Imagine tender, succulent chicken breast kissed with a sweet and spicy apricot harissa glaze, all baked to perfection in a single pot. Paired with fluffy pearl couscous that soaks up every drop of flavor. This One-pot Glazed Apricot Harissa Chicken Breast and Pearl Couscous Recipe is effortless elegance that promises to impress with its bold taste and minimal effort and clean up!

Say goodbye to complicated meal prep and hello to effortless elegance with our spin on apricot-glazed chicken. Picture juicy chicken breasts infused with the vibrant flavors of apricot preserves and spicy harissa, nestled alongside currant-pistachio pearl couscous.
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Pam's Best Tips
According to my friend Pam, every Jewish household cook has their version of Apricot-Glazed Chicken.
I am still dreaming about the Apricot Chicken she served at book club. She said this flavorful dish was easy to make – so I decided to put my own spin on traditional Jewish apricot chicken.
First, I used bone-in, split chicken breasts for the best flavor and moistest texture. Then I browned the chicken on the stove in a skillet to ensure crisp skin and improve the flavor.
The fond - browned bits of chicken that stuck to the skillet—added valuable flavor to the sauce. Most recipes rely solely on apricot preserves thinned with orange juice, but I found the flavor of this approach lacking. I set out to develop a richer tasting sauce by adding dried apricots and a kick of harissa spice.
After the chicken bakes, we remove the breasts from the pan and cook the pearl couscous, adding harissa spiked apricot glaze, currants, and pistachios in the drippings – making the couscous fluffy and flavorful. This dish is effortless elegance you can make any day of the week.
What you'll need
Here are the ingredients you will need to make this one pot glazed apricot harissa chicken breast and pearl couscous recipe.
Apricot harissa glaze for chicken ingredients
- Apricot preserves – If jam is all you can find that is okay to use as we will be adding dried apricots. The difference is that Jam is made with mashed fruit while preserves have whole, or large pieces of, fruit.
- Brown sugar
- Water
- Brandy or orange liqueur, like Grand Marnier, or lemon juice
- Rose harissa - Rose harissa contains rose water and/ or rose petals so it has extra floral fragrance rather than just the heat of regular harissa. They can be used interchangeably, although like any chili paste you do get variation in heat level from brand to brand so best to start with less and increase the quantities as needed. I like Belazu brand that I purchase online.
- Dried apricots
Chicken and pearl couscous ingredients
- Split bone-in, skin-on chicken breasts – for the best flavor and moistest texture. The bone helps keep these breasts moist and tender because they help distribute heat evenly through the meat. The skin also seals in moisture and juiciness.
- Currants
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- Vegetable oil
- Couscous – I opt to use pearl couscous. The main difference between pearl couscous and Moroccan couscous is the size. Moroccan are much smaller in size, compared to the, pea-size granules in the pearl variety. Either will work in this recipe. The Moroccan will cook slightly faster.
See recipe card for quantities.
How to make apricot harissa glaze for chicken
Now that we’ve covered the ingredients you need to make this one pot glazed apricot harissa chicken breast and pearl couscous recipe, let’s first start by making the glaze. The glaze can be made a day ahead of time, although you may need to rewarm and thin with water to reach the desired consistency.
First, combine apricot preserves, sugar, water and brandy in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Reduce to low heat and simmer until the glaze reaches the desired consistency, adjusting with a teaspoon of water as needed.
Stir in dried apricots and harissa.
Transfer 1 tablespoon harissa mixture to a second bowl and stir in currants.
How to make one-pot glazed apricot harissa chicken breast and pearl couscous recipe
Now that the glaze has been made. Let's start cooking chicken and couscous.
Grab an oven proof 10-inch skillet that has a lid. Now, season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in the skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chicken breasts, skin side down, in skillet, and cook until well browned.
Brush glaze over chicken, skin side up, using a pastry brush and then turn chicken skin side down.
Bake in a 425 degree F pre-heated oven. After about 6 minutes turn the chicken, skin side up. Continue cooking until thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer.
Transfer chicken to a platter and let rest 5 minutes. It is super important to let the chicken rest so it can reabsorb the juices and flavor of the glaze you've worked so hard to put into the meat.
Time to make the couscous! Bring water to boil in now-empty skillet (it’s okay to have the glaze left in the pan) over high heat. This will add lots of great flavor to the couscous. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in the reserved pistachios and harissa-currant mixture.
Serve chicken breast over couscous and enjoy!
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Related
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Pairing
These are my favorite dishes to serve with One Pot Glazed Apricot Harissa Chicken Breast and Pearl Couscous Recipe:
One-pot Glazed Apricot Harissa Chicken Breast and Pearl Couscous Recipe
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Equipment
- 1 3 Quart Dutch oven optional
Ingredients
For the Apricot Harissa Glaze:
- ½ cup apricot preserves
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon brandy or orange liqueur like Grand Marnier, or lemon juice
- 1 ½ teaspoons rose harissa
- 2 tablespoons dried apricots , quartered
- 1 tablespoons currants
For the chicken:
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt , divided
- ¼ teaspoon pepper , divided
- 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
- 2 6- to 8-ounce split bone in, skin on chicken breasts, trimmed
- ¾ cups water
- ¾ cup pearl couscous like Near East
- ¼ cup pistachios shelled, toasted and chopped
Instructions
- Adjust rack to middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees F.
Make the glaze.
- Combine apricot preserves, sugar, water and brandy in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisking to dissolve sugar. Reduce to low heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the glaze reaches the desired consistency, adjusting with a teaspoon of water as needed. Stir in harissa. Transfer 1 tablespoon harissa mixture to a second bowl and stir in dried apricots and currants.
Bake the Chicken
- Season both sides of chicken breasts with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat until just smoking. Place chicken breasts, skin side down, in skillet, and cook until well browned and most fat has rendered, 8 to 10 minutes.
- Brush glaze over chicken skin side up and then turn chicken skin side down.
- Bake, turning chicken skin side up halfway through cooking, until thickest part of breast registers 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 12 to 16 minutes. Transfer chicken to platter, and let rest 5 minutes
Make the Couscous
- Bring water to boil in now-empty skillet (it’s okay to have the glaze left in the pan) over high heat. Stir in couscous, cover, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir in pistachios and harissa-currant mixture. Serve chicken breast over couscous.
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Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Wendy Barth says
The glazed apricot Harissa Chicken dish is totally amazing. The blend of flavors and textures add wonderful complexity to the taste. We made it for 6 people and everyone loved it. Winner, winner!!
Tammy says
This was simple to pull together yet is an elegant presentation. Love the complex flavors—so delicious.