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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 vinegar 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 vinegar – 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 vinegar, 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.
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 vinegar
- 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 vinegar, fig preserves, the remainder of the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. See notes on this below.
- 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.
Can you adapt this to the grill?
you could, i just haven’t tried it so i’m not sure how it would work. if it were me, i’d rub the butter mixture on the chicken then grill it and then glaze it in the minutes of cooking while it’s on the grill to give it a nice caramelized flavor.
I needed to eat some protein and require serious complex flavors. This is super fast/easy with no stovetop mess :-) I used a Le Creuset. I also added a splash of sake and Marsala and threw in some fresh shiitake mushrooms and a can of artichoke bottoms on top. It was totally delish and even better the next night. Mahalo from Maui :-).
@PhotoTravelGal,
How long did you roast chicken before beginning glazing?
Family favorite
LOVE this recipe! I used a Chili Fig Preserve I had on hand which added a nice touch of heat to the dish. I really loved how quickly this recipe comes together and how easy it is to prepare. Will definitely be making this again and will keep in my list of go to’s for last minute company meals! Thank You for Sharing This!
Super easy I made it in my vintage 1800 gatemark pan with fresh figs. Served over jasmine rice and a side of steam broccoli.
@John Weitzel, can you please tell me how much fresh figs you used? I have so many fresh figs I trying to put to use.
This recipe is AWRSOME!!! I’ll use it time and time again!
I made this for my parents tonight and we all thought this was phenomenal! Megan knocked it outta the park and thank you for posting this, Julie!!!! Many blessings to you and your readers.
I made this for dinner last night and it was delicious! My family loved it. This will be something I make often.
Could you use real figs?
yes!
Easy and great tasting