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Fig Glazed Skillet Chicken is an impressive entree that’s secretly so easy to make! Bone-in chicken thighs and drumsticks are coated in herbaceous garlic butter before being oven roasted to perfection and coated with a sweet fig glaze. It’s a gorgeous one pan dinner recipe!
Next time you seriously want to impress your dinner guests, this fig chicken recipe is the one to turn to. The best part? It’s actually incredibly easy to toss together… but that can be our little secret! Chicken thighs and drumsticks are coated in an herb-y, garlicky butter before being roasted to succulent perfection. Then, everything gets tossed in a fig balsamic glaze so good you’ll consider eating it with a spoon.
Why You’ll Love This Fig Glazed Chicken
The list of reasons I’m obsessed with this glazed chicken recipe is pretty endless, but I’ve managed to narrow it down to these bullet points
- Easy. Yes! You’ll need approximately 15 minutes of prep and 25 minutes of cook time for this quick and easy chicken recipe. The steps are fail proof!
- Impressive. From the appearance to the flavor, everything about this recipe is practically begging you to serve it at a dinner party.
- The Glaze. Balsamic glaze and fig preserves create the most mouthwatering sweet and tangy flavor. Honestly, the glaze might just be my favorite part of this recipe!
Ingredients for Fig Glazed Chicken
The list of ingredients needed for this dinner recipe is delightfully short and just slightly sweet! For more details about the measurements, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Butter – It needs to be unsalted and softened. Remember to let the butter sit at room temperature for about an hour prior to cooking so it has time to adjust.
- Garlic – For the very best flavor and aroma, I recommend using fresh garlic – not pre-minced.
- Rosemary – Fresh rosemary is what you’ll need! Be sure to de-stem it prior to mincing.
- Salt – You can omit this if you need this recipe to be low-sodium.
- Black Pepper – Add more or less to taste.
- Chicken – I used 6 drumsticks and 2 thighs (bone-in, skin-on).
- Balsamic Glaze – This helps with the consistency of the glaze and also adds a nice tangy flavor to balance the sweetness.
- Fig Preserves – You should be able to find a jar of this at your local grocery store in the jams/jellies section.
Fig Chicken Variations
Make this recipe your own with a few of these simple swaps:
- Use different cuts of chicken. I use a fryer chicken for this recipe. However, you can use whatever is easiest to find at your local grocery store.
- You can use dried rosemary. Note that it won’t be quite as aromatic if you use dried rosemary instead of fresh, but it’ll still be tasty.
- Mix flavors for your own glaze.
How to Make Fig Chicken Step by Step
Take a look at just how simple this chicken skillet recipe is! For more information about the step by step process, scroll down to the recipe card.
- Make the butter mixture. Combine the butter with half of the garlic, half of the rosemary, half of the salt and half of the pepper.
- Bake. Place the chicken in a cast iron skillet. Rub the butter all over the outsides of the chicken pieces. Place the skillet in the oven (preheated to 425°F) and roast.
- Make the glaze. Whisk together the balsamic glaze, fig preserves, and the remainder of the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Glaze the chicken. Brush the majority of the sauce all over the chicken, then put it back in the oven. Baste the chicken with the sauce every 10 minutes or so until fully cooked.
- Enjoy! Once the chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165°F, it’s fully cooked and safe to eat. This should take about 25 minutes. Pour the remainder of the sauce on top of the chicken and let it cool before serving.
Serving Suggestions
The fig balsamic chicken flavor goes extremely well with a side of potatoes. Whether it’s traditional roasted potatoes or roasted parmesan potatoes, they both yield a hearty side dish to this fig chicken recipe. Another great option if you’re looking for something green is roasted brussels sprouts or green beans.
FAQs
To be absolutely sure, I recommend using an instant read meat thermometer. Insert it into the chicken where the meat is the thickest. Once it reaches 165°F, the chicken is fully cooked and safe to eat.
Yes! Just make sure you’re using a cast iron skillet or another oven safe skillet. Avoid any skillets with silicone, plastic or wood elements in the oven.
