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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.
I can’t get enough of this recipe. Just about stuffed myself because I ate so much! It was fantastic. The sauce with the balsamic glaze and the fig preserves was so good!
I was given a jar of fig preserves for Christmas and I was looking for ways to use it! So happy I found this recipe on Pinterest. It was absolutely 5-star delicious! Will be making often.
Can I use boneless, skinless chicken breasts? That’s all I have right now.
yep, that still works! just might have to adjust cooking time slightly depending on how thick your cuts are.
How long should chicken be roasted before adding the glaze? Recipe is not clear. 🤔🤔
not long. in the recipe, it states that you put the chicken into the oven to begin roasting while you make the sauce (which is quick).
Great recipe! I served it with garlic and Parmesan roasted cauliflower and stuffing. Thank you for posting it.
This was just fantastic! I wish I could capture and share with you the way this smells bubbling away in the oven! My whole house smells delicious!!! The chicken came out so tender and juicy, savory and sweet, crispish skin – DELICIOUS. A thousand thank yous for this! I can think of a few recipies that I’m going to change up and cook like this! I love that the bird is already “carved” coming out of the oven too!
Can you help me out with “balsamic glaze”? Is this just balsamic vinegar reduced until it’s thick and sweet? Or is there sugar in it? I see that you can buy it pre-made but I prefer to make as much as possible from scratch. Thank you!
hi Nicole, yes, it is balsamic vinegar reduced with brown sugar added it in
@Nicole,
I bought it at Trader Joe’s.
Have mercy this is good! Easy to fix but fancy enough for company. We served it with rice pilaf, green salad (oil & lemon dressing), and red Bordeaux – yes, red with chicken but a strong sauce. Yumsters! Many thanks for this recipe.
This is an amazing recipe. I followed the recipe to a tee and I would never change anything about. I served it with wild rice and lightly steamed broccoli tossed lightly in browned butter. So much better than most restaurant meals!
Have you ever made this recipe for a crowd? I am planning a rehearsal dinner and will be cooking for 50 people. I would have to bake it in metal pans instead of cast iron. What do you think?
i haven’t made it for a crowd that size, but using metal pans would definitely work.