Honey Citrus Roast Chicken Recipe

Whole chicken roaster is a perfect family meal. A 7-8 pound chicken can feed 5 people on average (depending on the amount of meat) and the prep does not take long. Put it in the oven and you can focus on other things. The chicken in this recipe turns out moist and flavorful thanks to a simple technique: quick marinade, rest with spice, glaze, bake and baste. Try this for your big family dinner or a holiday meal. Even if you skip the marinade, this roast chicken will still stay juicy thanks to the low and slow method.

Serves 4+

Ingredients:

1 whole chicken roaster (6-8 lbs)
1/2 cup orange juice
juice of 1 lemon
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup honey
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1 tsp paprika
1 tsp basil
2 tbsp kosher salt
1 tbsp ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Wash the chicken roaster and remove any giblets.

2. Mix the vegetable oil, orange and lemon juice, and chopped basil. Place the chicken in a large bag or bowl and pour in this marinade. Put in the refrigerator for 1 hour and rotate once after 30 minutes.

3. Mix the spices: salt, pepper, paprika, garlic and onion powder.

4. Get the chicken out and place breast-up on the rack in a roasting pan. Add 1/2 cup of water at the bottom of the pan.

5. Generously sprinkle with the seasoning mixture. Let sit while the oven is preheating.

4. Preheat the oven to 350F.

5. Drizzle the honey over the chicken and brush to spread well. Sprinkle with a bit more kosher salt.

6. Bake it for plus or minus 2 hours or until thermometer reaches 180 (approximately 15 minutes per pound). You can also buy the roaster with the timer or get a turkey pop-up timer.

7. One hour into roasting, remove from the oven and baste with the pan juices. Put it back in the oven for the remainder of the time.

8. Let it sit 10 minutes before carving.

This recipe is perfect with sweet potatoes and carrots or a nice accompaniment to plain rice.