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 looks delish and I’m planning to make it, but the calorie count is off. As written, it’s about 670 calories per serving, not 1,000+ (at 6 servings per recipe). I’d reduce the amount of olive oil to 3 T., dates to 1/2 cup, and honey to 4 T., to lighten it further.
Hi Hannah, Thanks for your note. Because I’m not a nutritionist, I use an online tool to calculate the nutritional information for the blog. When I plugged in the ingredients for this recipe, those were the results. I just double-checked it and am getting the same numbers. (I have included the scallions and pistachios in my calculations.) Regardless, hope you enjoy if you make it!
Thanks, Jenn. I used the verywellfit calculator: verywellfit.com.
LOVE your recipes, thanks!
This is another delicious recipe from Jenn, one that will be repeated often for my family. I baked mine in the bottom part of my broiler pan, and like other reviewers noted, I lined it with foil. I did not have any problem with the carrots or any other ingredients sticking — I think I may have added a little extra orange juice than called for in the recipe — so perhaps that helped. Also after cooking for 40 minutes at 425 degrees, my chicken was done and nicely browned so there was no need to broil it. I don’t like nuts, so I didn’t include the pistachios. Also, while the recipe was marinating, I had neatly sliced up some scallions to add as a garnish before serving, but when I took the dish out of the oven it smelled so delicious and we were all so hungry, that I completely forgot about the scallions. No matter, the meal was delicious without any garnish. Thanks Jenn, for another outstanding recipe.
I thought the marinade was wonderful. I felt that the carrots and dates were way to much. I would make the marinade and do the onions and a few carrots and dates for flavor and omit most of the carrots and dates
LOL, next time I make this recipe, I’m going to add more carrots and dates. Each to his own…
I just hosted my first Rosh Hashanah dinner and made this. It was delicious. I loved that I could prep it the day before. Unfortunately everyone loved it so much, I don’t have any leftovers. This will definitely be part of our new tradition. I also made your matzah ball soup and apple crisp. In the past year, we’ve hosted Christmas, Rosh Hashanah, Passover & Thanksgiving all for the first time and I’ve used your recipes for all of these because they have never disappointed. I love that I can make them for the first time with company and trust that they will be delicious. I just ordered your cookbook and it will be here tomorrow! Can’t wait to try the chocolate cake for my godmother’s birthday this weekend.
Glad you’ve had success with all the recipes, Pam (and thanks for your support with the cookbook)! 🙂
I made this for Rosh Hashana dinner. It was the highlight of the evening meal!
Just the right mixture of sweet and spicy.
I don’t believe I ever received such complements from “my gang”
We continued to enjoy the left overs (made lots intentionally) the following day!
Thank you!
I passed it on to my sister already
Happy New Year, Jen. I am making this for my family. What pieces do you sugggest I make for a family of 6 to show a fabulous presentation to show off for 1st RH dinner. I’m not jewish so I do break fast. Doing this for my mom in law. Making your entire dinner suggestion and need advice. Thank you
Hi Cynthia, This recipe serves up to 6 so I’d just stick with it and use the chicken pieces mentioned (thighs, drumsticks, and breasts). It will make a really pretty presentation — hope everyone enjoys! 🙂
Jen –
The dinner was a hit! I love your recipes. I’ve made many (plus I have your cookbook) Thanks again for putting my fears at ease!
A fan- Cynthia Taffet
So glad it came out nicely! 💗
Can I just use bone-in chicken thighs for the recipe and no other chicken parts? Thanks!
Sure – hope you enjoy!
Shoot I just realized I forgot the garnish. Next time! Another great recipe. The thighs I bought had a really heavy layer of skin, so I removed it, and there was no need to broil/brown the chicken at the end. I love to spoil my husband with homemade meals, and we both really enjoyed this dinner last night!
I made this tonight for the first time. It has been the best dinner that I have made in the last month and my husband loved it too. The flavors and textures were great! I will make it again!
I did have a few questions:
1. Do you think I could use boneless thighs and breasts?
2. Curious as to why we shouldn’t line the pan with foil
3. The sauce was fatty and I was wondering if this could be cooked a day in advance and then skim the fat off the sauce and reheated.
Thanks again for a wonderful recipe!
Hi Bea, So glad you enjoyed this! In answer to your questions:
1. I don’t recommend using boneless breasts here. Regarding using the boneless 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.
2. I found the onions and carrots stuck to foil, but other readers have said that they used it with good results. If you’d like, you could use parchment paper without any issues.
3. I think this dish is best right out of the oven.
Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn, I’m marinsting this right now for tomorrow night. How come I shouldn’t line the pan with foil?
Hi Serena, I’ve had issues with sticking. Hope you enjoy! 🙂
Reynolds no stick foil in unbelievable
Can get big rolls on Amazon