Honey Roasted Chicken

A few years ago, when David and I got married, my grandfather gave us a small chest freezer. It has been one of the best gifts we've ever gotten. I really enjoy stocking my freezer and I feel a little safer knowing it's full of food. But sometimes, I forget about things I put in there. A couple of winters ago, we got a huge ice storm and I was off work for a few days because my workplace had no electricity. I took some of my time off to make an inventory of my freezer and pantry. Keeping it up to date lasted about 3 days. I did do a good job of cleaning it out, and I think I've kept up with it pretty well.
Fast foward quite some time (over a year or so). While in Costco one afternoon, I spotted a really good deal on whole chickens. I don't remember the price, but I know I got two 4 lb. chickens for a steal. We had one for dinner and froze the other one. I forgot about the frozen one and "found" it when we unloaded the chest freezer to move!
Usually, when I have a whole chicken, I do the "beer butt" chicken on the grill. But I recently saw this Honey Roasted Chicken on My Kitchen Cafe and knew that it would be the recipe I'd use for my whole chicken. I think she got the recipe from Cook's Country, so you know it's good! I've recently discovered how much I love to cook with honey, and this seemed simple enough. It certainly isn't a recipe that I could pull off one day after a day at work, but since I'm on staycation this week, I knew the time was right.
This chicken is moist and flavorful, and the crispy sweet skin is just delicious! Please, please be sure that you let your chicken rest before you slice into it...it's well worth the wait. Without the rest, all of the juices will run out, leaving you with dry chicken. Nobody wants that! The recipe also includes a wonderful sauce, which has a lovely flavor thanks to some crushed thyme.

Honey Roasted Chicken

My Kitchen Cafe/Cook's Country

1 tablespoon salt

2 teaspoons pepper

1 teaspoon paprika (I used smoked)

2 whole chickens (3.5 - 4 lb. each), giblets discarded (I only made one)

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 cup honey

5 tablespoons cider vinegar

1 cup low-sodium chicken broth

2 teaspoons dried thyme

2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces and chilled

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and make sure the oven rack is in teh middle of the oven. In a small bowl, combine the salt, pepper, and paprika. Pat the chickens dry with paper towels and rub the spice mixture under the skin and over the outside of each chicken. Tuck the wings behind the back and tie the legs together with kitchen twine.

Stir the cornstarch and 1 tablespoon water together in a small bowl until no lumps remain; set aside. In a small saucepan, bring the honey and 4 tablespoons of vinegar to a simmer over medium-high heat. Cook until the mixture is reduced to about 1/2 cup, 8 - 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Slowly whisk the cornstarch mixture into the glaze. Return to a simmer and cook for one minute.

Arrange the chickens, breast side down, on a V-rack set inside a roasting pan. Roast until the chicken are golden, about 35 minutes. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and carefully, with a wad of paper towels, flip the chickens so they are breast side up. Raise the oven temperature to 450 degrees. Pour 1 cup water and the broth into the roasting pan. Return the roasting pan to the oven and roast until the thigh meat registers 165 - 170 degrees, about 35 - 45 minutes. Brush the chickens evenly with a thick layer of the glaze (you'll have some remaining to brush on later) and continue to roast until the glaze is golden brown, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a cutting board and brush with the remaining glaze and let it rest for 15 minutes.

While the chicken is resting, pour pan juices and any accumulated chicken juices into a saucepan and skim any fat. Stir in the thyme. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sauce is slightly thickened and reduced to 1 cup, about 15 minutes. Off the heat, whisk in the butter and remaining vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Carve the chickens and serve, passing the sauce at the table.