Sweet & Spicy Roast Chicken with Carrots, Dates & Pistachios
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This sheet-pan roast chicken dinner is the perfect no-fuss dish for company. Everything can be prepared and assembled a day in advance, so all that’s left to do at dinnertime is pop it in the oven.
Don’t you just love discovering new “keeper” recipes? The first time I made Melissa Clark’s fabulous sweet and spicy roast chicken recipe from The New York Times, I knew it’d be a family favorite for years to come. The chicken is immersed in a honey, citrus, and chili-infused marinade, and then roasted on a sheet pan with carrots and dates.
Before serving, herbs, scallions, and pistachios are added for freshness, color, and crunch. Not only is it delicious, but it’s also the perfect no-fuss dish for company. Everything can be prepared and assembled a day in advance, so all that’s left to do at dinnertime is pop it in the oven. Serve with couscous and a green vegetable and dinner is done!
Table of Contents
“I told the family I would clear up after dinner so I could have a quiet moment alone with the leftovers. Such a delicious dish!”
What You’ll Need To Make Sweet & Spicy Roast Chicken
The original recipe is wonderful as printed but, as with any recipe, each time I’ve made it, I’ve tweaked it to suit my style and my family’s taste. What follows is the version I make today.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by making the marinade: whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, red pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, and salt.
Place the chicken, carrots, onions, and dates in a large sealable plastic bag. Add the marinade and seal shut. Massage to make sure everything is evenly coated with the marinade, then marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
Transfer all ingredients from the bag, including the marinade, to a rimmed sheet pan. Turn the chicken skin side up.
Roast until chicken is lightly browned and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. Turn on broiler (leave pan on middle rack), and cook a few minutes more, or until the skin is golden brown and crispy. Watch very carefully: the honey in the marinade can cause the skin to burn quickly!
Transfer the chicken, carrots, onions and dates onto a platter, along with the sauce in the pan. Sprinkle the parsley, scallions and pistachio nuts over top and serve.
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Sweet & Spicy Roast Chicken with Carrots, Dates & Pistachios
This sheet-pan roast chicken dinner is the perfect no-fuss dish for company. Everything can be prepared and assembled a day in advance, so all that’s left to do at dinnertime is pop it in the oven.
Ingredients
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice, from 1 large lemon
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- 6 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, from 2 oranges
- 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons whole grain mustard
- 6 tablespoons honey
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
- 2½ teaspoons salt
- 4 pounds bone-in chicken pieces (thighs, drumsticks and breasts)
- 3 cups ¼-inch sliced carrots
- 1 medium yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 1 cup thinly sliced dried dates
- 2 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley, for garnish
- 2 scallions, light and dark green parts, thinly sliced, for garnish
- ¼ cup chopped salted pistachios, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the marinade: In a medium bowl whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, red pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, and salt.
- Place the chicken, carrots, onions, and dates in a large sealable plastic bag. Add the marinade and seal shut. Massage to make sure everything is evenly coated with the marinade. Place the bag on a rimmed sheet pan to protect against leakage and marinate in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours or overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 425°F and set an oven rack in the middle position.
- Transfer all ingredients from the bag, including the marinade, to a rimmed sheet pan (do not line the pan with foil). Turn the chicken skin side up. Roast until chicken is lightly browned and cooked through, 40 to 45 minutes. About halfway through cooking, stir the carrots so that they don’t burn around the edges of the pan.
- Turn on broiler (leave pan on middle rack), and cook 1 to 3 minutes more, or until skin is golden brown and crispy. Watch carefully: the honey in the marinade can cause the skin to burn quickly.
- Transfer the chicken, carrots, onions and dates onto a platter, along with the sauce in the pan. Sprinkle the parsley, scallions and pistachio nuts over top and serve.
Pair with
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (6 servings)
- Calories: 1,022
- Fat: 62g
- Saturated fat: 15g
- Carbohydrates: 59g
- Sugar: 49g
- Fiber: 6g
- Protein: 60g
- Sodium: 1306mg
- Cholesterol: 227mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
Gluten-Free Adaptable Note
To the best of my knowledge, all of the ingredients used in this recipe are gluten-free or widely available in gluten-free versions. There is hidden gluten in many foods; if you're following a gluten-free diet or cooking for someone with gluten allergies, always read the labels of your ingredients to verify that they are gluten-free.
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Hi, Jenn. I’ve done this recipe twice before and loved it. Today, I am short on time and wondered if marination for 2 hours may be sufficient. Thanks, Julie
Sure, it may not be quite as flavorful, but should still be good. Enjoy!
Only two words necessary: ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!
Honestly, the best roast chicken recipe I have ever tried. My family (including one very picky teen) devoured the meal.
This was delicious! Why did you say not to line the pan though? I put heavy duty foil and sprayed with cooking spray and it turned out great. What would not lining the pan do differently?
Hi David, glad you enjoyed it! When I tested this recipe I tried it with foil and had a problem with sticking so decided to go without it. Also, you’ll get a bit better caramelization without the foil. Hope that clarifies!
So delicious. Something you would be served in a fine restaurant. This is a must try recipe.
Made this for guests this week and it was amazing. Once you get the marinade together and everything cut up, it’s a snap. I didn’t put it under the broiler as it got crispy just roasting with the honey in the marinade. Since I have a convection oven and used only thighs, I cooked it all about 35 mins and it was perfect!
I was looking for a recipe for Rosh Hashanah that was delicious but not too much work. I made this for the first time for a large Rosh Hashanah dinner and it was fabulous. Easy to make and extremely flavorful. Everyone raved about it. This one is a keeper.
Would this work well in a large Pyrex dish rather than a sheet pan?
Hi Sarah, As long as the dish is large enough to hold everything in a single layer, I think it should work. Please LMK how it turns out!
Hi! My sister hates dates, would this recipe work with apricots instead?
Yep!
Thank you for this absolutely scrumptious recipe, Jenn! The flavors are just incredible! I halved the recipe for a “test run” tonight before next week’s Rosh Hashanah family dinner. I am excited to make it and share the yumminess, but did have a little trouble at the end. At 40 minutes, I turned the broiler on for just 2 minutes and, sadly, much of the amazing dates, carrots and onions were quite burnt. I did stir them around half-way through. I was able to salvage lots of delicious caramelized bits, but wondering if you have suggestions for when I prepare in next week so we don’t lose any of those amazing pieces.
I saw that someone recommended placing tin foil and turning the oven down to 400. Any suggestions are welcome. Despite the bit of charring, the chicken was moist and delicious! I did love the chopped salted pistachios on top. Thank you so much!!
Hi Alyson, Sorry to hear some of the pieces got burnt. Was the oven rack in the middle position? Also, there’s a range for the broiling time – 1 to 3 minutes. Did you keep a close eye on it and/or broil it for longer than 1 minute?
I appreciate your help, Jenn! It was on the middle rack. I set the timer, but it was definitely about 2 minutes, so maybe that is the key? When I stirred up the yummy, gooey carrots and dates, a little earlier on, though, there was still some burning. Would adding more liquid help, or do you think I need to move my rack down a notch?
I think halving the recipe was likely the biggest issue – with less food/juices in the pan, the food is much quicker to brown/burn. I think you’ll be fine with the full recipe; I would just keep a close eye on it at the end to be sure. Hope that helps!
I will! I’m already craving the flavors! Thank you for all of your incredible recipes! Happy, healthy new year!
Are there any substitutes for the mustard in this recipe?
Hi Alison, You can just omit it. (I like the flavor that the mustard adds to the marinade, but one or two readers have commented that they’ve cut back on or omitted the mustard and have been happy with the results.) Hope that helps!