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Apricot chicken dates back to the vinyl tablecloths of 1970’s Australia. The popular dish continued to make weekly appearances in families’ dinner rotations throughout the 80’s and 90’s, before starting to fall from favour as tastes moved on.
But recently the sweet-savoury dish has been enjoying a resurgence due to its simplicity, affordability, and nostalgic retro appeal. The original recipe only had three ingredients – chicken, French onion soup mix, and apricot nectar!
Why is Apricot Chicken becoming popular again?
Apricot Chicken was an incredibly popular dish back in the day. Maggi even released an Apricot Chicken soup mix to simplify an already easy recipe. But it gradually disappeared from dinner tables, perhaps because people became tired of it, or because we (arguably) became exposed to more sophisticated fare through the likes of television shows such as MasterChef, and international cuisines as travel became easier and more affordable.
Whether we like it or not, it seems as though Apricot Chicken is making its way back onto our meal plans, and why not? After all, it’s quick, easy and cheap to prepare, as well as being an old-school comfort meal. It also has an appealing sweet and savoury flavour that makes it a great family meal.
According to Gemma Mitchell, financial adviser, money coach, and author of The Money Reset, says that Apricot Chicken exists in a place where “nostalgia meets necessity”. You might have hated Apricot Chicken as a child, but as an adult (and maybe as a parent), you can see the sense of such a cheap and simple meal.
“It’s about the reality of grocery prices,” says Mitchell. “Families are rethinking what ‘normal’ dinner looks like, and many are finding themselves gravitating back to those simple, low-cost meals that stretch a dollar further.”
Throwback Thursdays are good for the hip pocket
It’s not just about saving money, according to Mitchell. It’s about reducing your mental load, too.
“When the budget’s tight, the last thing you need is a recipe with 14 ingredients you’ll only use once,” explains Mitchell.
She says that the return of this retro dish is part of a bigger shift she’s seeing in household spending, including:
🍲 More “one-pot wonders” instead of multiple-course meals
🍗 Cheaper protein swaps (mince, chicken, tinned fish)
🍳 Stretching meals across multiple nights (cook once, eat twice)
🥫 Making pantry staples the hero, not the backup
“While cost-of-living pressures are forcing the change, these old-school dinners are also teaching a new generation what previous ones already knew – that feeding your family well doesn’t have to mean spending big,” adds Mitchell.
Want to try it for yourself?
It’s not quite the three-ingredient meal you might remember from your childhood, but the New Idea Test Kitchen has shared this Chilli Apricot Chicken that incorporates all the same elements you know and love, but with a spicy kick! (Don’t worry, you can simply omit the chilli if it’s not your thing.)
If you try it, we’d love to hear from you!
