Sweet And Spicy Baked Chicken Breast Tenders
Instructions
1. Place the chicken breast tenders in an oblong Pyrex dish and drizzle 16 oz. of Italian dressing over the top, Turn pieces, to coat evenly with the dressing.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let marinate 8 hours or overnight.
3. When ready to fix your chicken breasts, remove them from the Pyrex dish and place them in an appropriately-sized oven-proof baking dish.
4. Reserve 1 cup of the Italian dressing that was used for the marinade. (You may use all of the leftover marinade, but, unless you have a very deep baking dish, the sauce may bubble up and run over in the oven.)
5. Mix the 1 cup reserved Italian dressing with 12 oz. apricot preserves in a small mixing bowl.
6. Use a spoon (or a mixer, if you like). When the two ingredients are well-blended, pour them over the chicken breast tenders that you have placed in your baking dish.
7. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake in an oven that has been preheated to 325 degrees for 1 hour.
8. Then, remove the aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes longer. The chicken breast meat will be very tender and juicy.
9. Remove from the oven, and place the chicken breast tenders on a platter.
10. If desired, top the chicken tenders with the gravy that has formed in the baking dish.
11. Otherwise, pour the gravy in a gravy boat and serve it alongside the chicken breast tenders.
