This juicy tender honey glazed Christmas chicken recipe is easy to make! It’s full of holiday flavors, and is sure to be a hit at your next Christmas dinner.
While this mouthwatering whole chicken is perfect for the holidays, if you are looking to cook something smaller, try our lemon pepper chicken drumsticks. Are you wondering what to serve with roast chicken? We’ll be sharing that too. Me
This recipe post contains helpful tips, tricks and answers to FAQs. Please read through to ensure you get the recipe right when you try it.
Table of Contents
- Christmas chicken roast recipe
- Why you’ll love this recipe
- Ingredients
- Tools used for this recipe
- How long to bake Christmas chicken
- How to make Christmas chicken
- What to serve with this chicken recipe
- How to store and Reheat honey glazed chicken
- Tips
- FAQs
- More Recipes like this
- Honey glazed Christmas chicken roast recipe
Christmas chicken roast recipe
Christmas dinners are all about bringing loved ones together over hearty, flavorful dishes that feel festive. And this honey glazed Christmas chicken checks all the boxes.
With its glistening sweet and savory glaze, aromatic spices and moist, tender meat, this honey glazed chicken makes for a perfect holiday main for the family.
Why you’ll love this recipe
Easy: This recipe comes together easily. With just a few pantry staples, you can whip up an impressive main in under an hour.
Family friendly: Kids and adults alike will love it. The balance of flavors and textures appeals to all palates.
Good size: Perfect for a small to medium sized family of 6 to 8 people.
Versatile: Reheats beautifully and makes good leftover roast sandwiches. You can also use in Mexican chicken salads, a flatbread chicken pizza or shredded chicken sliders.
Ingredients
Whole chicken
Honey
Garlic
Italian seasoning
Garlic cloves
Garlic powder / granulated garlic
Salt
Black pepper
Quick tip: You can add some heat to this recipe by using hot honey. I do that some times and it’s amazing.
Tools used for this recipe
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- Baking dish or pan
- Kitchen tongs
- Cutting board
- Parchment paper
How long to bake Christmas chicken
Baking Christmas chicken roast in the oven usually takes about 90 mins to 120 mins (1 ½ to 2 hours) depending on the size of the bird and the temperature at which it’s cooked. You can use 30 mins per pound of chicken as a guide.
The most important method to determine if your meat is cooked through isn’t time but rather the internal temperature. For chicken the internal temperature should read 165°F (74°C) when inserted in the thickest part of the meat.
That is what you should be looking out for irrespective of the time stated in a recipe. Therefore I recommend you buy a digital meat thermometer (👈 affiliate link) as soon as possible.
How to make Christmas chicken
See printable recipe card at the end of this post for ingredient quantities and full instructions!
In the oven
Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C)
Pat chicken dry with paper towels including the chicken cavity.
Mix together the salt, pepper, garlic powder, paprika and Italian seasoning. Reserve 1 teaspoon of the spice blend.
Brush the outside of the chicken with the melted butter or oil. Generously coat the outside of the chicken with the spice blend. Sprinkle the reserved 1 teaspoon of spice blend into the chicken cavity.
Do a quick truss of the chicken by tying the legs together with baker’s teind a Place the chicken in a baking dish and put in the oven preheated to 400°F (200°C). Bake for 30 minutes.
Remove chicken from oven and brush 2 tablespoons of honey all over the chicken. Return to oven and bake for another 30 minutes.
Remove chicken again and brush with remaining 2 tablespoons honey. Bake for another 30-45 minutes, until the internal temperature in the thickest part of the thigh reaches 165°F (74°C).
When fully cooked, remove chicken from oven, loosely cover with foil and let rest for 10-15 minutes before carving to allow the juices to redistribute.
In the air fryer
Season as instructed then transfer to the air fryer basket or rack, then cook at 360°F for 20 mins. Brush with 2 tablespoons of honey flip the chicken over with a pair of tongs, then brush the other side of the chicken with the remaining 2 tablespoons.
