honey-garlic butter roast chicken

If you’re looking to shake up the roast chicken in your life, this honey-garlic butter roast chicken is the bird for you.

Funny story: I created this honey-garlic butter roast chicken for Rosh Hashanah.

There are two problems with that:

1. Rosh Hashanah is over.
2. It’s not kosher.

The good news: This chicken is delicious and simple to make. And if you eat kosher or dairy-free, you could use olive oil instead of butter.

You can make this without planning ahead, but like any of my roasted or grilled chicken recipes, I suggest salting the chicken a day or two before you cook it.

Dry brining (which is a fancy term for salt + time) is my #1 hack for making your roast chicken both more flavorful and more juicy. It also allows the skin to dry out a bit, so that it browns nicely. The salt that makes its way into the meat flavors it throughout, and results in a juicier bird.

But if you haven’t thought about dinner until it’s time to make dinner, don’t worry! Basting the chicken with honey-garlic butter adds a wonderful sweet and garlicky flavor either way.

If you aren’t feeling confident about spatchcocking a chicken, I have a tutorial just for you! It’s so much easier than you may think. When you buy a whole chicken and cut it yourself, you have the added bonus of the backbone to use for broth.

honey-garlic butter roast chicken

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A lovely way to change up your roast chicken game. 

• Author: zenbelly
• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 50 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour
• Yield: 4-6 servings
• Category: chicken
• Method: roast

Ingredients

• 1 chicken, about 4 pounds, spatchcocked
• 2 teaspoons salt 
• freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter (or olive oil) 
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• fresh parsley and/or thyme, optional, for garnish

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Instructions

1. Up to two days before you cook the chicken, season it with salt and pepper. Refrigerate it uncovered, skin side up. If planning ahead didn’t happen, just season it when you’re ready to cook. 
2. Preheat the oven to 425°F. 
3. In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter and add the garlic. Cook for about 1 minute, until it is fragrant and softened. Remove from the heat and stir in the honey. 
4. Place the chicken on a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan, and roast the chicken for 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and brush with the honey-garlic butter. Cook for an additional 30-35 minutes, basting with the honey-garlic butter every 10 minutes or so. 
5. Garnish with fresh herbs, if desired. 

Notes

This recipe will also work great with cut up chicken or bone-in skin-on thighs. 

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