Total Time

　　40 minutes

　　This chicken takes about 10 minutes to pull together and then about a half hour of mostly hands-off time in the oven. In theory, you could time things so the chicken is ready as soon as the kids go to sleep. But if you can't for the life of you figure out a way to steal the few minutes needed for prep while the kids are awake, then just take care of step 1: Preheat the oven.

　　

Ingredients

6 to 8 skin-on chicken pieces (thighs or drumsticks), rinsed and patted dry

　　Salt and pepper

　　3/4 cup apricot jam

　　1 tablespoon grainy mustard

　　1/4 cup water

　　Leaves from 2 sprigs fresh thyme

　　

Step 1

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

　　

Step 2

Place the chicken on a rimmed cookie sheet or baking dish lined with foil or parchment paper, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and bake for 10 minutes.

　　

Step 3

While the chicken is baking, whisk together the jam, mustard, water, thyme, and a little salt and pepper in a small saucepan over low heat for about 3 minutes. It should be slightly syrupy.

　　

Step 4

Pull the chicken out of the oven and pour the sauce on top. Continue baking for another 15 minutes. For the last 3 minutes, place the chicken under the broiler on the top rack so it gets golden and crispy looking.

　　Dinner a Love Story