I had a very glamorous friend who could throw on a pair of jeans and a tee shirt with a crazy-fabulous necklace and go anywhere, looking elegant and cool. (Me, not so much. I would look like I’d forgotten to do laundry and the necklace was a failed last ditch effort to be presentable.)
This honey soy chicken is a bit like jeans and a tee shirt. It is easy and comfortable and just feels so good– the perfect midweek dinner to throw together. But those lemon and orange slices that roast along with the chicken– those are Trudy’s necklaces. They dress up the dinner, make it more interesting– and ideal to serve to company. This is also a great dish to make on a Sunday so you’ve got leftover chicken to sustain you during the week. And for the record, if there are any roasted citrus slices leftover, they make a glorious embellishment for even the simplest green salad.
| Servings 10-12 | |
- 1/3 cup honey
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 3 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
- 1 whole orange cut across in thin slices
- 1 whole lemon cut across in thin slices
- 10 pounds cut up chicken
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 6 sprigs fresh thyme (plus more for garnish if desired)
- seeds from half a pomegranate for garnish (optional)
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- Preheat oven to 450˚. Coat a large baking sheet pan with cooking spray.
- Combine the honey, lemon juice, and soy sauce in a bowl, stirring until the honey is dissolved.
- Place the orange and lemon slices on the baking sheet and top with the chicken. Pour about 1/4 cup of the honey-soy mixture over the chicken and sprinkle with salt. Bake 20 minutes, remove from the oven and baste with the pan juices. Return the pan to the oven, rotating it from front to back. Bake until an instant read meat thermometer inserted in the breast reaches 160-165˚, at which point the thighs should be at about 170-175˚. Transfer the chicken to a platter and drape to keep warm.
- Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan with the reserved honey soy mixture and bring to a boil. Continue boiling until the mixture is reduced to about 2 cups, about 7-8 minutes.
- Meanwhile, return the sheet pan, with the orange and lemon slices, to the oven and roast until they are lightly browned around the edges, about 8 minutes.
- Place the citrus slices on a platter with the chicken. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and pomegranate seeds if desired.
I have a friend who can drop two whole chives on a platter, in a graceful X, and it looks gorgeous and effortless, whereas when I do it someone comes behind me and says oops, you dropped these on the food. Trudy’s necklace principle. This looks yum!
this looks delicious. I am definitely making this dish for a Sunday night dinner.
I will surely try this! It looks great!