Ultra flavorful glazed roasted chicken with lavender, herbs, honey and balsamic vinegar. Jump to the Roasted Lavender Honey Glazed Chicken Recipe or read on to see our tips for making it.
Sweet, earthy and sticky. This chicken is so good. I know lavender and chicken might sound a little odd, but trust me, it’s seriously good. We first experienced the lavender honey combination at a little restaurant in Virginia. It was the Red Fox Inn in Middleburg if you are ever in the area ?
They served us quail glazed in a combination of herbs, lavender and honey. It was sticky, earthy and a little sweet. We loved it. The idea really stuck with us because it was years ago that we ordered that quail and now we’re sharing our spin with you.
Lavender is pretty strong, but when you combine it with something sweet — like the honey — it works well. I also love acid in food, which is why we add a hefty amount of balsamic vinegar to the glaze.
If you can find it, use chicken that still has the bone in and the skin on. The final result will be more tender and juicy. We’ve made this with a whole chicken that’s been quartered as well as just drumsticks or chicken thighs.
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE: How to perfectly pan roast chicken breasts with butter and thyme. Jump to the Easy Pan Roasted Chicken Breasts with Thyme Recipe.
We made these for an entire gluten-free menu featured in maché magazine’s Holiday Issue and love it served alongside this Creamy Roasted Parsnip Puree Recipe.
Recipe updated, originally posted December 2011. Since posting this in 2011, we have tweaked the recipe to be more clear. – Adam and Joanne
Roasted Lavender Honey Glazed Chicken Recipe
- PREP
- COOK
- TOTAL
Lavender is pretty strong, but when you combine it with something sweet — like the honey — it works well. You can find culinary grade lavender in spice and tea shops as well as online.
You Will Need
1 (5 to 6 pound) chicken, quartered
Salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried lavender
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pure honey
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Directions
1Position an oven rack towards the middle of the oven then heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2Season chicken quarters with about 1 teaspoon of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Place, in one layer, onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes.
3Meanwhile, add lavender, thyme, rosemary, red pepper flakes, honey and the balsamic vinegar to a small saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk until well blended. When warmed through, remove from the heat and set aside.
4After 20 minutes of roasting, baste the chicken with the lavender honey glaze every 5 minutes until the chicken is cooked though and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken reads 165 degrees F, an additional 15 to 20 minutes.
5Remove chicken from the oven, loosely cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 5 minutes before serving.
Adam and Joanne's Tips
- Depending on where you buy your chicken, the weight will vary. For our recipe, we call for a 5 to 6 pound chicken, which is quite large. That said, the recipe will still work for smaller chickens (3 1/2 pounds). The bake time will just be slightly less.
If you make this recipe, snap a photo and hashtag it #inspiredtaste — We love to see your creations on Instagram and Facebook! Find us: @inspiredtaste
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Loved the glaze. I didn’t have dry herbs but had all of them in fresh form. I steeped them in the glaze and let them sit for an hour before cooking. I used it on bone in, skin on chicken thighs and the results were a moist juice chicken with a shellac on the skin.
I’ve made this so many times, we love it so much. I honey brine the chicken first. Excellent recipe.