Springtime Honey Garlic Roast Chicken Skillet.

March 26, 2012

Well heeeey springtime.

I’m so glad you’re here.

Mainly because it means I do a whole slew of things like blast Kenny Chesney for hours on end, burn candles that smell like flowers until I remember (too late) that they make me want to vomit, go on long walks and SWEAR I’m going to walk like this every.afternoon! since it’s so pretty outside and take lots of pictures of weeds because, well… it’s spring and weeds sort of look like flowers when you haven’t seen flowers in eight months or whatever.

And things are just… different. They look prettier and smell tastier and act happier and feel all brand new and stuff.

But what this whole first week of spring really made me want to do? If I’m being entirely myself and honest and the open book that I tend to be?

It made me want to…

…consume a large amount of alcoholic beverages.

Not like LARGE large, as in I-don’t-want-to-remember-that-stupid-thing-I-did-last-night, but like VARIETY large, as in this warm breeze and sun on my shoulders and 8PM light would be the perfect setting for a tall, frosted glass of OMG thistastessogoodgivememorenow.

For days I’ve been craving something cold and icy with a hint of rum while watching the sun set. But I’ve also been thinking nonstop about a margarita on an outside porch with blue corn chips and endless guacamole. Oh but I’ve also been dreaming of mojitos patio-side in the early evening with some grilled fish tacos. And then there is our classic Malibu + cranberry while laying on the beach at like, 10AM. Oh and cold, cold beer? I could do that too. Or ice cold pinot grigio after a super hectic Monday? Gimme.

But uh, oh… look at that. WE CAN DO THAT TONIGHT! The whole ice cold pinot grigio after a hectic Monday thing? It can totally happen for happy hour and then continue on into dinner when you make this roasted chicken. Because Mondays usually stink… and I can’t think of anything better than making them enticing… with wine and a delicious meal…. and wine.

Yes?

Springtime Honey Garlic Roast Chicken Skillet

serves about 4

3-4 pound roasting chicken, giblets removed

1 sweet onion, sliced

1 1/2 pounds baby red potatoes, halved

15 asparagus spears, halved & stems removed

1 pint cremini mushrooms

3 bulbs of garlic

4 tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup honey + 1 tablespoon

salt + pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.In a large bowl, combine potatoes, onions and asparagus, tossing with a few pinches each of salt and pepper. Add in mushrooms and 1 tablespoon olive oil, tossing with your hands to combine. Drizzle in 1 tablespoon of honey and toss again. Take each head of garlic and slice off the top, and using your hands rub/peel away most of the outside paper. Drizzle each head with olive oil, then wrap separately cut-side up in a small square of aluminum foil. (For a more descriptive post on roasting garlic, click HERE.)

Pat chicken completely dry. Season both sides with salt and pepper, then rub each side with 1/2 tablespoons each of honey. Finish by coating the entire chicken with 1-2 tablespoons olive oil. Place chicken breast-side up in the center of a large cast-iron skillet. Place vegetables in the skillet around the chicken, stuffing a few underneath if needed. Place foil covered garlic bulbs on top of vegetables. Roast chicken for about 85-90 minutes. Once finished, remove and let sit for 10-20 minutes, then cut.

While chicken is resting, combine leftover honey and 1-2 heads of roasted garlic in a bowl. Mash and mix until combined, then use to coat vegetables or spread on chicken.

Notes: you don’t need to use a skillet – any sort of roasting pan would also work. I also suggest buying thicker asparagus because they are VERY roasted after being in the oven that long. If you don’t want them as crisp, toss in a bit of olive oil and add halfway through cooking.