When I am stressed out and want to cook a meal to decompress, the first thing that comes to mind is roast chicken. It's simple, it's satisfying, and can feed you for days afterward. There's also an incredible feeling of accomplishment as you pull a whole roasted chicken out of the oven and marvel at it while it rests.
Now if there's a meat that can use a bit of a shake up, chicken is it. How did I do it this time? I made a sweet, spicy, and tangy sauce to drizzle over the perfectly crisp skin. As an added bonus, the sauce is reduced in the same pan as the chicken drippings, giving it a richness balanced by the tang of the sauce.
Pour this sauce on chicken, potatoes, anything you want - I promise you'll be licking your fingers clean!
Ingredients
- 1 whole chicken, 3 1/2 - 4 lbs
- 1 lemon, zested and juiced (about 4-5 tbsp juice)
- 1/3 cup honey
- 4 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- salt & pepper
Equipment
- heavy-bottom, ovenproof nonstick pan (cast iron preferred) - large enough for the chicken
- Preheat the oven to 450. Dry the chicken with paper towels, inside and out. Season the bird liberally with salt and pepper.
- Set the pan over medium heat. When the pan is nice and hot, place the seasoned chicken in the pan, breast side down. You should a nice, loud sizzle when this happens. Place in the oven.
- After 25 minutes, flip the chicken over. Place back in the oven for another 25-30 minutes.
- While the chicken is cooking, make the sauce. Combine the honey, dijon, zest and juice of the lemon, and rosemary sprigs in a bowl. Salt & pepper to taste.
- When the chicken is done cooking, remove from the pan and allow to rest for at least 15 minutes before carving. Place the pan on the stovetop and pour the sauce into the pan. Let reduce for about 5 minutes, whisking the chicken bits from the bottom of the pan into the sauce.
- Serve the carved chicken on the platter with the sauce drizzled over the meat. (Discard the rosemary sprigs.)
Enjoy!