Continue cooking for another 20 mins, flip the chicken again and cook for another 20 mins or until internal temp is 165°F (74°C)
What to serve with this chicken recipe
Roast chicken pairs well with a variety of side dishes. Some popular options include roasted vegetables (like potatoes, carrots, or Brussels sprouts), a fresh salad, steamed green beans, mashed potatoes, rice, quinoa, or a side of sautéed spinach or asparagus.
Additionally, you could serve it with bread, gravy, cranberry sauce, or a flavorful sauce like chimichurri or pesto. Also a good peppermint sugar cookie bars recipe works for dessert!
The choice ultimately depends on your personal preferences and the flavors you enjoy. Don’t want to make a whole chicken? Try this marinated Asado chicken and sautéed lemon zucchini recipe.
How to store and Reheat honey glazed chicken
To store leftover roast chicken, place it in an airtight container or wrap it tightly in aluminum foil or plastic wrap. Alternatively, debone the chicken completely to use for salads or sandwiches.
Store it in the refrigerator within two hours of cooking. Leftover roast chicken can typically be refrigerated for 3-4 days.
Reheating:
You can reheat whole chicken in the air fryer oven, or microwave. For that
Tips
- Preheat the oven to before adding the chicken
- Move oven rack to the lower 3rd of the oven before preheating, that in my opinion is the best place to roast whole chicken in the oven.
- Use a meat thermometer to ensure the chicken is cooked through. Internal temperature of a fully cooked chicken should be 165°F (74°C) if you don’t have a meat thermometer yet, cut through the chicken the juices should run clear and are no longer pink.
- You can cut down cook time by splitting the chicken into halves and making roast half chicken.
FAQs
Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of the chicken. For roast chicken, it should reach 165°F (74°C) in the thickest part of the meat without touching bone. Alternatively, make sure the juices run clear, and there's no pinkness around the bones.
Seasoning options can vary widely, but a simple and classic approach includes rubbing the chicken with olive oil or melted butter and then seasoning it generously with salt, pepper, and herbs like thyme, rosemary, or sage. You can also add garlic or lemon for extra flavor.
Start by allowing the chicken to rest for about 10-15 minutes after removing it from the oven. Place it on a cutting board. Begin by cutting between the leg and the body, then remove each leg and thigh portion. Next, separate the wings from the body. Finally, carve the breast meat by making slices parallel to the breastbone.
Absolutely! Leftover roast chicken is versatile and can be used in various recipes like sandwiches, salads, soups, tacos, stir-fries, casseroles, or pasta dishes. Remove the meat from the bones and incorporate it into your favorite recipes for a delicious meal.
More Recipes like this
- Air fryer frozen chicken wings
- Chicken thigh Marsala
- Check out all our chicken recipes.
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Honey glazed Christmas chicken roast recipe
Ingredients
- 3.5 lb Whole chicken
- ¼ Cup honey
- 2 Tablespoons butter (substitute with oil)
- 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoons black pepper
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°C)
- Pat the chicken dry with paper towels.
- Mix the salt, pepper, garlic power, paprika and Italian seasoning together to form a blend. Reserve I teaspoon of the blend for the chicken cavity.
- Brush the chicken with melted butter or oil. Sprinkle the chicken generously with the spice blend. Sprinkle the reserved spice blend into the chicken cavity.
- Place the chicken in a baking dish then place it in the preheated oven and bake the chicken for 30 mins pull it out, brush half of the honey all over the chicken. Continue to cook for another 30 mins before brushing the rest of the honey on the chicken.
- Let it cook for another 30 to 45 mins or until internal temperature reaches 165°F (74°C) at the thickest part of the chicken.
- When it’s fully cooked, bring out of the oven and cover with foil, let it rest for 10 to 15 mins to enable it redistribute its juices.
Notes
- Melted butter works best with no so cold chicken if your chicken is still slightly cold, use oil instead.
- If you find that the skin is burning because of the honey, you can tent the chicken with foil and continue to cook till it reaches the recommended internal temp of 165°F (74°C)
- You can also mix all the ingredients including the honey and brush it on the chicken before roasting, however the skin may may begin a lot earlier because of the honey that’s my I prefer to reserve the honey for later.
- It’s helpful to warm the honey a bit to make it easier to brush on the chicken.
So what do you think?