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Roast Citrus, Ginger and Honey Chicken

One of the most aromatic roast chickens you'll ever make!  Sweet, spicy, tangy all combine in a marinade which creates a glorious glaze that turns from a stunning amber to dark and glossy.  The side or roasted orange wedges drizzles with ginger, brown sugar and olive oil makes a lovely accompaniment.

Course Main Course
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 lb chicken
  • 1 cup orange juice
  • 1/4 cup honey the runny kind
  • 1 1/2 tbsp hot sauce I used Entube Harissa sauce
  • 3 garlic cloves grated or minced
  • 1 inch piece of ginger root peeled and grated
  • finely grated zest from 2 oranges these will help make the above juice
  • kosher salt and cracked pepper
  • 1 cup chicken stock or water if needed
  • 4 thin skinned oranges
  • olive oil
  • ground ginger
  • soft brown sugar

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F

    Pat dry the inside and outside of the chicken.  Place into a baking or roasting pan which will snuggly hold the bird.  If it is too large, then the cooking juices and the marinade will burn while roasting.

  2. Whisk the orange juice through to the salt and pepper in a pitcher.

    Pour some of this into the bird, and then 2/3 of the marinade over the chicken, reserving the remainder for later on.

    Roast for 45 minutes.

  3. While the chicken is roasting, prepare the orange wedges.

    Cut the thin skinned oranges into wedges and put them into an ovenproof dish where they can lie in a single layer.  Sprinkle them all with some of the olive oil, ground ginger, and some salt and pepper.  Turn them to coat well. Then sprinkle them with the brown sugar.

  4. After 45 minutes, remove the chicken from the oven, scoop up the sticky juices around it with a spoon and spread this over the skin.  Add the rest of the orange juice marinade to the pan, stirring them to blend well.  Return to the oven, along with the pan of orange wedges.

  5. After another 45 minutes have passed, and you have basted the chicken a few times more, check for doneness.  The internal temperature should be 170F when the thickest part of the thigh is checked.  And any juices from the thigh should run clear.  If this is not the case, roast for another 15 minutes (it took me 15 minutes more to achieve the required doneness)

    Remove from the oven to rest.  If the orange wedges have been in the oven for 1 hour, they should be done as well now.

  6. While the chicken is resting on a warm platter for a good 15 minutes, loosely tented with foil, you can tend to the sauce:

    If the juices in the pan seem too thick or intense, add the stock or water to the pan, set it over high heat (if the pan is designed to sit on a stove element) and bring to a boil, stirring to dislodge any bits at the bottom of the pan.

    If your pan cannot sit on a stove burner, transfer the juices to a pot and continue with cooking the stock or water. 

    Cook until desired consistency is reached.

    Taste and season with salt and pepper if needed.  Serve in a pitcher,  Add the orange wedges around the chicken.  Serve.