This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our privacy policy.
I first made this chicken on a Sunday afternoon in Connecticut a few years back, when we were in the middle of our prolonged kitchen renovation, and carted it back to NYC for dinner because we needed a home cooked meal badly.
Anyone who has experienced living through a kitchen renovation has explored the fine balance of excitedly waiting for the kitchen to be finished and trying not to get too grouchy. Not cooking for 11 weeks was an untenable thought for the following reasons:
1) People get hungry and even my kids tired of the parade of take out that graced our ottoman. Notice I didn’t say table—we had no table.
2) Posting photos of pizza and Chipotle burritos do not a blog make.
3) I get itchy not cooking for a few days, never mind a few weeks.
Roasted Chicken with Orange Honey Mustard Glaze: 45 minutes gets you a moist, flavorful roast chicken with a beautiful glaze.
Tweet This
Sort of Spatchcocked, but Not Totally
You may notice that the bird is cut and roasted in an unusual way. First, I don’t usually truss chickens for a very good reason. I’m lazy, and I can never find string when I need it. But then I got this technique from my friend Mandy, who helps me make the magic happen in the kitchen. She got it from Bon Appetit. So credit where credit is due.
You just pat the bird dry, then cut the thighs part way through so they splay out in the pan. It helps the dark meat of the thighs cook more quickly so that the whole bird is cooked through at the same time. Like butterflying a chicken, but less all-in, and offering similar results. You can use this technique with a plain roasted bird, or whatever rub or glaze you wish. Pat dry, cut thighs, roast in cast iron pan at 425° for 45 minutes. That’s it.
Seasoning the Chicken
Orange juice and salt and pepper are first squeezed over the bird, and the cavity is stuffed with orange rind and onions for extra flavor.
Add the Glaze Towards the End of Roasting
So, this roasted chicken with its tangy glaze was a very welcome Sunday dinner all around, and it’s been welcome ever since. This glaze is gorgeous and very flavorful, but you don’t want to pour it over the chicken until close to the end of the roasting time so that the sugars in the sauce don’t burn. I have learned this the hard way, and not just once.
I served it up with Mayo Free Potato Salad. Next time, when the weather gets colder I think it will be mashed potatoes or Crispy Sauteed Potatoes. Green beans are never a bad call with a roasted chicken dinner. And now the kitchen renovation is but a distant memory, but this chicken is not.
More Chicken Recipes to Try:
- Chicken Piri Piri
- Crispy Chicken Strips with Apricot Mustard Dipping Sauce
- Chicken Paprikash
- Chicken Kawarma with Lemon Sauce over Hummus
- Chicken Marsala
Like this recipe? Pin it to your favorite board on Pinterest.
Pin This
Roasted Chicken with Orange Honey Mustard Glaze
Ingredients
- 1 5-pound roaster chicken
- 1 orange quartered
- 1 onion cut into 8 pieces
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter divided and cut into small pieces
- 2 teaspoons dried rosemary crumbled
- ½ cup chicken broth or water
- 3 tablespoons grainy Dijon mustard
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 3 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liquor or orange juice
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425 F.
- Place the bird on a cutting board breast side up. Using a very sharp knife, cut between the thighs and the main body of the bird so that the thighs can open up and lay fairly flat. Place the chicken in a cast iron pan. Squeeze the orange segments over the bird and season with salt and pepper all over. Place the squeezed orange segments and the onion chunks into the cavity of the bird. Dot the chicken with two tablespoons of the cut up butter and sprinkle with the rosemary.
- Roast for 45 minutes. While the chicken is roasting, in a small saucepan heat the water, mustard, honey, Grand Marnier or orange juice, and remaining tablespoon of butter, stirring until smooth. After 25 minutes, brush the chicken all over with the glaze. Roast for another 20 minutes, basting with the liquid at the bottom of the pan occasionally, until the juices run clear and an internal thermometer stuck into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160 F. If the top is browning too quickly, tent the chicken with foil and continue cooking.
- Let sit for about 10 minutes before carving. Serve with the juices from the roasting pan.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
½ cup chicken broth or water In pan during roasting or in sauce?
apologies – in the sauce! it’s fixed now.
one of my family’s go-to’s. Love the simplicity and the flavors!!! Thanks for the great recipes!!
Nothing like a good roast chicken (just ask Ina Garten!)
That looks great!
Too bad I don’t eat dark meat — otherwise I would be running to the store for a whole chicken. But since I live alone, that would be lot of chicken to not eat.
Wonder if I could adapt and use chicken breasts?
Oh, love your site, and cookbook too! In fact I had some of the spaghetti sauce tonight for dinner (froze into individual servings).
You could totally use the glaze on skin on-bone in chicken breasts! Just roast them for 35 minutes, add the glaze and give them another 15 or so minutes, same temperature. Love spaghetti sauce in the freezer!