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!
“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
Step 1: Make the marinade. Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, orange zest, orange juice, olive oil, mustard, honey, red pepper flakes, garlic, thyme, and salt.
Step 2: Marinate everything. 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.
Step 3: Roast. 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.
Step 4: Finish under the broiler. Turn on broiler (leaving the 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!
Step 5: Serve. 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. Enjoy!
More Chicken Recipes You’ll Love
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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This is a great recipe! I made Melissa Clark’s original 2 years ago, and this was much easier and tasted the same. There is definitely a heavy sweet taste to the chicken and roasted veggies, but my guests enjoyed it. I also found the orange flavor to be on the strong side, but again, was very good. I love that you can prep this entire dish ahead of time, and then just pop it in the oven before dinner.
Made this tonight and it was absolutely fantastic. Could you put everything to marinate in a ziplock bag and place it in the freezer for A future freezer dinner?
Sure, Rochelle – I think that’d work.
Delicious! I first found this recipe on the NYT website but was unsure until I came across this version. I doubled the recipe, used bone-in chicken breasts and left out the chili flakes and garnishes-didn’t miss them. I lined my cookie sheets with tin foil and had no problem with the honey burning. Clean up was a breeze even with a tear in the foil. Jenn, your recipes are always spot on. Wow!
Great recipe! I love the marinade. I bet it would be delicious on a salad.
My second review…used 6 thighs and only 2 cups of carrots (it was enough). Marinated about 24 hours. Cooked thighs by themselves at 450 for 25 minutes, turned oven down to 425, basted chicken and added everything else, Baked for 20 minutes. Carrots were not cooked through, still had a little crunch and were FANTASTIC. Even better this way than when I first made it.
You mentioned not to use foill. Why? I usually use non stick foil. Should I use parchment paper? Thanks
Hi Karen, I’m always nervous to use foil with this recipe b/c of the honey but many readers have used non stick foil with success – I think it’s fine. Enjoy!
Meal was delicious and definitely will be made again. However, the pan got so much burned on marinade that I’ve been trying all that I can to scrape it off and use boiling water to salvage it. It wasn’t a non stick pan. Next time I’ll use foil throw away pan and place on a baking sheet for support.
This is the only recipe from this site that I haven’t loved. The veggies were wonderful but the chicken, despite being marinated overnight, was tasteless. Paired with Perfect Couscous, which was bland. We served the veggies from this recipe over top of the couscous, which made it great. Overall, disappointed. Can’t win them all.
Do you think I can make this with skin on boneless breasts? I will marinade for 6 hours instead of overnight so the acid doesn’t “cook” the chicken. How long and what temp should I cook? L’Shana Tova!
Hi Brooke, Unfortunately, this isn’t the best recipe for boneless breasts – sorry!
Amazing recipe deserves 5 stars.
Made this a few times and everyone raves.
I use chicken thighs and they are so juicy and flavourful.
A few of your recipes that marinate over night infuse such great flavour into the meat.
Love your style of cooking and ingredients are not complicated .
So happy I discovered you on Pinterest.
AMF