Roast Chicken With Maple Butter and Rosemary

By Colu Henry

Roast Chicken With Maple Butter and Rosemary
Con Poulos for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
5(4,765)
Comments
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This simple roast chicken combines the classic fall flavors of maple and rosemary with melted butter, which is basted over the bird as it cooks to keep it juicy. The butter browns slightly and helps caramelize the outside thanks to the sugars in the maple syrup. The result is a fragrant, sweet-and-salty chicken that makes the house smell great. There will be plenty of buttery pan juices left over, which you should most certainly pass around the table, but they would also be delicious spooned over rice pilaf.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1(3½-pound) whole chicken
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2 to 3rosemary sprigs, plus 2½ teaspoons finely chopped rosemary
  • 4tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2tablespoons maple syrup
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

716 calories; 53 grams fat; 19 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 20 grams monounsaturated fat; 9 grams polyunsaturated fat; 8 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 6 grams sugars; 51 grams protein; 990 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Pat the chicken dry and season it well with salt and pepper, both inside and out. Place the chicken breast-side up in a 10-inch cast-iron or ovenproof skillet and stuff the rosemary sprigs into the bird's cavity.

  2. Step 2

    In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the chopped rosemary and the maple syrup, and cook together until the rosemary is fragrant and the mixture has thickened slightly, about 1 to 2 minutes. Spoon all of the mixture over the chicken, making sure it is evenly covered. A decent amount will end up on the bottom of the pan, and that’s O.K.

  3. Step 3

    Roast the chicken, basting with the pan juices every 15 to 20 minutes or so, until the chicken is glossy and golden brown and registers 165 degrees with an instant thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, about 55 to 60 minutes. Remove from the oven and baste an additional time, if desired. Allow the chicken to rest for 10 minutes before carving. Whisk remaining juice and pass at the table.

Ratings

5 out of 5
4,765 user ratings
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Comments

Gail

Preheat the skillet in the oven; the thighs will cook, quicker, allowing the chicken to be done when the breast meat is still moist. That is the whole point of cooking a chicken in a skillet.

Margaux Laskey, Staff Editor

Ridiculously easy and so so so very good using supermarket-brand real maple syrup. I roasted broccoli and potatoes on a sheet pan on the rack beneath the chicken. I didn't have a ton of buttery drippings left over, but those I did have, I drizzled over the taters.

Alissa

Added sage to the butter basting, and took the apricots and apples suggestion. Doubled the butter and maple syrup amounts to have plenty of gravy. Whisked gravy with a bit of heavy cream. RAVE reviews and requests for the recipe!

Amanda

This smelled fabulous while it was cooking and didn’t disappoint once it was time to eat. The chicken was juicy and tender, and there was plenty of liquid to make a gravy/cream sauce for mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. My chicken was 5 pounds, not 3 1/2 pounds but easy enough to estimate the cooking time if you’ve ever roasted a chicken before. A meat thermometer helps, too.

Amy U

Fairly easy and straightforward; smelled amazing, but sadly, I didn't feel like the flavor made it to the meat much.

jenben

Delicious. I used a cut up chicken. I roasted the veggies in extra sauce separately for the vegetarian. But cleaning the pan was horrific. The syrup carmelized on the pan - still soaking…

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