Chicken with Jezebel Sauce
July 29, 2020
Jezebel Sauce has been popular in the south since the 1950s. It is a sweet and spicy sauce. The original recipe used a combination pineapple preserves and peach preserves and also sometimes apple jelly. I just used apricot preserves, but it’s up to you. It also has some horseradish and mustard powder, which gives it a spicy zing.
Jezebel, the evil Phoenician princess in the ninth century BC, has come to be known as an archetype of the wicked woman!
You can serve it over crackers with cream cheese, dipping sauce for coconut shrimp, fried seafood, and eggrolls.
- Prep: 15 mins
- Cook: 20 mins
- Yields: 4 Servings
Directions
1Sprinkle chicken with seasonings. In a large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat; brown chicken on both sides, beginning skin side down. Remove from pan, keep warm.
2In the same pan, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium heat and add onion; sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add preserves, ¼ cup water, horseradish, mustard, lemon zest and juice, and ½ teaspoon salt; bring to a simmer, and cook until onions are softened and the mixture is thickened, about 3 minutes. Spoon jezebel sauce over chicken. Garnish with zest, if desired. Serve immediately. Leftover jezebel sauce can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.
2 Reviews
Maggie
August 11, 2020
I’m a Yankee who’s been living and cooking in the South for 19 years now, and I’d never heard of Jezebel Sauce. It sounded so much like it could be from the Low Country that I had to try it. Served it as a dip for coconut shrimp yesterday, and my audience loved it. It’s such an interesting flavor profile, but personally I found it too sweet. If doing again, I might skip the apricot preserves and simmer down some dried apricots and then puree them, to keep it more tart. So glad you brought it to my attention!
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admin
August 11, 2020
I had never heard of it either! I am from Northern Indiana, now living in Los Angeles. Yes, I also thought it was quite sweet, but delicious. I wonder if one added a bit of white wine vinegar to it to tone down the sweetness.