My aunt brought this sweet and tangy dish to every spring garden club meeting in the 80s.

Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease a 9×13-inch glass casserole dish so the chicken doesn’t stick and the glaze can bubble and caramelize around the edges.

Pat the chicken breasts dry with paper towels. If they are very thick, slice them horizontally to make more even pieces so they cook at the same rate. Lay the chicken breasts in a single layer in the prepared glass casserole dish, with a little space between each piece if possible.

In a medium bowl, stir together the apricot jam and the dry onion soup mix until the mixture is thick, glossy, and evenly combined. The onion bits should be well distributed throughout the jam.

Pour the apricot-onion mixture evenly over the chicken breasts, using a spatula or the back of a spoon to spread it so every piece is well coated. Make sure some of the sauce runs down into the bottom of the dish; this will turn into a sticky, spoonable glaze as it bakes.

Place the casserole dish on the center rack of the preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 45 minutes, or until the chicken is cooked through and the glaze is bubbling and slightly caramelized around the edges. The internal temperature of the thickest part of the chicken should reach 165°F (74°C) when checked with an instant-read thermometer.

About halfway through the baking time, carefully spoon some of the bubbling sauce from the bottom of the dish back over the tops of the chicken breasts to keep them moist and build up that sticky glaze.

Once the chicken is done, remove the dish from the oven and let it rest for 5 to 10 minutes. The sauce will thicken slightly as it cools. Use a spatula to lift out each piece, making sure to scoop up plenty of the vibrant orange sauce to spoon over the top when serving.

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