I love coming up with a new twist on roasted chicken because it’s the perfect cozy dinner and I love serving it for holidays too.  This would be fabulous for Passover.  Honey and lemon are a natural pairing and I like adding thyme for an herby element. I have really come to favor cooking a spatchcocked (backbone removed) chicken (and turkey for that matter.)  It’s such an easy way to cook a whole chicken and it’s easier to carve. You can definitely use these bones for stock too.  The honey is not noticeable.  You can also use this flavor combo on bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces.

Why You’ll Love This Spatchcocked Honey-Lemon Glazed Chicken

• A wonderful main dish to serve to company (I promise you will impress your guests);
• Buying a whole chicken is more economical than buying pieces;
• This is SO easy and easy to carve;
• Honey and lemon are BFFs…the perfect flavor combo!

Ingredients

• Chicken – a whole chicken backbone removed or spatchcocked
• Honey – this is what gives the chicken a bit of a sweet flavor and helps to brown the skin
• Lemon juice – adds acidity and delicious flavor
• Soy sauce – adds umami
• Thyme – large fresh sprigs for an herby addition
• Veggies -any combination of vegetables: onions cut into thick slices and separated into rings, carrots cut into 2-inch pieces, whole baby potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes cut into 2-inch pieces, fennel cut into wedges, parsnips cut into 2-inch pieces, rutabaga cut into 2-inch pieces, radishes, or lemon slices

How to Make Spatchcocked Honey-Lemon Glazed Chicken

1. It’s best to season larger pieces of poultry well in advance (at least a few hours to up to 2 days in advance). So salt the chicken as soon as you get home from the market. DO NOT SALT KOSHER CHICKEN.  Season the underside of the chicken with some of the salt.  I like to carefully separate the skin from the chicken breast meat, sliding my fingers to separate the skin as far down as I can go, but trying not to tear the skin. Rub a little salt under the loosened skin and directly into the meat as evenly as possible. Rewrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.
2. Remove the chicken from the refrigerator 45-60 minutes prior to cooking to remove some of the chill. This is important for large pieces of protein. 
3. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F when ready to cook the chicken. 
4. In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, lemon juice, and soy sauce until smooth. 
5. Line the bottom of a rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan that is just big enough to fit the chicken with aluminum foil for easy clean up. Spread out vegetables on the baking sheet and top with thyme sprigs. Place the chicken (breast-side up) on top of the vegetables. Brush one third of the honey glaze over the chicken skin. You will use the remaining glaze to baste. Drizzle the potatoes not covered by the chicken with a little olive oil and some salt.
6. Roast the chicken for 50-60 minutes, or until the temperature of the breast is 160 F, basting the chicken every 20 minutes. Tent the chicken with foil If the skin starts to burn before it’s fully cooked through. After the chicken is cooked through, allow to sit, covered, out of the oven for 15 to 20 minutes.
7. Carve the roasted chicken and serve with the vegetables and juices that accumulated at the bottom of the pan.

Tips

• Salt the chicken as soon as you get home from the market, but DO NOT salt kosher chicken!
• If the chicken skin starts to burn before it’s fully cooked through, tent the chicken with foil.
• You can make this recipe with a whole chicken (no backbone removed) if you’d like, just keep in mind that it will take longer to cook, about 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 ½ hours, depending on the exact size of your chicken. 
• I never cook on foil, but the clean-up is not easy if you do not cover the sheet pan.  If you try to use parchment, the juices mixed with honey can get under the parchment and burn and then you’ll be mad at me.

Substitutions

• Soy sauce – tamari or coconut aminos
• Whole chicken – bone-in, skin-on chicken pieces but the timing and temp will be different. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 – 40 minutes of until the chicken breast reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F. 
• Fresh thyme – fresh rosemary

Other recipes you may like:

Roasted Lemon-Sumac Chicken

Cranberry Balsamic Chicken

Grilled Lemon-Mustard-Rosemary Chicken

Easy No-fail Roast Chicken

If you give this Spatchcocked Honey-Lemon Glazed Chicken a try, snap a pic and tag @pamelasalzman so I can see your beautiful creations. I also really appreciate readers taking the time to leave a rating and review! Subscribe for free to my site for the latest recipes,  updates and things I’m loving lately.  If you enjoy this recipe, check out my online class here!  I teach a new class every month, which you watch on your own time.  Give me an hour a month, and I’ll make you a better, healthier cook!