Roasted Chicken with Honey and Hazelnuts is truly simple to make and ideal even for those who are not very experienced in the kitchen. Not only will the result be excellent, but bringing it to the table will make a great impression, as it will look beautiful, colorful, and very fragrant. Here’s a very simple recipe that will make a simple chicken drumstick unique, with a decidedly autumnal flavor. Of course, with the same procedure, we can also prepare a whole chicken or pieces, but also a guinea fowl or a duck.
However, I recommend paying attention to the preparation of chicken in general:
– you must never wash it, otherwise you risk that the pathogenic bacteria contained in the meat will contaminate everything they come into contact with: salmonella is always lurking. Always use a knife and cutting board designated only for chicken.
– this risk could also be there if it is undercooked, so it is good to ensure it is cooked but not overcooked: if you have a food thermometer, check that the center of the meat has reached 158°F.
If you love chicken meat, then don’t miss the next recipes:
- Cost: Cheap
- Preparation time: 20 Minutes
- Portions: 2 people
- Cooking methods: Electric oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
- 4 large chicken drumsticks
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 1 orange juice and zest
- 2 heaping tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon level fresh or dried thyme
- 1.4 oz hazelnuts
- to taste salt and pepper
Tools
- 1 Baking tray
- 1 Knife
- 1 Cutting board
- 1 Citrus juicer
Preparation
Take the meat out of the refrigerator and bring it to room temperature, which will take about forty minutes. Wash an untreated orange thoroughly and dry it. With a sharp knife, remove the peel, eliminate the white part as much as possible, and cut the zest into strips.
Soak the orange peels and squeeze it to extract the juice. Turn on the oven, set it to fan mode, and bring it to 356°F.
Place the chicken drumsticks in a baking dish and immediately season them with two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil.
Pour the orange juice over the chicken, season with salt and pepper, and add the zest, but only after drying them well with a cloth or paper towel.
Finish our seasoning by adding two heaping tablespoons of honey, a tablespoon of thyme, and coarsely chopped hazelnuts. At this point, since the oven is already hot, we can bake and let it cook for about 25 minutes. After this time, turn the drumsticks in the pan, baste them with the cooking juices, and put them back to cook for another 25 minutes. To flavor them better, we can moisten them multiple times during the entire cooking.
Serve our Roasted Chicken with Honey and Hazelnuts immediately and therefore very hot, but it’s not bad at room temperature either. When serving, pour the sauce that has formed over it.
Tips and Storage
Roasted chicken keeps perfectly in the refrigerator for about 3 days because it’s seasoned with ingredients that are natural preservatives.
However, store it in an airtight container, but make sure it’s glass or ceramic.
If you want, you can also freeze it, always tightly closed, so that there’s as little air as possible inside. However, remember to defrost it in the refrigerator to avoid possible food poisoning which can sometimes be quite severe.
