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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Hi,
I will be making this recipe for about 20 people. Can you provide me with the correct about of ingredients for that many people, please? thanks.
Hi Candace, To serve 20, I’d just multiply all the ingredients by 3 or 3.5. Hope everyone enjoys! 🙂
The first time I made this outstanding chicken dish there was too much liquid for the sheet pan and it dripped in the oven. Can this recipe be made in a throw away aluminum pan instead?
Sure, Paula – that should work.
LOVE!! This is my go-to for guests – ALWAYS a hit! My tendency is to go heavier on the zest and lemon/orange juices. For 4 of us, I make it with 4-5 skinless/boneless chicken breasts (cut in half for more more manageable portions) and serve it with simple sides of brown rice and green beans, with a Riesling to wash it down and a flourless lemon almond cake for dessert. Plus, all the prep ahead of time means I can visit in peace with my guests before dinner and later have the easiest post dinner clean-up. Only drawback? – we rarely have leftovers to enjoy the next day.
Hi Jenn,
This is a fabulous recipe, one I’ve made several times now and always to rave reviews! Just like all the recipes of yours that I’ve tried, and I’ve tried a lot of them, from the website and your cookbook.
I plan to make double the recipe over the weekend and wonder if I could take a portion of the marinade and use it with tofu as there are a few vegetarians in the family. If so, do you think it’s best baked in the oven, pan fry it or even a combination of the two? Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!
So glad you like this Barbara! I don’t have any experience with tofu, but I do know that it’s great at soaking up marinades so I think it would work nicely. I just looked up the best way to cook tofu and I like the sound of this method that uses both the stove and the oven. (Keep in mind I haven’t tried it myself.) Hope that helps and that everyone enjoys!
We love it! Thanks so much for the link for the tofu. In the end, the vegetarians weren’t able to make it. I do want to thank you for the quick response and I will certainly keep your reply handy. All the dishes I made yesterday were from your site and book and everyone liked it all. I’d certainly buy book number two if you publish it one day. Thanks again!
So glad everything turned out nicely! 🙂
Hi Jenn, could this recipe be made with spatchcocked chickens laid flat to bake? Would it need longer to cook?
Also how would you suggest serving? Thanks s lot! Christine
Hi Christine, I do think you could use a spatchcocked chicken here. Bake time will be longer. I would guesstimate about an hour plus, but your best bet is to rely on a meat thermometer – remove the chicken from the oven when the temperature reaches 160°F). Hope that helps and please let me know how it turns out!
Hi. Instead of using bone in chicken pieces, could I use boneless skinless chicken thighs and marinate them for six hours minus the oil and then cook the thighs in the frying pan for 10 minutes and then add the marinade and veggies to the chicken in the frying pan and cook everything in the frying pan for about 35 minutes and mix in a bit of the marinade with some cornstarch to thicken? I know I wouldn’t get the nice roasted taste of the carrots but other than that, do you think it would work?
Hi Lesley, Unfortunately I don’t think it will work in terms of getting a result similar to mine. Sorry!
Jen, I’m bringing this to a friend’s Easter dinner and won’t be able to tie up their oven to cook this. Would you think I can cook it the day before and then just reheat it at their house before serving. Any advice as to reheating time and temperature? Thank you
Hi Ilene, I think that’s doable. When you prepare it at home, skip the broiling step at the end. When you arrive at your friend’s house, reheat, covered with foil, in a 325-degree for about 20 minutes or until heated through, then stick it under the broiler as the recipe indicates to crisp up the skin. Hope everyone enjoys! 🙂
Husband and I loved the flavors! I cut the honey from 6 to 4 TB and found the balance of citrus and sweetness fine. Next time I’ll increase the marinade by half so there is more sauce left over. With just the two of us I had enough for a second meal – shredded the extra chicken into the veggies and served over mashed potatoes. Additional leftover chicken (4 lbs is a lot 🙂 used for chicken salad.
Jenn’s French green bean recipe is a nice side dish with this. I sauteed raw shelled pistachios with the beans instead of the chicken.
I want to try this recipe, it looks delicious!
Would it ruin the recipe to omit the mustard?
Also, how would you recommend cooking with boneless chicken thighs?
Hi Bonnie, I like the flavor that the mustard adds to the marinade, but one or two readers have commented that they’ve cut back on or omitted the mustard and have been happy with the results. And regarding using the thighs, although I think this is best with bone-in chicken, you may be able to get away with boneless thighs because they have more fat/moisture. I would maintain the recipe, but check the chicken about 10 minutes before the recipe is done to see if it is fully cooked. If it is, remove it from the baking sheet and let the remaining ingredients roast for 10 more minutes. Hope you enjoy!
Forgot to ask if you think this would go well with a simple green salad? With a lemon basil vinaigrette? Or would the flavors compete. Trying not to spend time in kitchen, away from our company.
I think that would work well and that the flavors will complement the chicken nicely.
I plan to make this for company on Thursday. Daring….but I’m that confident in your recipes! Is there a brand of chicken you prefer (I live in Baltimore)? How important is it to get a variety of pieces? Also, what are your favorite “healthy” appetizers? Thank you for sharing your recipes and for your cookbook!
Hi Mary, I’m not overly loyal to one brand, but often buy Perdue chicken as that what my store carries. I like this with a variety of chicken pieces as then you’ve got something to appeal to everyone, but if you prefer one chicken piece over another, it’s fine to go with that one. In terms of healthy appetizers, some options that come to mind are these salmon cakes, and this herbed cottage cheese spread. Hope that helps and that you have a nice dinner!