Prepare your taste buds for heaven with this Jalapeno Peach Chicken! Imagine succulent chicken thighs, perfectly seasoned and pan-fried. The chicken is then generously coated in a peach glaze infused with jalapeno peppers and the juiciest, freshest peaches. It is an explosion of flavors as each bite delivers a symphony of sweet, tangy, and spicy notes, creating an unforgettable meal! If you are craving the same great flavors without the jalapenos, you have to try my Roasted Peach Chicken!
Ingredients & Substitutions
Peach Preserves: Peach preserves serve as the base of the marinade and provide a concentrated peach flavor. They add natural sweetness and contribute to the overall fruity taste of the dish. Peach jam or jelly would be suitable substitutes if you don’t have peach preserves. The peach glaze is the same recipe used in my Jalapeno Peach Hasselback Kielbasa and Coconut Peach Chicken, too!
Peaches: I prefer fresh peaches in this recipe. However, in a pinch, you could add frozen peaches or canned peaches. But, the consistency of the peaches will be different.
Apple Cider Vinegar: Apple cider vinegar adds a tangy and slightly acidic flavor to the marinade. It helps to balance the sweetness and contributes to the overall flavor profile.
Chicken: For the most flavor, I used boneless, skinless chicken thighs in the dish. Season the thighs with salt, pepper, and chili powder. Chicken breasts would also be delicious, but the cooking time may need to be adjusted. Make sure the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F.
Jalapeno Peppers: The jalapeno peppers definitely give this recipe some spiciness. I left the seeds in the pepper, which are attached to the membrane (the part that gives the peppers their kick). You could remove the membrane and seeds for a little less heat. For the most heat from the peppers, look for older peppers, or ones with white marks. The smoother, greener, and younger the pepper, the less heat it will provide.
Is Jalapeno Peach Chicken Spicy?
Yes, jalapeno peach chicken is spicy, especially when you bite into the chicken with jalapeno pepper. If you do not want this to be spicy, you could leave out the pepper. On the other hand, if you want it to have even more of a kick, add more jalapeno peppers (I only added one).
How To Store Jalapeno Peach Chicken
After the chicken has cooled to room temperature, store it in an airtight container. It will last up to 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
Jalapeno Peach Chicken
Ingredients
Peaches
- 2 yellow peaches, pitted, sliced
Peach Glaze
- ½ cup (160 g) peach preserves
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes
Chicken
- 2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
Instructions
Peach Glaze
- To a medium bowl, add the glaze ingredients. Mix until incorporated. Set aside.
Chicken
- Pat chicken dry.
- In a small bowl, combine salt, black pepper, and chili powder.
- Apply the seasoning mixture to the chicken.
- To a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, add oil. Once hot, add chicken thighs. (Depending on the size of the skillet, you may have to work in batches.) Cook chicken for 5 minutes. Then, flip over the chicken, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook for an additional 5 minutes, or until the chicken reaches an internal temperature of 165°F. Remove from heat. Transfer the chicken to a plate. Tent to keep warm.
- To the same skillet and raising the heat back up to medium, add jalapeno peppers. Cook for 3 minutes. Then, add the peaches in with the jalapenos. Cook for an additional 3 minutes, or until the peaches have softened.
- Pour peach glaze into the skillet with the peaches and jalapenos. Stir to make sure every jalapeno and peach is evenly coated in the peach glaze.
- Add chicken back to the skillet. Spoon glaze over the top of the chicken and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the chicken is hot again.
- Serve warm.
Video
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What the Test Kitchen had to say about this recipe:
Autumn
Wow! I love this recipe so much! Spicy and sweet is one of my favorite combinations and this dish pulls it off spectacularly. You could easily omit or reduce the jalapenos if you don't like much spice. The chicken was tender, the peaches juicy, with a little heat from the jalapenos, so good! I will DEFINITELY make this at home!
Elizabeth
YUM! Each bite of the chicken had plenty of peach glaze with a kick from the jalapeno pepper. Yes, it is on the spicier side, but that was somewhat balanced by the sweet glaze. The flavors all just worked so well together.
Annabelle
This chicken looks and tastes great! The jalapeños give it a great flavor and just the right amount of heat. The peaches are also cooked perfectly and the sweetness makes such a nice balance!
Bella
This dish is too delicious. The flavor combinations are incredible! It's sweet, salty and spicy! With that tiny kick from the jalapeos, the sweet peaches help balance things out. I'm glad that I was introduced to peaches with chicken! I would totally make this for guests.
Selena
Come on! This has the right balance of sweet and spicy and I can't stop eating it. It's an easy preparation, yet is stunning to look at and delicious to eat.
Great flavour and not hard to make!
Loved it-May use more jalapeños next time -would have posted photo but don’t know how
Can you cook this in a crock pot?
I made it will some red bell peppers as well(cooked with the jalapeno), and served it with white rice. It was one of the best things I’ve ever made, absolutely delicious.
Absolutely delicious! Wouldn’t change a thing