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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Fabulous !! I will certainly add this to my “favorites”… The flavors were so delicious! I was able to prep everything in the morning before work and let it sit all day in the marinade. Was nice to come home and lay it out in a large roaster (I doubled the recipe) and dinner was on the table in under an hour. And what a pretty dinner it was! Thanks for this one ….
My partner and I love your website and have enjoyed many of your recipes. Quick question — do you think we could substitute the dates with dried prunes? Also, would pumpkin seeds work instead of the pistachios?
Hi Clayton, glad you guys like the blog! And yes, I think both of those substitutions would work here. Enjoy!
I’m an ok cook with a limited amount of experience and recipes that I use. I seem to get lost following most recipes. Well, I tried this one because it seemed like something a novice could do, and it turned out perfect. I’ve made it twice and my husband has really liked it and requested that I put it in my regular rotation. Thanks Jenn for your easy to follow instructions.
Jenn,
I had the chicken marinating overnight for Passover and then I became ill and never cooked the chicken. I took the marinated chicken and threw it in the freezer to make at a later date.
Do you think it will be okay or do you think I should start anew?
I love your site.
Thank you.
Hi Barbara, So sorry to hear you were ill on Passover. I hope you’re feeling better — and the chicken should be just fine :).
This worked beautifully. Great recipe. Thank you again.
Everyone loved this at Passover. Perfect like every other recipe on your site. People asked about whether it could be made ahead and reheated. I had to do that and it worked well. 350 for 30 minutes was plenty.
Moist delicious chicken. I didn’t marinate the vegetables and still strong citrus flavor but not bad if eaten with bite of chicken. Will make again but will roast vegetables separate so they are not citrus flavor. Carrots and date together are scrumptious and I wouldn’t have thought to combine them. Overall a keeper!
My family loves this dish. I add extra carrots and onions because the vegetables are like eating candy. So good. I was wondering: would the marinade be good for grilling boneless chicken breasts and/or thighs? It’s so delicious.
Hi Pam, I wouldn’t recommend this marinade for boneless breasts. As a general rule, I don’t marinate boneless skinless chicken breasts in acidic ingredients — Because they are so lean, I that find it changes the texture and makes them a bit leathery. You might be able to get away with this for the thighs because they have more fat/moisture. Ultimately, though, I think this is best with bone-in chicken. You may want to try this quick and tasty marinade for boneless breasts.
I’m doubling this recipe and was wondering if I could marinate for 2 days or would that turn the chicken mushy? Thanks Jen and as always thanks for providing me with my menu for Passover!!
That will be fine, Abbie. When it’s bone-in, skin-on you can marinate longer — and it will have even better flavor.
Is the sodium at 1306 mg for all six servings? That is many many times the recommended amount of sodium per day?
Hi Buffy, the sodium is 1306 per serving, which I know is quite high; feel free to cut back on the added salt and use unsalted pistachios if you’d like to reduce the sodium.
This sounds yummy but I have a question. I plan on making this as one of my Passover dishes…I have a number of guests who don’t do spicy AT ALL… how spicy is this? What can I substitute for a good flavor if I don’t use the chili flakes? Lastly I will need to at least double…should I double marinade?
Hi Doreen, You can just omit the chili flakes — and definitely double the marinade if you’re doubling the recipe.