8 servings
Ingredients
- ½ medium onion
- 1 stalk celery
- 4 garlic cloves
- ¼ cup honey
- ¼ cup Dijon or whole-grain mustard
- 1 Tablespoon dried sage
- 1 Tablespoon dried thyme leaves
- 2 cups cornbread crumbs
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil
- 1 whole (4-pound) chicken
- Nonstick cooking spray
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- Rinse and roughly chop onion and celery.
- Peel and mince garlic.
- In a small bowl, combine honey, mustard, sage, thyme and minced garlic. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, toss cornbread crumbs and oil. Set aside.
- Put chicken on cutting board, breast side up. Remove wings by snapping the wing joint and sliding a sharp knife through the joint. Turn chicken over. Cut the skin down the length of the back. Pull off skin (you can use paper towels to help you get a grip on the skin). Turn chicken back over. Pull off skin on breast side and from legs and thighs. Cut off any other excess fat left on chicken.
- Coat a 9-by-13-inch baking dish with nonstick cooking spray. Place chicken in dish. Stuff the cavity with onion and celery. Pat surface of chicken dry with paper towels.
- Pat mustard mixture all over chicken. Press cornbread crumbs into the mustard mixture on chicken.
- Bake until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching the bone registers 165 degrees F. This could take about 1 hour and 45 minutes to 2 hours and 15 minutes. Cover chicken loosely with foil if crumbs start to brown too quickly.
- Carefully transfer roasted chicken to a clean cutting board. Let stand for 10 minutes. Discard onion and celery. Cut into serving pieces.
Chef’s notes:
• For a quicker chicken dish, use boneless skinless chicken breasts. You won’t need the onion or celery. Start with 4 large chicken breasts (about 2 pounds total). Trim fat and cut in half diagonally. Coat chicken in mustard mixture then cover in cornbread crumbs. Place in a 9-by-13- inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350°F until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the chicken registers 165°F, about 40 to 50 minutes.
• Make your own cornbread to use in this recipe.
• If you already have it on hand, you can use ½ cup prepared honey mustard instead of making your own in Step 4.
• Use the chicken carcass and cut-off wings to make chicken broth. Place in a large pot. Cover with water by a couple of inches. Simmer for 1 hour. Use a colander to strain. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate or freeze.