Go Back

Cranberry Maple Roast Chicken

Cranberry maple roast chicken with a golden lacquered skin, roasted until the thigh hits 165°F. Maple-Dijon glaze and pan cranberries create a tangy, spoonable sauce.
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 1 hour 20 minutes
Resting 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 50 minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Calories: 650
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

Whole chicken
  • 1 whole chicken 5 pounds; patted dry
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp black pepper
  • 3 tbsp butter softened
  • 1 tbsp fresh rosemary chopped
  • 1 orange halved
  • 1 head garlic halved crosswise
  • 1 red onion cut into wedges
Cranberry maple glaze and pan sauce
  • 2 cup fresh cranberries
  • 0.33 cup maple syrup
  • 2 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 0.5 cup chicken broth

Equipment

  • 1 Dutch oven

Method
 

Prep and initial roast
  1. Preheat the oven to 425°F so it reaches a strong roasting heat before the chicken goes in. Place a roasting pan or Dutch oven inside while it heats for better browning.
  2. Season the chicken inside and out with salt and pepper, then rub the butter mixed with rosemary under and over the skin. Press gently so the herb butter clings to the surface for lacquered browning.
  3. Stuff the cavity with orange halves and garlic, then set the chicken in a roasting pan with the onion wedges around it. Arrange the onion so it sits in the pan juices during roasting.
  4. Roast the chicken for 50 minutes, watching for a deepening golden color on the skin. Continue without basting so the skin sets before glazing.
Glaze with cranberries and finish roasting
  1. Whisk the maple syrup and Dijon mustard, then brush half of the glaze over the chicken. Look for a glossy coating as it hits the hot skin.
  2. Add the cranberries and chicken broth to the pan, then tuck them around the chicken. You should see the cranberries start to burst and the liquid simmer immediately.
  3. Roast 25–30 minutes more, brushing with the remaining glaze, until the thigh reaches 165°F. The skin should look caramel-golden and the pan sauce should thicken slightly.
Rest and serve
  1. Rest the chicken for 15 minutes before carving. This lets the juices settle so the meat stays moist.
  2. Carve the chicken and spoon the cranberry pan sauce over the top. Serve warm with the pan juices spooned over the slices.

Notes

For extra crispy skin, start with fully patted-dry chicken and let it sit at room temperature for 10 minutes while the oven preheats. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days; freeze carved chicken and sauce for up to 2 months. To make it lower-sodium, use reduced-sodium chicken broth and reduce the added salt to taste while keeping the roasting times the same.