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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Delicious! Just made it for the second time. Made a double batch but have some left overs. Do you think it would freeze ok?
Glad you like it Kathy! And yes, I think this would freeze nicely.
I made this dish for the first time this weekend when I had company over. It’s a great dish if you’re having around 6 people. It really was foolproof and the prep wasn’t bad at all. I used a non stick sheet pan with a rim so it made clean up easy too. My guests enjoyed it and it presented very well, broiling it at the end made it look really appetizing. The timing for cooking was also perfectly correct.
A few tips I would give someone thinking of making this are 1) use a non stick sheet pan 2) it tends to be on the sweet side so if you don’t like it sweet, I would decrease the honey by a third and increase the spice since the entire marinade also goes into the dish. I added some sweet and hot paprika but you can add some curry to make it a little more exotic. 3) You could also make your life easier and buy carrots already sliced
“Keeper recipes” are hard to come by – seems like I try lots that are just o.k. Not this one. It was delicious. The preparing in advance etc reminded me of the silver palate chicken marbella recipe (another keeper) but the citrus gives it a completely different taste. The carrots and onions were yummy as were the leftovers:) Cleaning of baking tray no problem. Perfect dish for having friends over for a somewhat casual dinner party without spending all night in the kitchen. Will definitely make again!
Delish! Followed the recipe exactly. It looked just like the photo! Served with kasha and broccoli.
This recipe was excellent. Very flavorful. I tweeked it a bit due to preferences and availability of products: I used prunes instead of dates (don’t like dates); I used pecans instead of pistachios (couldn’t find the shelled pistachios at our store); and I used cilantro instead of parsley (forgot the parsley and had cilantro in the fridge). All of these substitutions worked out great. Also, I didn’t give myself enough time to marinate for the suggested time. I only let it sit in the marinade for 30 minutes or so (while the oven heated and I prepped other items). This worked out fine. I will make this again.
I rarely if ever comment on a recipe online but am compelled to do so for this recipe! Absolutely wonderful! I had such faith in this recipe that I served it for a dinner party having never prepared before and it was perfection!
Thank you Jenn for your most trustworthy culinary website! Good luck with your cookbook and trust that one is already sold!
This wasn’t a big hit in our house. I think the lemon was too overpowering for my kids. My husband and I enjoyed it but the prep and clean up is a lot. The pistachios, parsley, date and scallions were awesome sprinkled on our rice.
A refreshing new chicken recipe! I made this for the a dinner party and it was beautiful and delicious! I too doubled the marinade except for only 1 1/2 t. of the red pepper flakes and it had a perfect spice and sweet balance. Everyone loved it and I was asked for the recipe…..the best compliment. I lined the pan with heavy aluminum foil so clean up was easy. I will definitely make again.
Made this for a dinner party and doubled the recipe – was easy and delicious! I put in the full amount of chilli flakes which adds the perfect amount of heat. Will definitely make this again!
Really delicious and easy and done at the exact time the recipe stated. I use half of called for amount of honey. Liked the prep the night before !