Honey Orange Glazed Chicken

These honey orange glazed chicken drumsticks are always a hit when I make them for parties and Boxing Day dinners because the chicken is always fall-off-the-bone juicy. People love the glaze — they always go for seconds! You may quarter 2 chickens if you aren't able to get legs from your butcher, but I find the legs are juicier and save money. Serve this dish with fragrant rice and dilled carrots or roasted asparagus.


Recipes · Meat and Poultry · Chicken · Chicken Leg Recipes


Prep Time: 20 mins
Cook Time: 2 hrs
Total Time: 3 hrs 20 mins
Additional Time: 1 hrs
Servings: 8

Ingredients

Ingredients List

  • 8 large chicken legs

  • 1 tablespoon salt

  • 1 cup honey

  • 1 cup orange juice with pulp

  • ½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • 7 sprigs fresh rosemary, finely chopped

  • 2 oranges, zested

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced (Optional)

  • ground black pepper to taste


Directions

  1. Sprinkle chicken with salt and place in a large glass or plastic bowl.

  2. Whisk together honey, orange juice with pulp, butter, rosemary, orange zest, garlic, and pepper in a separate bowl. Pour orange mixture over chicken; cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour to overnight.

  3. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

  4. Place chicken in a single layer in a roasting pan; pour orange mixture over chicken.

  5. Bake in the preheated oven for 30 minutes. Baste chicken with pan juices and reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C). Continue basting chicken every 20 minutes and cook until chicken is a deep orange-brown color, no longer pink at the bone, and the juices run clear, about 90 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the meat near the bone should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C).

Cook's Note

I usually mix the remaining orange glaze in the pan into the rice. It can also be strained and thickened with cornstarch, then poured over the rice.


Nutrition Facts (per serving)

Nutrition Facts
777 Calories
42g Fat
39g Carbs
60g Protein


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