It’s Summer and grilling season are just some of my favorite things!
In South Africa, grilling out is know as a ‘braai’, and is just about a national sport, usually featuring many types of meat, chops, sausages, and my favorite sosaties!
Sosaties are really just another name for kebabs which are marinated in a delectable curried apricot sauce. The chicken sosaties have a distinct Dutch East Indian influence with the curried spices and fruity element, which stems back to the 1800’s of the trading posts set up in the Cape.
One of the key ingredients is Mrs Ball’s chutney is a favorite condiment that graces the table at many meals, it can be bought at local grocery stores, or online here. If you can’t find it, any type of chutney can be used.
I prefer to use chicken thighs for the sosaties, as they have so much more flavor! The Peachstand in Fort Mill, SC carries free range boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which makes prep a snap.

I prepared this recipe live on the WCNC Charlotte Today Show , it turned out great and made me all nostalgic for South Africa, here are some pictures of my last trip with my family braai-ing sosaties!
I hope you enjoy this delicious recipe, a little part of my heritage.
Chef Carol
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Curried Apricot Chicken Sosaties
Description
Summer and grilling season are just some of my favorite things! In South Africa, grilling out is know as a ‘braai’. This recipe is a classic dish for chicken skewers, known as ‘sosaties’, which are marinated in a delectable curried apricot sauce
Ingredients
8 skinless, boneless Chicken Thighs, cut into cubes
1 medium Onion, cubed
Marinade:
1 medium Onion, finely diced
2 cloves Garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
2 Tbsp. Madras Curry Powder
2 tsp. Salt
1/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 cups Dried Apricots
1/2 cup smooth Apricot Jam
1/4 cup Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Mrs Ball’s Chutney
2 Bay Leaves
Instructions
Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat, add a little oil and sauté the finely chopped onion over medium heat until softened.
- Add the garlic and ginger, sauté a few minutes more.
- Add the curry powder and sauté briefly, immediately deglaze the pan with the red wine vinegar.
- Add the rest of the marinade ingredients, lower the heat and simmer for approximately ten minutes.
- Remove from the heat and allow to cool completely.
- Divide the marinade and set aside about a cup full.
- Add the chicken and cubed onion, stir to coat well, cover and place in the fridge.
- Assemble the sosaties; thread the chicken pieces, cubed onion and apricots on the skewers, alternating the ingredients.
- Place on a rack over a pan, to drain off some of the marinade, this will help prevent them burning.
- Fire up the grill to a medium heat, place the sosaties on the grill, and cook for approximately 25 minutes, turning often. Keep the heat ‘low and slow’.
- Right at the end brush the sosaties with the reserved marinade to glaze.
- Serve with a nice leafy salad and a quinoa pilaf.
Notes
Special Equipment:
Bamboo skewers, soaked, or metal kebab skewers
I used half this recipe for 4 people – it made 6.
I soaked them overnight and the next day they were superbly moist and flavor infused. Yum, yum! A taste of home in Texas, thank you for sharing this
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it! Thank you for letting me know.
Also a South African/Zimbabwean,I loved this taste of home. Truly a winner and I can't wait to make it again. I served it with wild rice and a mediterranean salad. Yum!
★★★★★
Sounds delicious! Thank you so much for letting me know.
I made this recipe for New Year 2023. It was excellent, but I did add cubed red and yellow peppers to give more colour
★★★★★
Thank you so much for your message, this means so much to me, this was my Mother’s recipe, she passed in November, Zeta’s legacy lives on!
I am a South African, and we served the grilled (over fire – braaied) sosaties with another South African favourite – toasted (over the fire) cheese, tomato and onion sandwiches
★★★★★
Yumm!! Sounds like the perfect way, nothing like a nice ‘braai broodjie’!