Orange Honey Lemongrass Roast Chicken Recipe
Give those flown-to-Hawai‘i turkeys the day off, won’t you? This coming Thanksgiving, dress one of our pastured-raised chickens instead and localize your mini-feast. We have the perfect-sized birds for your intimate setting and the ingredients to personalize them with your favorite recipes.
If you need inspiration to get that poultry in motion, check out Chef Val Parra’s recipe below. Besides listening to people retell their dreams in drawn-out detail, there’s nothing more I dread than a plate of dry and chewy chicken meat. Don’t worry— Chef Val’s brine will keep your bird fragrant and moist while the rest of the ingredients impart the perfect sweet and citrusy flavor.
In addition to the roasted vegetables, Chef Val also added watercress on the serving platter that the chicken rested on. The bite from the subtle spiciness of the watercress was the perfect complement to the caramelized creaminess of the squash and carrots and the butter-orange flavor of the chicken.
Please don’t pour the gravy in a martini glass and sip it during cocktail hour. It is quite delicious, but it’s better on the chicken. Mahalo to Chef Val and The Nook Neighborhood Bistro for the recipe!
ORANGE HONEY LEMONGRASS ROASTED WHOLE CHICKEN RECIPE
Ingredients:
- 1 4-5 lb pastured whole chicken
- 1 c butter softened
- 2 tbsp honey
- 2 local oranges
- 2 stalk lemongrass
- 1 medium yellow onion
- 4 c cubed winter squash
- 2 c carrots sliced in half lengthwise
- 2 tbsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
For the brine:
- 4qt water
- ¼ c raw pineapple vinegar
- 1 tbsp black peppercorns
- ½ c salt
- ⅓ c sugar
- 1 stalk lemongrass
For the gravy:
- 2 tbsp flour
- 2 c water/chicken stock
- ½ c orange juice
Keep it local and shop these ingredients on our marketplace.
Directions:
- Bring 4 qt of water to a boil. In the meantime combine all other ingredients for the brine in a deep and wide enough container to hold the liquid plus the chicken. Once the water has boiled, pour into the container with the other ingredients and stir until combined. Allow to cool completely before putting in the chicken. Refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.
- Preheat your oven to 325° F.
- In a bowl, combine the softened butter, the zest of one orange, honey, salt, and pepper and mix until incorporated becoming a “compound butter”. Take the chicken out of the brine, drain, rinse in cold water, and pat dry. Rub the chicken with your compound butter and place it in a baking dish. Reserve a couple of tablespoons of the butter.
- Place the carrots, winter squash, and onion in a bowl and massage them with the rest of the compound butter. Place them in the baking dish with the chicken.
- Bake the chicken along with the vegetables for approximately 1 hour or until the juices run clear.
- When the chicken is ready, take it off the dish along with the vegetables and let cool. Boil 2 cups of water or chicken stock. Strain the juices from the dish and add the flour to create a roux. Add the water/stock and whisk vigorously until smooth. Adjust salt and pepper.
- Serve the chicken whole to carve or sliced on top of the roasted vegetables. Serve the gravy on the side.
The Nook Neighborhood Bistro have been wildly passionate about using local produce and supporting our local farmers through Farm Link Hawai‘i. We are grateful for Owner/Chef Hailey Berkey and Sous Chef Val Parra for their unwavering commitment.