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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Comments
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Hi Jen! I want to make this recipe for Passover and I have a lot of people coming over to my house to celebrate. Do you think this dish will be okay to bake, then keep heated in a chaffing dish? I don’t want the chicken to become soggy, so this is my only concern.
Thank you!
Hi Linda, I think that will work. The chicken won’t become soggy; the skin just won’t be as crispy. It will still be very tasty though!
Hi Jen,
Can I double this recipe as is? I need for 12 people? Also can it be made a day before ?
Thanks
Sure, Barbara, you can double the recipe (and use 2 sheet pans). I think this is best right out of the oven, but everything can be prepared and assembled ahead, so all you need do when ready to serve is pop it in the oven. Hope that helps!
Very flavorful and delicious! I like the sweet and tangy taste!
This recipe is a gem. It doesn’t get much better than a delicious dinner requiring no effort and only one pan. I had to sub molasses for the honey and added parsnips with the carrots. The veggies and chicken were done at the same time and both were beautifully caramelized. A keeper!
My guests don’t like chicken thighs or drumsticks so I need to make this with just chicken breasts. Problem is, the ones I can buy at local stores are huge. Any tips on how to use giant chicken breasts in this recipe? Can you cut them somehow before marinating? After cooking? And in a way that doesn’t make them look strange?
Hi Lin, It’s fine to use large chicken breasts here and cut them in half. You’ll just need a very sharp knife in order to get through the bones as well. And I would cut them before marinating. Hope that helps and that everyone enjoys!
HI-
I’m allergic to oranges. Can this be made without the OJ? Thanks!
Hi Allison, You’ll need the sweetness that the OJ adds so if you can’t use OJ, I’d replace it with apple juice. Hope that helps!
I used grapefruit juice (it’s what I had on hand) and it was amazing…
This was delicious! Just from the smell coming out of the oven at the halfway through, I knew it was going to be a winner!! I only purchased chicken thighs and legs as we all seem to want the dark meat in my household and everything cooked well. The only adaptation I made is that after 2 minutes of broiling, I transferred the drumsticks to another pan and flipped them over and broiled for another 2 minutes so that the skin could crisp up on all sides. I was dreading the wash of the pan since recipe said not to line with foil and knew that marinade had honey and the dates but trusted your recipe. There was enough juicy goodness to pour over chicken and rice and the pan was a breeze to clean. This one is a keeper!!
Holy Moly Jenn…you have out done yourself lady! This is one of the best tasting dishes I have ever eaten and amazingly easy to make! It took all my self restraint to not lick my plate…seriously the sauce is that good and the chicken is so moist and flavorful! I followed the recipe exactly except only used thighs and drums equaling 4 lbs. Beyond any chicken I have eaten at any restaurant! And don’t forget the scallion and pistachio garnish! Bravo Jenn…10 stars!
Hi Jen,
Was wanting to try this recipe, but first wanted to confirm marinating chicken in citris juice is o.k.? I’ve read that acidic ingredients do not tenderize but do the opposite. Please inform. Thank you.
Diane
Hi Diane, using acidic ingredients in marinades for boneless, skinless chicken breasts is problematic and will make them more tough, but it’s fine with the chicken pieces you’ll be using here. Hope you enjoy!
Made this for Thanksgiving. Its just the 2 of us and my husband is confined to bed so I wanted to make something festive but not fussy. I cut down a bit on the oil but otherwise followed the recipe as written with the exception of the boiling step as the chicken was well browned after 45 minutes. It was a bit of work to make the marinade but done the day before which made last evening’s meal easy. We both enjoyed it and cleanup was a breeze. No need for foil to line the baking sheet. Looking forward to enjoying the leftovers.