Orange Honey and Rosemary Chicken

Something sweet for the new year! How about chicken baked with Orange, Rosemary and Honey!

Set oven to 400 degrees

Tools:
cutting board
sharp knife
Micro plane(zester)
2 medium mixing bowls
hand juicer or electric
roasting dish, pan or dutch oven
paper towels
1 large spoon
whisk
basting brush
meat thermometer
aluminum foil or use a dutch oven that has a lid


Ingredients:
4 chicken legs with skin
1 cup of honey
2 oranges zested and juiced
8 sprigs of rosemary cut in half
2 tsp of thyme
1 tsp of old bay seasoning if you have it
6 cranks of a pepper mill
1 tsp of kosher salt
4 garlic cloves chopped
1 yellow or sweet halved and sliced
1 tbsp of Grape seed oil(do not use olive oil it will not withstand the high heat baking temp)

Optional additions to the chicken while it is baking:
2 large sweet potatoes peeled and cut into large chunks
or
2 large yams peeled and cut into large chunks
or
4 cups of fingerling potatoes each stabbed with a fork a few times

Optional Side:
Green beans
sweet onion
grape seed oil
thyme
pepper
kosher salt
1/4 cup of chicken broth

Do all your prep. Zest your oranges and juice them. Chop your garlic and the onion. Cut the rosemary branches in half. If using potatoes peel and cut into good size chunks.

 

Combine the 1 cup of honey and the orange juice and zest. 

 

Grab your roasting pan and scatter the onions

 

Place chicken on top of bed of onions. Do not wash before hand. Pat the skin dry with paper towels and throw towels away.

 

Then pick up each chicken leg and peel back skin then put your fingers as far down as you can to release the skin form the muscle tissue being careful not to tear through the skin. 

  

Now stuff each leg with two branches of rosemary, chopped garlic, thyme and sprinkle with old bay seasoning. Wash your hands for 20 to 30 seconds(sing happy birthday to your self twice) with hand soap and immediately put cutting board and anything you touched with your hands or the chicken in the dish washer. (I have a food handlers licence I am very cautious) Remember to clean sink and handles down as well. Just some Hydrogen Peroxide on some paper towel does the job.

If you wanted to also incorporate potatoes in this dish this is the time to add them. Place them around the chicken legs on top of the onions.

Take your basting brush and brush chicken and potatoes and brush with some grape seed oil.

Then pour two table spoons of the orange juice and honey mixture and pour inside the chicken legs. Take remaining orange juice and honey mixture and pour all over out side of chicken legs and potatoes, if adding. Then sprinkle with more old bay seasoning, crank some black pepper and Kosher salt.

Now cover the roasting pan with foil or if you using a dutch oven place lid on. Place in oven for 45 minutes.

After the timer goes off open oven and take off foil off and if you have a turkey baster suck some of the pan juices and squirt on the chicken legs and close oven and bake another 15 minutes. If you do not have a baster just use a long handled spoon. After 15 minutes open oven and pop a thermometer in. If the thermometer does not hit at least 165 degrees. Close oven and turn broiler on and let broil for another 10 minutes.  You may want to take potatoes out of the pan if they are soft and done, if not leave them in. Again, open oven and pop the thermometer in. I usually broil the chicken for about five minutes anyway just to get the skin crispy so it is easier to peel off later.

Once it is ready take out of the oven and let rest and cool for about 15 minutes before serving. When eating pull back the skin don't let you guest cut into it with the rosemary sprigs. You could pull the rosemary sprigs out with a some tongs(to life the skin so you don't burn your fingers) and a pair of needle nose pliers(I de-bone fish with them) before serving that way any skin eaters can enjoy the skin to.

 I made green sauteed green beans with thyme to go with the chicken.

I made green sauteed green beans with thyme to go with the chicken. Ben loves Green beans and likes them with some crunch not stewed down and soft. I cut all the ends off and leave them pretty long. I turn the stove to low medium heat(if you have an electric range do medium).  Add the chicken broth and add the sweet or yellow onions. Let them soften some then add the green beans add a splash of grape seed or olive oil. I saute them and let them get coated and cook for abut 5 minutes. Then sprinkle with the thyme, pepper and kosher salt, cover them for about 10 minutes and take the lid off and saute for another 5 minutes and then they should be done. They should turn a bright green when ready.

I place the green beans first and then a chicken leg. Spoon some of the pan juices on top of the chicken and the onions as well.

Have a great holiday everyone!