I think everyone should learn to roast a chicken properly. It’s a perfect go-to family meal, but you can be sure guests will appreciate it. This is my mother delicious and nurturing recipe for roasted chicken and it’s a bit different from the usually roasted chickens; it’s comfort food with a twist. It calls for honey and tangerine juice. As the chicken roasts, the honey condenses and caramelizes, becoming thicker and stickier and turning the chicken’s skin crisp and brown, the tangerine adds an unusual citrusy taste to the otherwise bland meat. You have to remember to rotate the chicken and baste the bird because the skin burns in spots. Rest the chicken for 10 to 15 minutes before carving. The juices are tangy and sweet, I loved them spooned over a good rice. I love the power of a good family meal, it restores my energy and brings me joy.
- 1 3 1/2 -to - 4 Lb. organic whole chicken
- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled
- 4 Sprigs fresh rosemary
- 4 leaves fresh sage
- 1 Medium white onion, halved
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tangerines
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 cup Honey
- 2 cloves peeled garlic
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary
- fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Use a nonstick roasting pan and line the pan with parchment paper.
- Prep the chicken. Season with salt and pepper the cavities and the outside. Stuff the chicken with the garlic, the rosemary, sage and the 2 onions half. Slice one of the tangerines in thin slices and place the slices at the bottom of the pan. Place the prepped chicken on the sliced tangerine in the pan.
- Juice the 2 remaining tangerines. In a tall jug combine the tangerine juice with the balsamic vinegar, the honey, the garlic cloves, the rosemary and a pinch of salt and pepper. Whiz with a hand held blender for a minute or two.
- Spoon all but 1/4 cup of liquid over all the chicken. Place chicken in oven and roast for 10 minutes. Spoon accumulated juices back over chicken, reverse pan back to front, and return to oven. Repeat a couple of times, basting every 10 minutes and switching pan position each time. If chicken browns too quickly, lower heat a bit. If juices dry up, use reserved liquid and 1 or 2 tablespoons of water.
- After 50 minutes of roasting, insert an instant-read thermometer into a thigh; when it reads 155 to 165 degrees, remove chicken from oven, and baste one final time. Let rest 5 minutes before serving.
Substitute oranges with tangerines for a sweeter version. I also like adding fresh ginger to the basting sauce.
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