A fryer chicken is between 7-10 weeks old. They typically weigh between 2 1/2 and 4 1/2 pounds, so they’re definitely on the smaller side and the meat is notably tender.
Storage Instructions
Wait for the chicken to fully cool to room temperature prior to storing in an airtight container in the fridge. Properly stored, it should stay fresh for about 2-3 days. I recommend reheating your leftovers in an air fryer or right back in the oven to maintain the original texture.
Fig Glazed Skillet Chicken
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup (57 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 sprigs rosemary, destemmed and minced
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1 fryer chicken, broken into 6 or 8 pieces (I just used 6 drumsticks and 2 thighs both with skins on)
For the sauce
- ½ cup (118 g) balsamic glaze
- ½ cup (112 g) fig preserves
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 425 °F (218 °C)
- In a small bowl, mix together butter with half the garlic, half the rosemary, half the salt, and half the pepper.
- Place chicken into a 9-inch cast iron skillet then rub the butter on the outside of the chicken pieces.
- Put in the oven to begin roasting. In the meantime, whisk together balsamic glaze, fig preserves, the remainder of the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper.
- Pull the chicken out of the oven and brush majority of the sauce on the chicken. Place back in the oven to cook and baste the chicken with the sauce in the pan every 10 minutes or so.
- Cook until chicken has reached an internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C), about 25 minutes. Pour remainder sauce on top then place skillet aside to cool before serving.
Julie, this was perhaps the BEST tasting chicken dish I’ve ever had (or made). Thank you for this. Easy to do and what a hit! My favorite so far. I’m so glad I happened upon your website, this is great and I’m trying all of your dishes!
I’m so glad you happened upon it too! Glad you’re finding so many recipes to try and enjoy!
I love trying recipes from cookbooks but rarely ever do it. This was such an easy one for a weeknight meal, thanks so much for highlighting it. Tips for other readers: I paired this with white rice (my husband loved drenching it in the sauce) and a zucchini with little cheese. We paired it with a California pinot noir since the sauce is so bold.
Sounds like a great pairing!
I made this tonight with chicken breasts (I had all of the other ingredients so didn’t want to run out) and it was delicious! Husband asked for seconds. I used a regular baking dish lined with foil to make clean up even easier! Thanks for the quick, easy and tasty dinner!
Awesome!! :)
@Julie,
How long is the initial roasting?
I made this dish last night and my husband and I both loved it! I could have drank a cup of that sauce <3 I didn't have a fryer chicken (or even any thighs on hand) so I ended up using boneless, skinless breasts and they were so tender and flavorful. This is DEFINITELY one of my favorite chicken dishes I've ever made.
That’s so great to hear! Thanks for letting me know!
Was your skillet hard to clean or is it one of the newer ones that don’t stick? I have original Lodge cast iron skillets (4 or 5 including a “corn pone” one) and I loved them but don’t use them often enough. Thanks for all the wonderful recipes and advice you give us.
I have the pre-seasoned ones so it wasn’t hard to clean at all! You’re so welcome. I hope you enjoy! :)
Nice…! your dish is so delicious & yummy i will tried to make it. Thanks for sharing and keep shared your new amazing recipe and idea…….!
This sounds amazing! Can i use dried rosemary instead of fresh, or you think it won’t come out the same?
You can totally use dried!!
It look like a great recipe. If you have a Friends dinner, which side dish would you serve. Thanks
Any vegetable that’s in season or a side salad.
In your recipe of fig and rosemary chicken what is the recipe for, or what is the balsamic glaze? Please let me know as this looks really good.
Sincerely,
Kermit Johnson
Balsamic glaze is basically just reducing balsamic vinegar to half its amount. Take 1 cup of balsamic vinegar and reduce it over the stovetop over medium heat for about 25 minutes and it should thicken and get syrupy. I just buy the balsamic glaze so I don’t have to do that haha :)
Oh my gosh! I love cast iron and I love this post! I am in the beginning stages of food blogging and you have been so kind to me. I enjoy our conversations so much. I literally laugh out loud ? Sometimes. Congrats to her on her cookbook. I will be buying it because I love to dirty up my cast iron!