Here’s a delectable chicken dish that’s just right for weekday suppers: honey-butter chicken with orange sauce.
The chicken is brushed extensively with a butter-honey mixture, then roasted in a turbo-broiler for about an hour. The result is chicken that’s moist, juicy and full of flavor. A sauce made from honey, butter and a splash of fresh orange juice makes it even more appealing.
Roasted Honey-Butter Chicken with Orange Sauce
1 whole chicken, around 1.2 kg
½ c butter
½ c honey
Sea salt or any coarse salt
1 fresh orange
Wash chicken well then pat dry with paper towels. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a saucepan. In a bowl, blend the melted butter with the honey and whisk until smooth. Set aside one-fourth cup of the mixture. Season the chicken with salt, then brush all surfaces of the chicken with the remaining three-fourth cup butter-honey mixture. Leave about two tablespoons of the mixture for more brushing later on.
Slice the orange into quarters (four pieces). Put about two quarters (one-half) of the orange inside the chicken. Arrange the chicken in a roasting pan that will fit in the turbo broiler. Put the chicken in the turbo broiler and roast at 190ºC (375ºF) for about an hour or until fully cooked and tender.
Midway through the roasting period, brush the chicken with the two tablespoons of honey-butter mixture that had been set aside. Turn the chicken over, brush with more honey-butter mixture and continue roasting the chicken.
When the chicken is done, transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze the remaining one-half orange and combine this with the one-fourth cup honey-butter mixture. Stir until smooth. Serve as sauce for the chicken.
For more tips, recipes and stories, visit the author’s blog www.normachikiamco.com and Facebook fan page www.facebook.com/normachikiamco. Follow on Twitter @NormaChikiamco
Cook’s tips
When arranging the chicken in the roasting pan, tuck the wings under the chicken so the wing tips don’t burn.
You may also serve this with canned cranberry sauce or with applesauce.
Suggested sidings: corn on the cob, rice and buttered green peas.
