised with multiple pans required. Cutting carrots into fry shapes can be challenging; coins work as an alternative.
- Suggestions: Double the harissa powder on carrots for better flavor, and add extra apricot jam if you want a stronger sauce. Toast almonds carefully over medium heat to prevent burning.
- Leftovers: This dish reheats beautifully and flavors hold up well the next day 🍲
- Chicken quality: Many noted uneven cutlet sizes that cook at different rates; pounding thicker pieces helps ensure even cooking.
- Rice: The lemon almond rice was a standout favorite, though some found it needed more seasoning or butter to prevent dryness.
Reviews from our home cooks
Subtle spicy and sweet flavors of the sauce are a real treat. The flavor of the harissa -- the heat -- was a pleasant surprise with the sweetness of the carrots. A little bit goes a long way. The choice of basmati rice in the menu was on point. The chicken was so juicy and tender. I liked the Turkish-spiced chicken in apricot sauce. Kudos!
I'm not sure whether I've made this before, or if it was just something similar. The Turkish-Spiced chicken with apricot sauce was really tasty, not overpowered by the spice. The harissa-roasted carrots were wonderful, as was the lemon-almond rice. Everything was just as wonderful the next day. A winner!
We loved this whole meal, it was absolutely delicious! The turkish spice rub combined with the apricot jam sauce gave the chicken an amazing flavor. We also loved the toasted almond lemon rice-excellent combination and the harissa roasted carrots were superb. A perfect meal all-around.
On the surface seemed like chicken with carrots and rice but the seasonings and Apricot Jam make the flavors so complex. Love the Harissa seasoning that perfectly complement the carrots. The Turkish spices and Apricot Jam make the chicken so flavorful as well. Lemon adds a little tartness. Loved it!
The Turkish spice packet for the chicken was empty so I improvised based on what it said was in it. It was awesome though. We loved it. The carrots were spicy and flavorful. The rice tasted great. The apricot sauce was darker than in the picture so I was a little worried I had burned it but it tasted great. Will definitely get this one again.
This was so good! I was nervous because these are all "adventurous" flavors for me but I really love this dish. The chicken was so, so good with the rub and the apricot sauce. The rice was really tasty when you added in the toasted almonds. The harissa spice on the carrots made them my favorite part of the dish! My only complaint? I wish there had been more carrots.
Loved the spice mixture and sauce for the chicken. The rice with the lemon and almonds was delicious. The harissa was spicier than I realized it would be which was okay with me but my family wouldn't have gone for it. I am really glad I tried this because it was something a little different.
Really, really delicious. I would have never thought to cut carrots in to "French fries". The Turkish spiced chicken is sweet-savory and delicious. The harissa powder is pretty spicy, so go easy on that if you don't like that much heat.
I can only give this 2 stars because they forgot to send the turkish spice. I got 2 of the Harissa spice instead, and most of my family didn't like that very well on the carrots. I seasoned the chicken with a McCormick garlic herb spice I had and it went well with the apricot glaze. The spicy carrots just didn't seem to go with the lemony rice and apricot glazed chicken (maybe it paired better with the turkish spice but I wouldn't know!) but it also wasn't an unpalatable meal.
I loved the apricot sauce on this chicken. It was delicious. The rice and carrots were lovely too. Overall a good recipe. I reduced the butter to meet my dietary restrictions, but the meal still tasted very good.
